Illinois volleyball ranked #9 in Big Ten Preseason Rankings

Illinois volleyball opens home season with win over Illinois State

ROSEMONT, Ill. - The Big Ten Conference announced its 2025 volleyball preseason honors and preseason poll on Thursday, ahead of the fourth annual Big Ten Volleyball Media Days on July 28-29 at Big Ten Network Studios in Chicago.  

Nebraska claimed the top spot in the preseason poll, in what will be Dani Busboom Kelly’s first season leading the Cornhuskers.  

Penn State, the reigning National Champions, are projected to finish second in the conference. The Nittany Lions shared a Big Ten Championship with Nebraska a season ago.  

Eight schools were represented among the 20 student-athletes receiving preseason recognition.  

Five members of the preseason all-conference team were unanimous selections: Nebraska’s Harper Murray, Andi Jackson and Bergen Reilly and Penn State’s Kennedy Martin and Izzy Starck.  Reilly was named the 2024 Big Ten Setter of the Year, while Murray and Jackson were selected to the All-Big Ten First Team. Starck was the 2024 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, as well as the National Freshman of the Year. Martin, a junior transfer from Florida, was an All-American in 2024 and was recognized on the All-SEC First Team.  

The preseason poll and all-conference teams were voted on by the conference’s 18 head coaches. Eleven members of the preseason all-conference team are scheduled to attend Big Ten Volleyball Media Days next week. Media interested in attending the event can apply for credentials here.  

The complete list of Big Ten volleyball preseason honors is as follows: 

2025 BIG TEN VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON POLL 

  1. Nebraska  

  2. Penn State 

  3. Wisconsin 

  4. Minnesota 

  5. UCLA 

  6. USC 

  7. Purdue 

  8. Washington 

  9. Illinois 

  10. Michigan 

  11. Indiana 

  12. Oregon 

  13. Ohio State 

  14. Michigan State 

  15. Northwestern 

  16. Maryland 

  17. Iowa 

  18. Rutgers 

 

2025 BIG TEN VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM 

Allison Jacobs, MICH, Gr., OH 

Julia Hanson, MINN, Sr., OH 

Mckenna Wucherer, MINN, Sr., OH 

Rebekah Allick, NEB, Sr., MB 

ANDI JACKSON, NEB, Jr., MB 

HARPER MURRAY, NEB, Jr., OH 

BERGEN REILLY, NEB, Jr., S 

Gillian Grimes, PSU, Sr., L 

KENNEDY MARTIN, PSU, Jr., OPP 

IZZY STARCK, PSU, So., S 

Phekran Kong, UCLA, Gr., MB 

Cheridyn Leverette, UCLA, Sr., OH 

Maggie Li, UCLA, Jr., OH 

Marianna Singletary, UCLA, RS-Jr., MB 

Adonia Faumuina, USC, Jr., OH 

Kierstyn Barton, WASH, Jr., OH 

Julia Hunt, WASH, So., MB 

Carter Booth, WIS, Sr., MB 

Mimi Colyer, WIS, Sr., OH 

Charlie Fuerbringer, WIS, So., S 

Unanimous Selection in ALL CAPS 

* - additional players due to tie in votingÂ