Happy Halloween! Depending on the team(s) you root for, there are some appropriately spooky matches taking place this week that could very well threaten the records of the two remaining undefeated teams. There’s a ton of must-watch matches, so hopefully you have some leftover candy to snack on after Trick or Treat.

Wednesday, October 29

#6 Arizona State vs. #13 TCU

TCU is coming off a rough week; they were swept by Kansas (who they had previously beaten 3-1 this season) before losing to BYU in four sets. While the Horned Frogs are probably angling to get their season back on track, facing the top-team in the conference—and the only team still undefeated in Big 12 play—is likely not the rebound match they’d prefer.

TCU’s biggest issue in those two losses seemed to be in the setting; the connections weren’t totally there regardless of which of the two setters was delivering the ball, but moving to the 5-1 with Foti running the show did seem to help turn things around somewhat against BYU (though, of course, it wasn’t enough to win). If TCU can clean that up and be a bit more disciplined in its passing, they can make this competitive.

Arizona State is on a roll, however, and teams like those can be hard to stop. Noemie Glover continues to be exceptional; she hasn’t hit under .300 in a match since mid-September. After a slow start to the season, Bailey Miller has also been hugely valuable for the Sun Devils, notching seven double-doubles so far and hitting double-digit kills in twelve matches. Arizona State also has the top blocker in the conference in Colby Neal, who will make life hard for the Horned Frogs if they get too predictable in their offense.

When and where: 9:00pm EDT on ESPNU

🎃 Friday, October 31 🎃

#2 Texas vs. #9 Texas A&M

It’s a night of back-to-back rivalry matches, and as a (mostly) neutral fan, I couldn’t be more thrilled. Undefeated Texas will take on Texas A&M in front of the Aggies’ home crowd in what will hopefully be a thrilling back-and-forth affair.

What could make this match ultimately somewhat disappointing compared with the hype is the fact that Texas A&M’s record against top teams hasn’t been stellar; in September, they fell to SMU in straight sets and then lost to TCU in five the next night, then faced Kentucky earlier this month and lost in four sets. Against mid- and bottom-tier teams in the SEC, the Aggies are unstoppable, but top teams have figured out how to subdue Logan Lednicky and companies. Success for Texas A&M will rely upon setter Maddie Waak spreading around the offense, and outsides Emily Hellmuth and Kyndal Stowers rising to the occasion when they get the ball.

For Texas, one key will be to get past the block of Ifenna Cos-Okpalla when she’s in the front row. Cos-Okpalla ranks seventh in the country and second in conference for blocks per set, with 1.56. She is incredibly disciplined along the net, and coach Jamie Morrison will likely try to have her blocking when Torrey Stafford is in her front row rotations for maximum impact. Texas will need its back row to be disciplined in its passing and defensive touches in order to run a fast offense. If freshman outside Abby Vander Wal continues to step up like she has in recent matches, that’ll help the Longhorns enormously.

When and where: 7:30pm EDT on SEC Network

#1 Nebraska vs. #11 Wisconsin

It’s a Halloween showdown between two of the top teams in the Big Ten. Undefeated Nebraska will face off against rival Wisconsin, whose season has taken a bit of a downward turn after starting setter Charlie Fuerbringer sustained an injury. After losing to USC, Wisconsin rebounded last week with four-set wins over Washington and Oregon, but taking down the team who has yet to drop a set in Big Ten play is a much more daunting task.

If Wisconsin is going to push the Huskers, they’re going to need to serve tough and hope they can catch Nebraska’s excellent passing lineup on a bad night. Mimi Colyer will also need to be at her best—which she usually is, but a few teams have managed to shut her down, and Nebraska will doubtlessly try to do the same.

For Nebraska, the key to maintaining their perfect record will be to continue playing clean and balancing the offense. Even with Taylor Landfair having tweaked her ankle last weekend, the Huskers are blessed to have no shortage of heavy hitters who can take over a match if needed. Star hitter Harper Murray has been on a tear lately, so setter Bergen Reilly will likely try to get her going early and often, but right side hitter Virginia Adriano and the ever-reliable Andi Jackson will also be key players to watch.

When and where: 9:00pm EDT on Big Ten Network

Saturday, November 1

#20 Minnesota vs. #22 USC

Despite all of the season-ending injuries that have plagued its roster, Minnesota has found its rhythm and a way to be competitive with its young roster. They celebrated a win over Indiana last week and probably felt pretty good up 2-0 against Purdue, only for the Boilermakers to reverse sweep them. Still, it was a competitive fight against a solid Purdue team, and two of the three sets they lost were in extra points. Losing probably stings, but they should be proud of the effort they put up given the challenges they’ve faced.

USC, meanwhile, is very much finding its stride. They’ve won their last four matches, which includes an upset over Wisconsin, and have found their go-to points scorer in London Wijay. And while freshman opposite Abigail Mullen hasn’t been super consistent, she is deadly from the service line, having scored 36 aces (.5 per set) on the season so far. Considering Minnesota has lost several of its best passers to injury, this could make things tough for the Gophers.

When and where: 9:00pm EDT on B1G+

Sunday, November 2

#2 Texas vs. #3 Kentucky

Oh boy. Of all the must-watch matches this week, dare I say this is the one that should be highest on your list of priorities. It’s a top-three showdown on national television, and—depending on how Texas’ match against Texas A&M goes—may well be the Longhorns’ first loss of the season.

I’ve been saying it all season, but that won’t stop me from saying it again: the one-two punch of Kentucky’s Brooklyn DeLeye and Eva Hudson is a massive threat that very few teams have been able to handle, let alone overcome to secure a win. The team that we’ve seen lately has made strides since they were swept by Pitt early in the season. Freshman setter Kassie O’Brien has done an excellent job settling in, and she’s been running an efficient offense that integrates all her hitters while still keeping DeLeye and Hudson at the forefront. 

This could be bad news for Texas, whose block has been uncharacteristically weak this season. In past years, Texas has been firmly within the top 50 teams in the country in terms of blocks per set, but currently the Longhorns are barely cracking the top 200 at 186. It’s understandable, given that the most experienced of their main blockers is a redshirt sophomore, but it still spells trouble when facing the kind of offense Kentucky is running. Even siding out will be more of a challenge than usual, given that Kentucky leads the SEC in digs per set. 

But Texas has been tested before—Stanford, Louisville, and Tennessee all pushed them to the brink—but they’ve proven they can handle it and come away victorious. Kentucky is not a particularly tough serving team; Brooklyn DeLeye has been taking a break from her topspin serve, and the team ranks 339th of 343 teams ranked for service aces per set. Texas isn’t much better at 325, but this means that the team should be able to keep itself in system to run its powerful offense.

I say this about basically every top match up, but man oh man do I hope this one goes to five sets. 

When and where: 1:00pm EDT on ESPN