Allstate Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge Week begins Sept. 1 with 34 teams, Wrigley Field finale

The Allstate Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge Week is set to open on Tuesday, Sept. 1, and conclude Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026. For the first time, all 34 women’s volleyball programs from both Big Ten and SEC will compete together, with 27 matchups across 10 host campuses. Organizers describe it as the biggest regular-season showcase in women’s college volleyball yet. Allstate is the title sponsor under a two-year deal that includes in-venue branding and match-day activations at every site. The week concludes with a Sunday doubleheader at Wrigley Field in Chicago — the first volleyball event ever staged at the home of MLB’s Chicago Cubs. No. 3 Kentucky faces No. 13 Penn State at 7 p.m. ET, followed by No. 1 Nebraska against Missouri at 9 p.m. ET, both live on FOX. The event opens with Arkansas facing Rutgers at 4 p.m. ET on SECN+ from Historic Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville. Arkansas enters the tournament with a 3-0 record after sweeping SIUE, UTA, and UTSA at home last weekend. Besides the marquee Chicago matchups, the week gives all 34 programs a chance to strengthen their NCAA Tournament resumes through competitive non-conference games. The dense schedule — more than four matches per day on average — will test roster depth and coaching rotations, while the outdoor setting at Wrigley adds an unusual logistical challenge. With a title sponsor, national broadcast on FOX, and the iconic venue, the event marks another step in the commercial growth of women’s college volleyball and may serve as a model for future challenge weeks between other major conferences.