It’s officially October, which means we’re over a month into the 2025 season. The second week of conference play brings us several key rivalries between some of the best teams in the country.

Thursday, October 2nd

#14 Creighton vs. Marquette

It’s the biggest rivalry in the Big East! Both teams have new head coaches and are without some of their key players from years past (Creighton’s Norah Sis and Kendra Wait, Marquette’s Aubrey Hamilton and Yadhira Anchante). After a tough non-conference schedule, Creighton will be looking for every win they can get, and the most valuable conference victory they can get is over Marquette.

Look for Ava Martin and Natalie Ring to lead their respective teams in terms of offensive production, while Kiara Reinhardt and Hattie Bray will be key players in the middle. Creighton leads the series between these two teams handily, with 28 wins to just 7 losses against Marquette. 

When and where: 7:00pm EST on FS1

Friday, October 3rd

#1 Nebraska vs. #16 Penn State

After you’re done streaming Taylor Swift’s new album, tune into one of the best rivalries in college sports as the top-ranked Nebraska visits the Happy Valley for a match against reigning national champions Penn State.

Last year, after handing Nebraska its second loss of the season and taking a slice of the Big Ten championship for itself, Penn State famously reverse swept the Huskers in the national semifinals and went on to beat Louisville in the finals. This year, things are much different for Penn State. With a 7-5 record including upset losses to Arizona State, TCU, and most recently an unranked UCLA, things aren’t so happy in the Valley, especially with star setter Izzy Starck having departed the team a few weeks into the season. It’s going to be a lot to ask of this team to take down an undefeated—and likely vengeful—Nebraska.

Still, Penn State always brings its A game against the Huskers, so Nebraska needs to be ready to compete at a high level and to shut down Kennedy Martin, who recently reached a new career high 34 kills, as much as possible. 

When and where: 8:00pm EST on FOX

Saturday, October 4th

#13 Purdue vs. #17 USC

Despite losing its outside hitting duo of Eva Hudson and Chloe Chicoine to the transfer portal, Purdue has managed to stay competitive this year. They have ranked wins over Kansas and SMU, but most recently hit a speed bump as they fell to Illinois in four sets. Junior outside hitter Kenna Wollard has stepped up big time for the Boilermakers, and she currently is ranked fourth in the Big Ten for points per set. 

USC, on the other hand, has a young but scrappy roster. Freshman setter Reese Messer has led her team to an 8-2 record. After a narrow loss to Penn State followed by a dominant win over Ohio State, this is an opportunity for the Women of Troy to assert themselves as power players in the Big Ten.

When and where: 9:30pm EST on Big Ten Network

Sunday, October 5th

#4 Stanford vs. #6 Louisville

A top ten matchup to cap off the week? Sign me up.

These two powerhouses faced each other three times last year, with Louisville winning the first and third of those meetings, knocking Stanford out of the tournament in the latter. While Stanford graduated some of its key players, they still returned a good chunk of their offense, including star outside hitter Elia Rubin. Standout freshman middle blocker Erika Sayer has also been a revelation for this team.

Louisville, meanwhile, said goodbye to its three most productive hitters, but transferred in Chloe Chicoine and welcomed freshman Kalyssa Blackshear to help take their place alongside sophomore Payton Petersen. Louisville, as usual, is a blocking powerhouse—they’re ranked fourth in the country and first in the ACC for blocks per set. To go along with that, they’re seventh in the country and first in the ACC for opponent hitting percentage, holding opposing teams to just .144. 

Where Stanford has an edge is in service pressure. The Cardinal are known for their extremely aggressive serving strategy, which produces a lot of errors but also rewards them both with aces and by getting other teams out of system. While Louisville’s passers are generally pretty solid, they’ve shown themselves to be susceptible to breaking down in that area, which could be a liability. 

When and where: 5:00pm EST on ESPN