Indiana University Athletics
Volleyball Season Gets Underway in Windy City
7/31/2026 10:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
CHICAGO – The Indiana volleyball program will take center stage on Monday (Aug. 3) at the 2026 Big Ten Volleyball Media Day in the Windy City. All 18 conference programs will send their head coach and two student-athletes to the network studios in Chicago as the new volleyball season gets underway.
Ninth-year head coach Steve Aird, fresh off a 25-win season, will be joined by junior setter Sade Ilawole and sophomore outside hitter Jaidyn Jager at the conference's kickoff event. Both players were selected as team captains for the upcoming campaign.
Among the featured stops during the day are a studio hit live on Big Ten Network (11:22 – 11:42 a.m. ET). The Hoosiers will also take part in a press conference, interviews on SiriusXM radio and social media stops with the NCAA and Big Ten Network. All events will be held at the Big Ten Network headquarters and InterContinental hotel.
Volleyball has long been one of the Big Ten's premier sports and that will continue during the 2026 season. Another massive slate of nationally-televised games will lead the league into its inaugural Big Ten Volleyball Tournament in Fishers, Indiana this November. The conference will crown a tournament champion on the night before Thanksgiving live on the Big Ten Network.
The Hoosiers are set to take on a challenging slate this season with hopes of making consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in over 25 years. IU will face seven of its 15 fellow NCAA regional participants from a year ago, including home contests with Cal Poly (Sept. 10), Nebraska (Oct. 8) and Purdue (Nov. 17).
Aird and his team will play Louisville in the season opener (Aug. 28), a team that has featured in two of the last four national finals.
Ninth-year head coach Steve Aird, fresh off a 25-win season, will be joined by junior setter Sade Ilawole and sophomore outside hitter Jaidyn Jager at the conference's kickoff event. Both players were selected as team captains for the upcoming campaign.
Among the featured stops during the day are a studio hit live on Big Ten Network (11:22 – 11:42 a.m. ET). The Hoosiers will also take part in a press conference, interviews on SiriusXM radio and social media stops with the NCAA and Big Ten Network. All events will be held at the Big Ten Network headquarters and InterContinental hotel.
Volleyball has long been one of the Big Ten's premier sports and that will continue during the 2026 season. Another massive slate of nationally-televised games will lead the league into its inaugural Big Ten Volleyball Tournament in Fishers, Indiana this November. The conference will crown a tournament champion on the night before Thanksgiving live on the Big Ten Network.
The Hoosiers are set to take on a challenging slate this season with hopes of making consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in over 25 years. IU will face seven of its 15 fellow NCAA regional participants from a year ago, including home contests with Cal Poly (Sept. 10), Nebraska (Oct. 8) and Purdue (Nov. 17).
Aird and his team will play Louisville in the season opener (Aug. 28), a team that has featured in two of the last four national finals.
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Thursday, December 11
Sunday, November 30
Saturday, November 29