It’s officially November, which means there’s only one month left of the regular season. True to this season’s chaotic form, last week was a relentless onslaught of upsets and five-set battles; let’s see if this week continues the trend.

Wednesday, November 5

#11 Wisconsin vs. #22 Minnesota

Let’s kick the week off with a mid-week rivalry match. This is the first of two meetings between these two teams, both of whom have been struggling with player injuries throughout the season. Minnesota has definitely had it worse, what with four of their players enduring season-ending injuries, but Wisconsin has lost three matches since starting setter Charlie Fuerbringer injured her shoulder. One of those losses was against #1 Nebraska, but the straight sets loss to a struggling Penn State squad and a four-set loss to lower-ranked USC team were certainly not the results the Badgers expected.

Minnesota has also had its fair share of “bad” losses, including a 0-3 loss to UCLA and a 1-3 loss to Michigan. The Gophers’ most recent match against USC also resulted in a loss, but Minnesota put up a fight to make it five sets.

This upcoming match could really go either way, depending on which team is more prepared for the other and which hitters can get hot. For Minnesota, that will need to be Julia Hanson, who recently achieved a new career high 26 kills against USC, but it will also help if freshman opposite Carly Gilk has a good night. For Wisconsin, we can, as usual, expect Mimi Colyer to be that go-to hitter. Service pressure will probably be a focus for the Badgers as well, as Minnesota’s current passing lineup is missing the team’s best receivers.

When and where: 8:00pm EST on FS1

Thursday, November 6

#13 Kansas vs. #20 Colorado

Colorado recently got promoted to first place in the Big 12 standings after Arizona State suffered its first loss at the hands of Iowa State, and the Buffs will be eager to keep their spot secured with a win over Kansas. Kansas has had a very up-and-down season, with many “good” five-set losses to ranked teams (Penn State, Wisconsin, Creighton… the list goes on) but also some not-so-good losses, such as a recent five-set loss to the unranked Kansas State.

Given the track records of both these teams, a Colorado win here almost feels like the more realistic outcome despite what the rankings indicate. Kansas can undoubtedly keep the match competitive, but whether they can grit out a win against the Buffalos remains to be seen. A key player to watch is Colorado’s Ana Burilovic, who leads the conference and is sixth in the nation for points per set on the back of her powerful attacking and strong serving. On the Kansas side of the net, the right side of the court is the most lethal, as it’s either opposite Jovana Zelenovic or middle Reese Ptacek hitting a slide from that area of the court.

When and where: 7:00pm EST on ESPN+

Friday, November 7

#4 Texas vs. Florida

Let’s see how the formerly undefeated Longhorns rebound from back-to-back losses. If the matches against Texas A&M and Kentucky taught this young Texas team anything, it’s that service pressure and blocking are areas needing some serious improvement. Outside of each match’s first set, offensive production really wasn’t the problem for the Longhorns; if they had been able to slow down their opponents’ offenses with tough serving and blocking, they could very well still be undefeated.

While Florida may seem like an easy opponent—they’ve had a rocky season plagued by losses to unranked squads—this match is in Gainesville, which can be a tough environment for visiting teams. Beyond that, when Florida plays their best volleyball, they’re a much better team than their record suggests. If Jordyn Byrd has an efficient night and Jaela Auguste gets going in terms of offense and from the service line, Florida may be able to push the Longhorns. Whether or not they can close out—something that has been a bit of an issue for them at times this season—is another story.

When and where: 8:00pm EST on SEC Network

#5 Stanford vs. #15 North Carolina

After dropping its first match in ACC play to Louisville, North Carolina made a statement this past weekend with a win over seventh-ranked SMU and a five-set battle with Pitt that saw the Tarheels narrowly losing 15-17 in the tiebreaker set. A top-five win over Stanford would be the exact kind of momentum builder that North Carolina is looking for, and if players like Safi Hampton and Chelsea Thorpe continue to play well, a victory in California is a very real possibility.

To win, they’ll have to withstand the serving pressure of a ruthless Stanford team. The Cardinal is known for their high-risk, high-reward serving strategy that results in a lot of errors but also plenty of aces and shanked passes. They’re currently third in the ACC for aces per set with 1.68, but the bad news for them is that North Carolina is second in the conference for opponent aces per set, only allowing .9. Keeping the service errors to a minimum may be a challenge, then, but with Elia Rubin and the high-efficiency middles Stanford has, they should be able to keep offensive pressure on the Tarheels.

When and where: 10:00pm EST on ACC Network

Sunday, November 9

#11 Wisconsin vs. #18 Indiana

Indiana is coming off of a record-breaking win that saw them sweep Penn State for the first time ever—at Penn State, no less. They’ll be looking to ride that high with another statement win over the higher-ranked Badgers, who will either be feeling good after beating Minnesota or keen on getting another ranked win should they fall to the Gophers.

Indiana’s key to success will be to get its pins going; when both opposite Avry Tatum and at least one of the outsides (freshman Jaidyn Jager or Candela Alonso-Corcelles) are playing well, Indiana is a tricky team to contend with. Freshman setter Teodora Krickovic has been doing a good job distributing the offense and getting the middles involved. The Wisconsin block and defense will have to be ready for whichever hitters get hot, or simply do what they can to serve the Hoosiers off the court.

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