USC and UCLA officially joined the Big Ten Conference this month, which also means the start of the women’s volleyball season is getting closer.

The Bruins and Trojans open their seasons on Aug. 30, with their first games against Big Ten opponents on Sept. 27. Adjusting to a new conference isn’t just about getting acquainted with national championship-caliber teams — Penn State and Nebraska have each won two titles since 2013, while Wisconsin won it all in 2021. There’s also the reality of adjusting to a heavier travel schedule.

Nebraska, last season’s national runner-up and USC’s first Big Ten away game opponent, is just 1,537 miles away. The Bruins make conference trips to Purdue, Northwestern, Rutgers, Maryland, Indiana and Illinois. Rutgers is the farthest Big Ten institution of the L.A. schools, at about 2,800 miles.

Preparing for the season while protecting the health and well-being of athletes starts with changing how teams travel. Second-year UCLA coach Alfee Reft said there will be some charter flights, depending on the timing of competitions and athletes’ schedules. Bruins athletic director Martin Jarmond recently told The Times that four charter flights have already been approved for this season, with the possibility of more.

“There are going to be some changes in the way we travel and that’s just a tremendous testament to how committed our administration is to our athletes,” said Reft, whose team went 18-12 last season and missed the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year.

USC will also see similar changes, with a switch from commercial to charter flights for faster, more efficient travel. Efficiency will be key for both teams. For example, the Trojans open their Big Ten schedule at home against Ohio State on Sept. 27, a Friday, and then play Nebraska two days later. The Bruins, meanwhile, play their road games at Indiana and Illinois on consecutive nights from Nov. 22-23.

“We’re still a college, so we have to make sure we’re taking care of the student-athlete the best we can to be successful in the classroom and on the field,” said USC coach Brad Keller, whose team went 19-13 last season and lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament. “I can’t say enough about the amount of support we get, how engaged they are with a positive mindset and the consistency in what they say and how they act. Their leadership is nothing short of phenomenal.”

The focus of these changes is on competitive equity, a principle in the NCAA constitution that says it will promote opportunities for equity in competition — such as with travel time, including airport wait times, that could put them at a disadvantage. These discussions took place between the Big Ten and its volleyball coaches, including Reft, prior to the move.

“I take my hat off to the Big Ten and the board of directors and everyone involved in the decisions,” said Reft, who also served as an assistant to the U.S. women’s volleyball team, which won silver at the Paris Olympics. “I thought it was a really collaborative effort, I thought there was a lot of opportunity for feedback, both in terms of planning and specific concerns for us. It seems like we’ve put a lot of work into making the transition as smooth as possible.”

Keller supports the decisions made during the transition period to the Big Ten and has worked with USC administration to provide as much support as possible to student-athletes.

“Our board of trustees, our president and our AD, are aware of what we need to do for our student-athletes,” Keller said, adding, “It’s a new journey. There may be caution, but at the end of the day, you want to be a part of the best and that’s what we get to do.”

“I felt like we were heard and supported throughout the university,” UCLA middle blocker Anna Dodson said of the discussions with administrators about moving to the Big Ten.

(Nam Y. Huh / Associated Press)

Following the announcement of UCLA joining the conference in June 2022, the administration continued to receive feedback from student-athletes on the best plan to support them in and out of the classroom. In fact, formal meetings were held between university staff, administrators, and student-athletes across all sports to develop ways the university can support student-athletes, such as in the areas of travel and mental health.

“We presented challenges that could come up, how we could address them and what could be set up for different teams,” said Anna Dodson, a fifth-year middle blocker at Bruins. “We laid out what coaches, trainers and nutritionists could do to help and I felt like we were heard and supported by the entire university.”

Keller is looking forward to the competition and fan support that the Big Ten brings, but still has mixed feelings about the move to the conference.

“I love the Pac-12, it was an incredible field of teams and great coaches, so I was bummed about that,” said Keller, who is entering his fourth year at USC. “But you keep that going, I’m excited about the opportunity to be a part of one of the major powerhouse conferences and play against some of the best teams in volleyball.”

Reft sees opportunities in the upcoming challenge.

“The Big Ten is the premier conference for women’s volleyball,” said Reft, who was an assistant at Minnesota from 2010-12 and at Illinois from 2018-19. “We get that opportunity every night when we play in the Big Ten, so I think our staff and our team is excited to compete with the best.”

Even if that means taking a long flight to get there.