IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Big Ten Conference and Southeastern Conference (SEC) have announced a partnership for Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge Week, beginning in 2026. All 18 Big Ten schools and all 16 SEC institutions will compete the week of Sept. 1-6. Iowa will play Mississippi State (Sept. 3) and Alabama (Sept. 4) in Starkville, Mississippi, at Newell-Grissom Building.
Throughout the week, various campus sites will serve as hosts to two Big Ten teams and two SEC teams. Linear coverage will be available across FOX, FS1, Big Ten Network, ESPN and SEC Network, and streamed coverage on B1G+ and SECN+.
Iowa is 1-2 all-time against the Crimson Tide. The teams first met in 1998 and last played in 2010, when the Hawkeyes beat Alabama in their season opener. Iowa and Mississippi State will be meeting for the first time in program history.
