IU Athletics Release
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Fresh off one of the best seasons in school history, ninth-year head coach Steve Aird and the Indiana volleyball team will test itself against some of the nation’s most elite programs in 2026. IU unveiled its schedule for the fall on Monday (June 8) afternoon. The Hoosiers will play 26 regular season games – 17 of those in conference.
“Our 2026 season will be incredibly exciting. The non-conference matches will challenge us at the highest level and continue to provide the program with elite opponents in great venues,” Aird said. “We will be on the road a great deal but mostly in the region. We hope that Hoosier fans will help support the program across the board.”
This year’s schedule will provide several early RPI opportunities as IU attempts to make back-to-back NCAA Tournaments for the first time this century. The Hoosiers are set to play seven of the other 15 regional participants from a season ago. Three of those games (Cal Poly, Nebraska and Purdue) will take place inside the friendly confines of Wilkinson Hall.
IU will open the season with a trip to face Louisville (Aug. 28), a team that was ranked ninth in the AVCA rankings to close out last year’s campaign. Nine of IU’s opponents finished the season in the rankings last year – including five of the top nine programs. To date, it’s one of the most challenging non-conference schedules ever assembled in school history.
The Big Ten – SEC Challenge week (vs. Georgia, vs. Texas A&M) and the Broadway Block Party (vs. Tennessee) will provide premier, postseason-caliber environments early in the season. IU’s home slate will kick off with the Indiana Invitational against Cal Poly (Sept. 10) and Eastern Illinois (Sept. 11). The Hoosiers will wrap up the first portion of the season with matches against Coastal Carolina (Sept. 18) and NC State (Sept. 19).
“We have a great group of players that are coming off an incredible foreign tour,” Aird said. “We are still a young group but have had the benefit of a solid NCAA tournament experience and have added pieces that are no stranger to postseason competition. It is a confident, connected group that will grind and work hard daily.”
With a conference tournament in play this season, IU will meet every Big Ten opponent just one time in the year. A date against UCLA (Sept. 24) will open the Big Ten campaign at Wilkinson Hall. It’s the first time that IU has started its conference journey in Bloomington since 2023. IU will play Maryland (Sept. 26) to close out the month of September.
October will bring a hefty amount of travel for Aird and the Hoosiers. Weekend trips to Oregon (Oct. 16)/Washington (Oct. 18) and Michigan State (Oct. 30)/Michigan (Oct. 31) highlight a month that features seven of 10 contests away from home. The defending Big Ten champions, Nebraska, will visit Bloomington (Oct. 8) for the second-straight year. Additional home matches during the month come against USC (Oct. 11) and Penn State (Oct. 25).
IU will make its build toward the postseason with four games at home in November. A midweek contest at Minnesota (Nov. 11) will break up back-to-back weekends in Bloomington. All 18 programs will play regional opponents on the final day of the regular season (Nov. 17). IU will welcome Purdue to Wilkinson Hall for the Monon Spike Match.
The top 15 teams in the standings will qualify for the Big Ten Tournament in Fishers, Indiana. Teams nine through 15 in the table will begin tournament play on Friday, November 20th. That week of volleyball will culminate with the Big Ten Tournament Championship the following Wednesday (Nov. 25). As always, the NCAA Tournament Selection Show is set for the final Sunday in November.
2026 Indiana Volleyball Schedule
Non-Conference
Friday, Aug. 28 – at Louisville
Tuesday, Sept. 1 – vs. Georgia (West Lafayette, Ind. – Big Ten – SEC Challenge Week)
Wednesday, Sept. 2 – vs. Texas A&M (West Lafayette, Ind. – Big Ten – SEC Challenge Week)
Sunday, Sept. 6 – vs. Tennessee (Nashville, Tenn. – Broadway Block Party)
Monday, Sept. 7 – at Southern Indiana
Thursday, Sept. 10 – vs. Cal Poly
Friday, Sept. 11 – vs. Eastern Illinois
Friday, Sept. 18 – at Coastal Carolina
Saturday, Sept. 19 – vs. NC State (Conway, S.C.)
Big Ten
Thursday, Sept. 24 – vs. UCLA
Saturday, Sept. 26 – vs. Maryland
Thursday, Oct. 1 – at Wisconsin
Sunday, Oct. 4 – at Rutgers
Thursday, Oct. 8 – vs. Nebraska
Sunday, Oct. 11 – vs. USC
Friday, Oct. 16 – at Oregon
Sunday, Oct. 18 – at Washington
Friday, Oct. 23 – at Ohio State
Sunday, Oct. 25 – vs. Penn State
Friday, Oct. 30 – at Michigan State
Saturday, Oct. 31 – at Michigan
Friday, Nov. 6 – vs. Iowa
Sunday, Nov. 8 – vs. Illinois
Wednesday, Nov. 11 – at Minnesota
Saturday, Nov. 14 – vs. Northwestern
Tuesday, Nov. 17 – vs. Purdue
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