The Big Ten continues to dominate on the volleyball court this season with six teams — the most of any conference — ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association top 25.

The Big Ten leads all conferences with nine NCAA Championship titles in the past 15 seasons.

Here’s a look at Iowa and the top Big Ten and national contenders heading into the final stretch of the 2022 season.

Iowa (7-16, 1-11)

Iowa is tied with Rutgers for last in the Big Ten in the thick of a six-match losing streak. Iowa’s lone conference win came against the Indiana Hoosiers on Oct. 8. Iowa has won at least one set against every Big Ten team they’ve faced that’s ranked in the top 25 — Wisconsin, Penn State, Ohio State, Minnesota, and Purdue — but the Hawkeyes have struggled being consistent in every set.

One area of improvement seen under first-year head coach Jim Barnes is defense — specifically digging. Iowa ranks second in the Big Ten with 1,165 team digs, and senior libero Mari Hinkle ranks eighth in the conference with 3.80 digs per set. The Hawkeyes ranked 13th in the conference in digs per set last season.

Fifth-year senior middle hitter Amiya Jones has been dangerous behind the serve line this season, tallying 36 total aces and .42 aces per set — good for second and third in the Big Ten, respectively. Jones also ranks second on the Hawkeyes with 213 total kills behind sophomore Tulane transfer outside hitter Michelle Urquhart, who has 220.

The Hawkeyes’ toughest remaining matchups will be against the No. 4 Nebraska Cornhuskers on Nov. 11 and Nov. 18. Otherwise, Iowa has a chance to close out the season strong against the bottom of the Big Ten. But, even if the Hawkeyes do win out, the chances of their first NCAA tournament since 1994 are extremely slim.

RELATED: Iowa volleyball loses to Maryland, falls to 1-10 in Big Ten play

Nebraska (20-2, 12-1)

The Cornhuskers got knocked down to No. 4 in the recent AVCA poll after they were swept by the now-No. 3 Badgers in a rematch of last year’s national championship game. Despite the slip-up against Wisconsin, Nebraska has been dominant all year, winning in straight sets in 17 of their 20 victories.

Nebraska’s consistency on defense has been key this season, ranking first in the nation with an opponent .113 hitting efficiency. The Cornhuskers lead the Big Ten with 15.1 digs per set and rank fourth in the conference with 2.83 blocks per set.

The defense is led by sophomore libero Lexi Rodriguez, who ranks fifth in the Big Ten with 4.23 digs per set, and All-American graduate transfer Kaitlyn Hord, who ranks first in the nation with 1.65 blocks per set.

The Cornhuskers have made it to the NCAA title match three of the last five years, with their most recent crown coming in 2017 over the Florida Gators. Nebraska was the national favorite coming into the 2022 season and will most likely be battling against Wisconsin for an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, which is given to the Big Ten Conference regular-season champion.

Wisconsin (17-3, 11-1)

The reigning national champion Badgers are up to No. 3 in the AVCA rankings after a statement win against the Cornhuskers. It was the most-watched regular season volleyball match of the year with 362,000 viewers.

Sophomore outside hitter Sarah Franklin has been dominant offensively for the Badgers, ranking fifth in the Big Ten with four kills and 4.49 points per set.  Franklin has recorded double-digit kills in 14 of Wisconsin’s matches this season, helping the Badgers lead the conference with 14.33 kills per set and a .261 hitting percentage.

The Badgers have been the only team to advance to the Final Four the last three seasons in a row and one of only three teams to compete in the Sweet 16 the last nine consecutive seasons. Wisconsin is riding a 10-game winning streak in hopes of back-to-back national titles.

Ohio State (15-5 ,11-1)

The Buckeyes rank sixth in the latest AVCA poll and are also riding a 10-game winning streak. Ohio States’ biggest wins have come against No. 9 Minnesota, No. 10 Georgia Tech, No. 15 Penn State, and No. 18 BYU.

Senior setter Mac Podraza leads the Big Ten with 10.89 assists per set, aiding the Buckeyes to a third-place rank in the conference with 14.15 kills per set. Senior outside hitter Gabby Gonzalez leads the Buckeyes and ranks sixth in the conference with 4.29 points per set.

On the other side of the ball, the Buckeyes hold opponents to a .152 hitting percentage — second in the Big Ten. This is largely because of the Buckeyes’ scrappy defense, which is led by senior defensive specialist Kylie Murr, who ranks third in the Big Ten with 4.54 digs per set.

The Buckeyes are projected as a No. 2 or No. 3 seed for the 2022 NCAA tournament. Ohio State was bounced out of the 2021 NCAA tournament in the semifinals against Georgia Tech.

Minnesota (13-7, 8-4)

The Gophers sit at No. 9 in the AVCA rankings after a 3-1 loss to the Badgers on Oct. 29. Sophomore outside hitter Taylor Landfair holds 20 double-digit kill matches and ranks second in the Big Ten with 5.17 points per set and 4.61 kills per set. Minnesota leads the Big Ten with a .270 hitting efficiency.

Minnesota’s blocking game has shown improvement this season, with freshman middle blocker Carter Booth and graduate senior middle blocker Naya Gross ranking in the top five of the conference with 1.59 and 1.48 blocks per set, respectively.

The Gophers fell to reigning national champion Wisconsin, 3-0, in the Elite Eight last season and are projected in the No. 2 or No. 3 seed range for this year’s NCAA tournament.

Head coach Hugh McCutcheon announced on Oct. 25 that he will be stepping into the newly created role of Assistant Athletics Director and Sport Development Coach at Minnesota on Jan. 1. McCutcheon has spent the last 11 seasons at the helm of Gopher volleyball, recording seven consecutive NCAA Sweet 16-or-better tournament finishes.