Iowa head coach Jim Barnes reacts to play during an NCAA volleyball match against Milwaukee at Xtream Arena in Coralville on Tuesday, Sept. 22.
ETHAN PETRIK, Quad-City Times
The inaugural Big Ten Volleyball Tournament begins next week as 15 teams will vie for the Big Ten tournament title at the Fishers Event Center in Fishers, Indiana.
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State, Minnesota, Michigan, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, UCLA, Washington and Wisconsin have already earned spots at the tournament with three spots still up for grabs. Northwestern is mathematically eliminated from contention at 0-14 in league play.
The Hawkeyes are among five teams competing for the final three spots, alongside Ohio State (11-13, 4-10 Big Ten), USC (10-14, 4-10 Big Ten), Maryland (13-12, 3-11 Big Ten) and Rutgers (12-14, 3-11 Big Ten).
Iowa sits 17th in the Big Ten standings but holds a tiebreaker over Rutgers. Here's how the Hawkeyes (13-15, 2-12 Big Ten) can qualify for the tournament with three matches remaining at Northwestern, at No. 1 Nebraska and vs. Illinois:
Iowa goes 3-0:
Any two of the following: Ohio State goes 0-3, USC goes 0-3, Maryland goes 1-2 (or worse), Rutgers goes 1-2 (or worse).
Ohio State goes 0–3 AND USC goes 2–1 or better AND Maryland goes 3–0 AND Rutgers goes 2–1.
USC goes 0–3 AND Ohio State goes 2–1 or better AND Maryland goes 3–0 AND Rutgers goes 2–1.
Maryland goes 1–2 or worse AND Ohio State AND USC each go 2–1 or better AND Rutgers goes 2–1.
Iowa goes 2-1:
Maryland goes 0-3 (losing to Rutgers); AND Rutgers loses to Wisconsin and Penn State.
Iowa goes 1-2: Eliminated
Iowa goes 0-3: Eliminated
Other potential qualifying paths involve three- or four-team ties at four or five conference wins. In those scenarios, Iowa’s qualification would depend on the applicable multi-team tiebreakers based on final results.
