The strength of the Big Ten Conference in volleyball was evident Sunday night when four of the five conference teams selected for the NCAA tournament were seeded in the top 10, led by No. 1 overall seed Penn State.

But for the first time in 13 years, the University of Wisconsin will not be represented in the field, not exactly a startling development considering UW finished seventh in the league with a 7-13 mark and a 17-15 overall record.

Yet, it may be an indication of how the big picture of Big Ten volleyball is changing.

The rich — Penn State and Minnesota — continue to dominate. UW was once in that category as a regular league contender and NCAA bound team. Those three teams have been regulars in the field since 1999 when the Gophers joined the list. The Badgers had reached the field since 1996, while Penn State, which joined the Big Ten in 1991, has been in every postseason tournament since 1981.

The upstart, Illinois, is a team dominated by talented freshmen and sophomores that is making its first tourney appearance since 2003. Purdue and Michigan, the final two selections from the Big Ten, are making their fourth and third trips respectively, falling into the positions that usually were reserved for the Badgers in what were once described as rebuilding seasons.

"The league is definitely changing," UW coach Pete Waite said after learning his team was not in the field for the first time in his 10 years as coach.

"I've outlasted five or six coaches who aren't even here anymore and every one who comes in is even better and they're doing a great job. It makes it tougher. It makes it more competitive. I see us back in that top group, but it's a building process. …

"I've said (the conference was stronger) from the beginning of the year. That's tough in a year when we have lost a lot of personnel and at the same time the conference is up. That made it even tougher for us."

The Nittany Lions, the defending national champions, were not a surprising pick for the top seed after their 32-0 season in which they did not lose a set. Penn State opens with Long Island at home and has a chance to play four games in State College before heading to the national semifinals in Omaha, Neb.
Minnesota, the sixth seed, opens at home against North Dakota State. Illinois, the ninth seed, also is at home, facing UW-Milwaukee, the Horizon League champion. Purdue is the 10th seed and opens at home against Louisville. Michigan opens against Kentucky, a team that lost to the Badgers early in the season.

As powerful as the four Big Ten seeds may be, this is the first time since before 1999 the league qualified only five teams. The conference regularly draws six teams, but has gone as high as eight twice in the past 10 years.

Indiana finished sixth this season with a 9-11 conference mark, but its chances to reach the field were hurt when the Mid-American and Missouri Valley conferences landed two teams each after upsets in postseason conference tournaments.

"We're disappointed," Waite said. "We thought there was a slim chance we'd get in but there were a few upsets in conference championships around the country and that pushes down the higher seeds and bumps out anyone on the bubble. I think that's what happened to us and Indiana."