There’s no doubt that the top two seeds in this year’s NCAA tournament are like a volleyball who’s who. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be any rough spots on the way to Tampa.
Five of the top eight seeds have won national titles before. No. 1 Stanford has won nine NCAA titles and Nebraska has won five. But all eight have been to the final four.
San Diego made it to the national quarterfinals for the first time last season. Could another team make a big move like that this season?
The 28-1 Cornhuskers are thought to be the favorite going into the playoffs. Their only loss was last Friday at No. 1 seed and Big Ten rival Wisconsin. And Pitt and Louisville, the two volleyball teams that have done a lot to raise the ACC’s profile, are Nos. 1 and 2 in the same area.
After eight teams, the SEC had the most teams in the tournament. No. 2 seed Kentucky was from the SEC. And this is the last season of the Pac-12 as we know it. Stanford leads the five teams from the league that are in the field.
For many years, the national title game was held on Saturday night. This year, it was moved to Sunday afternoon and will be shown on ABC for the first time. The NCAA women’s basketball final had the most viewers ever when it moved to network TV earlier this year. We’ll see what effect that has on volleyball.
ESPN’s experts look ahead to what we can expect to see as the games begin on Thursday.
Which team’s seed caught you off guard the most?
Holly McPeak. It seemed like everyone was pretty even after the top eight. It was hard to tell the difference between the seeds after that. Florida’s 16th place finish was a bit of a surprise since they had three major losses during the season. But I like how tough and determined they are. Outside hitter AC Fitzpatrick and opposite Kennedy Martin, who is one of the best juniors in the country, have both played some great matches. Elli McKissock is also a great defender, and she helps Kennedy Muff, the new setter, do his job.
It makes sense that Minnesota didn’t get a better seed; the Gophers finished strong and have a lot of strong players. The teams in their group might not want to play against them.
Courtney Lyle. I’m really happy that Missouri got the 8th place in Nebraska’s half of the bracket. This group hasn’t been to the Tournament since 2020. The Tigers won eight more games than they did last year under new coach Dawn Sullivan. In fact, Missouri has 17 wins this season, which is more than it had in the two previous years put together.
Michael Voepel: The committee did a pretty good job with seeding generally, though Florida’s 18-9 overall record and 10-8 SEC record might not have deserved a No. 4 seed and the chance to host the early rounds. It’s also strange that Stephen F. Austin got an at-large bid. I also don’t understand why Kansas State (16-11) and UCLA (18-12) aren’t on the list. Both sides did lose some things that they should have, though. And in terms of RPI, the Wildcats were 59th and the Bruins were 55th. Still, K-State’s 10-8 record in the Big 12 and UCLA’s 10-10 record in the always tough Pac-12 are worth something. I believed that one of them would make it to the field.
Sam Gore: I have a different opinion about Florida because I was shocked at how well they did after losing players who looked like they would be very bad for them. They were able to lose some guys but still keep fighting their way through the SEC. After what looked like a season that could have led to a national championship, Mary Wise and her team did a great job keeping the Gators in the running. The fact that the committee acknowledged that Florida is still a top team made me happy.
Paul Sunderland: I thought the committee was very kind to Florida, which had a lot of injuries, by giving them a No. 4 seed and the chance to host the first two games. For some reason, I thought Dayton or even Western Kentucky had won that spot.
How hard is it for each of the top four seeds to get to Tampa?
McPeak: As for me, the Louisville/Pitt regional is the hardest. Washington State has shown that it can be very good, and it has a lot of skilled players who want to make a big move. In the country, Dayton has only two losses, which is the fewest of any team in the country. USC has shown that it can beat top seeds like Stanford. Creighton and Minnesota are the last two teams in that group that can really hurt you. There is a chance that Louisville and Pitt will win their rubber match and move on to the national finals.
Lyle: With archrival Louisville as the No. 2 seed in that quarter of the bracket, Pittsburgh’s road should be very interesting.
Voepel: We all agree that Pitt has a hard road ahead of them. The Panthers split their regular-season games with ACC foe Louisville. If they want to make it to the final four, they may have to play the Cardinals. Of course, those two teams played each other in the national championships last year, with Louisville winning. But the Panthers might have to beat USC and Washington State first, even before they play the Cardinals. Pitt has shown that it is a major school that will stay that way. But the Panthers may have the toughest road this year out of all the No. 1 teams.
Gore: On paper, it looks like Pitt might have the hardest time getting back to the national semifinals. But let me give you another tough case. Two of the three teams that beat Wisconsin this season are in their regional. Penn State and Purdue are two of those teams. It will be hard for the Badgers. For Penn State to get another chance to play the Badgers, they would have to beat Kansas first. Purdue’s first two games will be played in front of packed houses. The Badgers may also have to beat a very good Oregon team.
Sunderland: For the Pitt Panthers, the road ahead is by far the toughest. In the second round, Skylar Fields (must be fit) and USC played. In the regional semifinals, the scary Cougars of Washington State played. While I don’t rule out Dayton or Pepperdine, I think WSU should move on and then Louisville again for a chance to play for the national title.
Which outsider has the best chance to go all the way to the finals?
Peak McPeak: I don’t know who you think is the underdog, but I think Arizona State and Purdue have a good chance to surprise everyone in their group and maybe even catch fire.
Lyle: The Oregon Ducks are great. They have won nine of their last ten matches, with their only loss coming in five sets to No. 1 seed Stanford. Hannah Pukis has been a setter for a long time, and Matt Ulmer added Kara McGhee and Gabby Gonzalez, an outside hitter, to help her out. Remember that they had a chance to beat Louisville last year and make it to the semifinals, but they lost. Talk about what drives you.
The Voepel: I’m not sure if the third seed can really be called an outsider. But I think we can all agree that Purdue will make it to the final four one year. Five times in the program’s history, the Boilermakers have made it to the regional final. That includes two of the last three years. The No. 3 seed in Wisconsin’s region is Purdue, which comes into the tournament having won seven straight games. But if the Boilermakers did make it to the regional final and play the Badgers, Purdue would know them better than anyone else. The Boilermakers and Badgers tied twice during the regular season.
Gore: According to Gore, a “underdog” is anyone who isn’t ranked higher than a No. 4 seed. When the top three teams are taken out of the picture, I think Florida State has not been praised or given enough credit for its season. This is another team that had a rough start to the season because of injuries. Once they got healthy, they shared the ACC title with Pitt and were the No. 4 seed in the playoffs. Watch out for the Seminoles to run.
Sunderland: Kentucky has won 16 straight games, so I think they can really make a run. I don’t think a No. 2 seed is a loser. Size, control of the ball, setting, and defense. It’s all there for the Wildcats. Also, I think rookie outside hitter Brooklyn DeLeye is great. Aside from that, I want middle blocker Azhani Tealer to have a great last game.
Who is the player you need to watch in the tournament?
Peak McPeak: Since there are so many, I’m going to name them by where they are.
• These players are setters: Kami Miner (Stanford), Mia Tuaniga (USC), Bergen Reilly (Nebraska), and Rachel Fairbanks (Pitt). Hannah Pukis is from Oregon.
• Kennedy Martin (Florida), Merritt Beason (Nebraska), Oliva Babcock (Pitt), Kendall Kipp (Stanford), Marta Livinska (Arizona State), and Anna Smrek (Wisconsin) are competing against each other.
• Kara McGhee (Oregon), Andi Jackson (Nebraska), Asjia O’Neal (Texas), Cara Cresse (Louisville), Amber Igiede (Hawai’i), and Raven Colvin (Purdue) are the middle blockers.
• Elena Scott (Louisville), Elena Oglivie (Stanford), Lexi Rodriguez (Nebraska), and Elli McKissock (Florida) are the liberos.
• Sarah Franklin (Wisconsin), Harper Murray (Nebraska), Madisen Skinner (Texas), Torrey Stafford (Pitt), and Jill Gillen (Arkansas) are outside pitchers.
Lyle: How am I supposed to choose? Ann DeBeer, an outside hitter for Louisville, has been to the last two national semifinals and last year’s title. She will be determined to take the Cards to Tampa. At Wisconsin, Sarah Franklin is a lot of fun to watch. She has over four kills per set this season.
Voepel: It’s always fun to watch big hits from Stanford, and Kendall Kipp is one of them. The senior opposite who is 6 feet 5 inches tall was named Pac-12 player of the year for the second year in a row. He scored 5.08 points per set on average. During the season, she hit.325 and had 417 kills. In the past, the Cardinal have had many truly great attacking players. Kipp is now one of them.
Gore: To what my coworkers have already said, I’d like to add the serve of Bianca Bertolino, an outside hitter for Georgia Tech. It looks like a laser.
Sunderland: Jill Gillen is a must-see for Hull City. I hope she stays with her No. 3 seed Razorbacks for a while. It’s possible for Jill the Kill to get as few as 5–7 wins per set. We will all miss her. Keep an eye on the liberos Lexi Rodriguez at Nebraska and Elena Scott at Louisville as well.
Who makes it to the final four?
According to McPeak, Nebraska, Stanford, Wisconsin, and? Some people chose Louisville, and I like all of their guns a lot. Both offense and defense have been very good for Pitt, but some of their players are still young. Will switch things up and pick Pitt!
Voepel: Stanford, Nebraska, Louisville, and Wisconsin.
Sunshine: There’s a reason teams are No. 1 seeds. So, here are the four I chose for Tampa: The teams are Nebraska, Wisconsin, Stanford, and… drum roll, please… Louisville!
