The NCAA women’s volleyball tournament is here! The first two rounds of the 64-team tournament are taking place this Thursday through Saturday. All roads lead toward the national title game on Dec. 22 in Louisville. Speaking of Louisville, the Cardinals are one of the four teams to receive a 1-seed — the others are Nebraska, Pitt, and Penn State.
Two-time defending champion Texas will have to emerge from the Nittany Lions’ quarter of the bracket in order to three-peat. If either Pitt or Louisville win the title, it will be the first for the ACC. That conference will have better odds than ever before, though, given the additions of Stanford, a program that won nine national titles before joining the ACC, and SMU, which gave Pitt the sole blemish on its schedule in October.
The first and second rounds, which will be streamed on ESPN+, are played Thursday through Saturday on campus sites. The regionals are also on campus sites Dec. 12-15. The national semifinals and championship match will be, as we mentioned, played in Louisville at the KFC Yum! Center.
First round
Thursday, Dec. 5
Loyola Chicago 3, No. 5 BYU 0
No. 6 Minnesota 3, Western Kentucky 1
No. 6 USC 3, UT Arlington 0
Ole Miss 3, No. 7 Florida State 2
No. 7 Georgia Tech 3, Tennessee 2
No. 5 Dayton 3, South Carolina 1
No. 7 Missouri 3, Texas State 0
No. 4 Purdue 3, Western Michigan 0
No. 5 Marquette 3, FGCU 0
No. 3 TCU 4, Hawaii 0
No. 3 Kentucky 3, Cleveland State 0
No. 3 Texas 3, A&M-Corpus Christi 0
No. 2 SMU 3, Wichita State 0
No. 2 Creighton 3, South Dakota 0
No. 2 Wisconsin 3, Fairfield 0
No. 4 Baylor 3, Wofford 0
No. 4 Utah 3, College of Charleston 0
No. 4 Oregon 3, High Point 0
Friday, Dec. 6
No. 8 Oklahoma 3, UTEP 2
No. 8 UNI 3, Illinois 1
No. 6 Florida 3, NC State 0
No. 8 North Carolina 3, Yale 1
No. 8 Miami (FL) 3, South Dakota State 0
No. 6 Texas A&M 3, Colorado State 1
No. 1 Pittsburgh 3, Morehead State 0
No. 1 Louisville 3, Chicago State 0
No. 1 Penn State 3, Delaware State 0
No. 7 LMU (CA) 3, Washington 2
No. 3 Kansas 3, Colgate 0
No. 1 Nebraska 3, Florida A&M 0
No. 3 Arizona State 3, New Hampshire 0
No. 2 Stanford 3, Sacramento State 0
Second Round
Friday, Dec. 6
No. 4 Purdue 3, Loyola Chicago 0
No. 3 Kentucky 3, No. 6 Minnesota 1
No. 3 Texas 3, No. 6, USC 0
No. 5 Dayton 3, No. 4 Baylor 2
No. 2 Creighton 3, Ole Miss 0
No. 7 Missouri 3, No. 2 SMU 1
No. 2 Wisconsin 3, No. 7 Georgia Tech 1
No. 4 Oregon 3, No. 5 TCU 1
No. 5 Marquette 3, No. 4 Utah 2
Saturday, Dec. 7
No. 1 Louisville 3, No. 8 UNI 2
No. 1 Penn State 3, No. 8 North Carolina 1
No. 1 Pittsburgh 3, No. 8 Oklahoma 0
No. 6 Florida 3, No. 3 Kansas 2
No. 6 Texas A&M 3, No. 3 Arizona State 1
No. 1 Nebraska 3, No. 8 Miami (FL) 0
No. 2 Stanford 3, No. 7 LMU (CA) 0
Regional semifinals
(All times Eastern)
Thursday, Dec. 12
No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 7 Missouri, 1 p.m.
No. 1 Pittsburgh vs. No. 4 Oregon, 30 minutes after Kentucky-Missouri
No. 2 Stanford vs. No. 6 Florida, 7 p.m.
No. 1 Louisville vs. No. 4 Purdue, 30 minutes after Stanford-Florida
Friday, Dec. 13
No. 2 Creighton vs. No. 3 Texas, 1 p.m.
No. 1 Penn State vs. No. 5 Marquette, 30 minutes after Creighton-Texas
No. 2 Wisconsin vs. No. 6 Texas A&M, 7 p.m.
No. 1 Nebraska vs. No. 5 Dayton, 30 minutes after Wisconsin-Texas
Regional finals
Saturday, Dec. 14-Sunday, Dec. 15
Semifinals
Thursday, Dec. 19
Championship
Sunday, Dec. 22
Tournament storylines
The 64-team field includes a ukulele-playing, cough-drop-sucking coach, a player whose dad was once compared to Michael Jordan, and stars who are willing to share the good and the bad of fame. Here are some stars and storylines to watch between now and the final in Tampa.
Pitt volleyball chases history with a hunter’s mindset
With an innovative coach in Dan Fisher, a powerful lineup and a hunter mindset, top-seeded Pittsburgh looks ready to win its first national title. Read more
7:00
How visualization has helped Pitt volleyball become a title contender
Andrea Adelson examines how Pittsburgh’s roster, anchored by five seniors, and the practice of visualization might lead to the school’s first volleyball national title.
Can Madisen Skinner lead Texas volleyball to a three-peat?
Madisen Skinner’s volleyball ascent was fast — maybe too fast. After an up-and-down season, she looks to elevate Texas from a No. 3 seed to a three-peat NCAA champion. Read more
7:18
Madisen Skinner’s road to back-to-back titles at Texas
Aishwarya Kumar shares Texas volleyball outside hitter Madisen Skinner’s historic collegiate journey, which includes three national titles.
Nebraska volleyball’s Harper Murray trying to regain trust, recapture love
Harper Murray was arrested for DUI and charged with shoplifting during the offseason. The Nebraska sophomore star has focused on healing while leading the Huskers through another exceptional season. Read more
8:38
Nebraska’s Harper Murray: ‘I never thought I would be at such a low point’
Nebraska outside hitter discusses her mental health journey through the ups and downs of her career on and off the court.
The pain of ‘Baby Jordan’ and the power of Kami Miner
Harold Miner spent years agonizing over his unrealized NBA dreams. When his young daughter started doing 30-inch box jumps, he became her guide, and she became his healer. Now, Kami Miner looks to lead Stanford volleyball to a national title. Read more
7:53
How Kami Miner’s career was influenced by her dad
Aishwarya Kumar chronicles how Stanford volleyball player Kami Miner’s career has been influenced by her father, former NBA first-round pick Harold Miner.
Roundtable: Which teams have a tough road to Louisville?
Sam Gore, Aishwarya Kumar, Holly McPeak, Courtney Lyle and Michael Voepel analyze the 64-team bracket and spotlight the teams and players (spoiler: Olivia Babcock) to watch. Read more
Zachary C. Bako for ESPN
