NCAA women's volleyball: What you need to know, how to watch the tournament ahead of Sweet 16
All but one of the No. 1 and 2 seeds are still alive. Can Texas make a run at a three-peat?
The NCAA women’s volleyball tournament is in full swing, with the Sweet 16 games starting on Thursday. Here’s what you need to know as you tune in.
Nebraska and Pittsburgh are on a tear …
Heading into the tournament ranked first in the country, Pittsburgh quickly showed how it earned that top seed and ranking. The Panthers ran through Morehead State and Oklahoma in their first two games. Torrey Stafford stood out in the win over the Sooners, and she will be key to Pittsburgh trying to win its first-ever national title in women’s volleyball.
Fellow No. 1 seed Nebraska hasn’t won the national title since 2017, but they were runners-up in two of the last three title games. They are hungry, and their play on the court shows it. In their second-round win over Miami, the Huskers held the Hurricanes to their lowest hitting percentage of the season. On Friday, they will take on Dayton in Lincoln, so the Huskers will have their fervent crowd on their side.
… while Louisville had a scare with Northern Iowa.
All four top seeds are still standing, but Louisville came very close to losing to Northern Iowa in the second round of the tournament.
The Cardinals can react in one of two ways to the close call. They could have been exposed, and showed their weaknesses. Purdue, their high-powered opponent on Thursday, can learn from what UNI did and follow their script.
Or, Louisville can use that match as a way to get better. Facing adversity early on can make a team better-equipped for challenges later in the tournament. Louisville coach Dani Busboom Kelly thinks her team is capable of the latter option.
"We're pretty mentally tough, and I think we had to work on that and grow into that this year," she said after the win. "I do believe that's going to give us more confidence in the next round, just getting through this game when the stakes are as high. UNI is great, but a lot of people on the outside think, 'Well that should be an easy win for Louisville,' it's not.
“So, here we're down, to a team that everybody thinks we should beat at home, we've got a top-four seed. So, to be feeling that pressure and come out and make some plays, like some really tough plays to win that game, I think that just shows the mental toughness that's grown throughout the year.”
Texas’ three-peat hopes are alive
The Longhorns are hoping to become the first team to three-peat since Penn State won four in a row from 2007-10. Madisen Skinner and Jenna Wenaas were huge parts of the Longhorns' previous two titles, and hope to use their considerable experience to power Texas to another championship. Skinner has the height and the hops to take a game over, and she will need it as Texas takes on Creighton following wins over A&M-Corpus Christi and USC. Neither Texas nor Creighton, which beat South Dakota and Ole Miss, have dropped a set on their way to the Sweet 16.
Missouri hoping for a glass slipper moment
The Tigers managed the biggest upset of the tournament with a 3-1 win over SMU on the Mustangs’ home court to earn Mizzou a Sweet 16 berth for the first time since 2017. They’re hoping to stay the tournament’s Cinderella, facing Kentucky on Thursday. The Wildcats won both matchups with the Tigers this season. Mizzou will need another big game out of Mychael Vernon to win.
Can a 2-seed take it all?
SMU was knocked out of the tournament by Missouri, but the remaining two-seeds still look strong. Stanford had four aces in its second-round win over Loyola Marymount. Creighton survived an early challenge from Ole Miss to win its second-round matchup in three sets. Wisconsin dropped a set against Georgia Tech before coming back to win.
All three teams will have to travel for the next round, as the top seed hosts this round of the tournament. The biggest factor for these teams is experience. Wisconsin has the edge here, having made it to the national semifinal last season. Creighton will have to face Texas, a hungry team with tons of experience. Florida knocked off third-seeded Kansas, so Stanford should have an easier road by seed.
So yes, a second-seed can win, but nothing about the title will come easy.
Schedule, how to watch NCAA women's volleyball regionals
Dates: December 12 to 15
Channel: ESPN2
Streaming: ESPN+
Thursday, December 12
No. 3 Missouri vs. No. 3 Kentucky: 1 p.m. ET
No. 4 Oregon vs. No. 1 Pittsburgh (30 minutes after Missouri-Kentucky)
No. 6 Florida vs. No. 2 Stanford: 7 p.m. ET
No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 1 Louisville (30 minutes after Florida-Stanford)
Friday, December 13
No. 3 Texas vs. No. 2 Creighton: 1 p.m. ET
No. 5 Marquette vs. No. 1 Penn State (30 minutes after Texas-Creighton)
No. 6 Texas A&M vs. No. 2 Wisconsin 7 p.m. ET
No. 5 Dayton vs. No. 1 Nebraska (30 minutes after Texas A&M-Wisconsin)
Saturday, December 14
Pitt/Oregon winner vs. Kentucky/Missouri winner 5 p.m. ET
Stanford/Florida winner vs. Purdue/Louisville winner 7:30 p.m. ET
Sunday, December 15
Wisconsin/Texas A&M winner vs. Dayton/Nebraska winner 3 p.m. ET (ABC)
Penn St./Marquette winner vs. Texas/Creighton winner 8:30 p.m. ET
