All four No. 1 seeds made it to the NCAA women's volleyball tournament final four in Louisville, despite the fact that it wasn't always an easy journey.
The top seed overall In the regional semifinals, Oregon forced Pittsburgh to five sets. In the second round, Louisville defeated Northern Iowa in five sets after trailing match points. In the process, Penn State lost four sets, including two against Creighton in the regional final. In a regional semifinal matchup with Dayton, Nebraska lost its only set.
With a trip to the national championship game on the line, conference rivals will now square off. The first event on Thursday is the ACC matchup between Louisville and Pittsburgh, which airs on ESPN at 6:30 p.m. ET. On ESPN, Big Ten heavyweights Penn State and Nebraska are next. The victors will perform on ABC on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.
Penn State's women's volleyball team has won seven national titles. Nebraska, a five-time winner, finished second the previous year. Louisville and Pittsburgh are looking for their first.
After outlining the players to keep an eye on, the matchup's crucial elements, and the X factors, ESPN's Katie George, Holly McPeak, Sam Gore, Paul Sunderland, Courtney Lyle, Michael Voepel, and Aishwarya Kumar provide their predictions.
Highlight a player who fans should pay attention to.
Kumar: There's a reason why Olivia Babcock, an outside hitter for Pittsburgh, keeps coming up. Her leap serve and pin striking are flamboyant and spectacular. In the Panthers' regional final whitewash of 2020 national champion Kentucky, Babcock recorded a team-high 13 kills. Not to mention, she had just defeated Oregon in a dramatic five-set regional semifinal with a career-high 31 kills. Even though her incredible serve had a slight setback during the regionals, she was still chosen as the Pittsburgh regional's most exceptional player. And what about all of this is mind-blowing? She is a sophomore.
McPeak: Babcock's ability to control a match makes her the obvious choice, but I also appreciate what Harper Murray is doing for Nebraska. She leads the squad in kills, digs, blocks, and passes. Murray is vivacious, self-assured, and driven.
George I adore watching Jess Mruzik, the outside hitter at Penn State. I enjoy seeing her swing, but she can also attack, block, defend, and serve. She is able to hit crosscourt at ridiculous angles. She can fire up the opposing left front attacker who is guarding their side of the net's zone 4 with her vicious 4-to-4 swing, which allows her to smash the ball from her attacking position in left front (zone 4). To make the shot, you need to have power, torque, massive hops, and hand contact.
Gore: Babcock is a volleyball player that was born for television. She could be the focal point of any rally, either before or during it. She can dominate a match when she's playing at her peak and is on a different level. She's the player that instantly grabs your attention because she can either fire an ace behind her enormous topspin leap serve or execute a dramatic kill at the net or out of the back row.
Lyle: It's true that the pin hitters receive a lot of attention, and with good reason, but what about the "littles?" Nebraska's Lexi Rodriguez was a walking (or diving) highlight reel last weekend. Her smooth game-changing plays are amazing to see. Additionally, she is a finalist for the title of national player of the year.
Voepel: Murray has been playing excellently for Nebraska on both the offensive and defensive ends, flying all over the floor. With 30 kills in those two games, Louisville outside hitter Anna DeBeer was the most impressive player of her regional, but we'll also give her a shout-out.
Through its first four tournament games, which team has appeared to be the most unstoppable?
George: Penn State, Pitt, and Louisville have all been forced to play five games. Despite their lackluster performance in their regional semifinal victory against Dayton in four sets, the Cornhuskers have played their part. In its regional final, Nebraska dominated Wisconsin with a sweeping victory. No notes. The offensive and defensive performances were outstanding. Against another Big Ten opponent, we'll see whether that performance holds up.
McPeak: Against Wisconsin, Nebraska appeared to be quite resilient. The Cornhuskers' remarkable sweep of the regional final was mostly due to their defense, even if their attack was playing at a high level. Additionally, they are the only top seed that hasn't lost to a fifth set.
Gore: Because the Cornhuskers are playing so well at the moment, Nebraska is the only top seed that hasn't encountered a real challenge in its games thus far. There is a deeper meaning to the adage "Defense wins championships." They are restricting opponents to an incredible hitting % of.066 through four games in the NCAA tournament. Nebraska's defense has a chance to win the national title if opponents are unable to serve them off the floor or lay the ball down on them.
Kumar: I'm leaning with Nebraska, but it's a tie between Pittsburgh and Nebraska. It won three of its four tournaments in sweeps. Why? because it has an unbreakable protection. Following the regional final, Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield remarked, "Some of the defensive plays that those guys were making... just nobody in the country is making those in the backcourt." Every ball is run down by Nebraska, even if it means running into the crowd. Nebraska restricted the Badgers to a.126 hitting % and dug 59 balls in the game against Wisconsin.
Sunderland: It appears like Nebraska is the most unstoppable state. It is tenacious in its defense. No ball is defeated without a struggle. The Cornhuskers are a strong side-out team because to the use of their "littles" and Murray's skill at reception.
Lyle: It's Nebraska, but it can't afford to have another performance like the one against Dayton. Although the Cornhuskers held match point in the third set and won in four sets, they didn't look very good. The athletes acknowledged that the late start had an impact on them. The Huskers must defeat Penn State in their second semifinal matchup on Thursday.
Voepel: Everyone agrees on this one. With so many weapons at their disposal, Nebraska seemed poised to capture the sixth title.
Is Nebraska a good volleyball team?
This season, the Huskers have a 2-0 record in Louisville after sweeping Louisville on September 22 and defeating Kentucky 3-1 at the AVCA First Serve Showcase on August 27. For the second consecutive year and the eighth in the previous ten, Nebraska has returned to the national semifinals.
How long has Nebraska been good at volleyball?
Before joining the Big 12 Conference in 1996, Nebraska dominated the Big Eight Conference from the 1976 season to the 1995 season. The Huskers were the 1995, 2000, and 2006 NCAA National champions. The Nebraska Collesium serves as the home court for the Nebraska volleyball team.
Has Nebraska ever won a national championship?
With five national titles, Nebraska football has one of the most illustrious championship histories in college football history. Prior to winning championships in 1994, 1995, and 1997, the Huskers had won back-to-back titles in 1970 and 1971.
Has Nebraska ever beat Wisconsin in volleyball?
Lincoln, Nebraska In the NCAA Regional Final on Sunday afternoon, the top-seeded Nebraska volleyball team defeated the second-seeded Wisconsin volleyball team 24-26, 17-25, 21-25.
Nikhil Rajawat
All four No. 1 seeds made it to the NCAA women's volleyball tournament final four in Louisville, despite the fact that it wasn't always an easy journey.
The top seed overall In the regional semifinals, Oregon forced Pittsburgh to five sets. In the second round, Louisville defeated Northern Iowa in five sets after trailing match points. In the process, Penn State lost four sets, including two against Creighton in the regional final. In a regional semifinal matchup with Dayton, Nebraska lost its only set.
With a trip to the national championship game on the line, conference rivals will now square off. The first event on Thursday is the ACC matchup between Louisville and Pittsburgh, which airs on ESPN at 6:30 p.m. ET. On ESPN, Big Ten heavyweights Penn State and Nebraska are next. The victors will perform on ABC on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.
Penn State's women's volleyball team has won seven national titles. Nebraska, a five-time winner, finished second the previous year. Louisville and Pittsburgh are looking for their first.
After outlining the players to keep an eye on, the matchup's crucial elements, and the X factors, ESPN's Katie George, Holly McPeak, Sam Gore, Paul Sunderland, Courtney Lyle, Michael Voepel, and Aishwarya Kumar provide their predictions.
Highlight a player who fans should pay attention to.
Kumar: There's a reason why Olivia Babcock, an outside hitter for Pittsburgh, keeps coming up. Her leap serve and pin striking are flamboyant and spectacular. In the Panthers' regional final whitewash of 2020 national champion Kentucky, Babcock recorded a team-high 13 kills. Not to mention, she had just defeated Oregon in a dramatic five-set regional semifinal with a career-high 31 kills. Even though her incredible serve had a slight setback during the regionals, she was still chosen as the Pittsburgh regional's most exceptional player. And what about all of this is mind-blowing? She is a sophomore.
McPeak: Babcock's ability to control a match makes her the obvious choice, but I also appreciate what Harper Murray is doing for Nebraska. She leads the squad in kills, digs, blocks, and passes. Murray is vivacious, self-assured, and driven.
George I adore watching Jess Mruzik, the outside hitter at Penn State. I enjoy seeing her swing, but she can also attack, block, defend, and serve. She is able to hit crosscourt at ridiculous angles. She can fire up the opposing left front attacker who is guarding their side of the net's zone 4 with her vicious 4-to-4 swing, which allows her to smash the ball from her attacking position in left front (zone 4). To make the shot, you need to have power, torque, massive hops, and hand contact.
Gore: Babcock is a volleyball player that was born for television. She could be the focal point of any rally, either before or during it. She can dominate a match when she's playing at her peak and is on a different level. She's the player that instantly grabs your attention because she can either fire an ace behind her enormous topspin leap serve or execute a dramatic kill at the net or out of the back row.
Lyle: It's true that the pin hitters receive a lot of attention, and with good reason, but what about the "littles?" Nebraska's Lexi Rodriguez was a walking (or diving) highlight reel last weekend. Her smooth game-changing plays are amazing to see. Additionally, she is a finalist for the title of national player of the year.
Voepel: Murray has been playing excellently for Nebraska on both the offensive and defensive ends, flying all over the floor. With 30 kills in those two games, Louisville outside hitter Anna DeBeer was the most impressive player of her regional, but we'll also give her a shout-out.
Through its first four tournament games, which team has appeared to be the most unstoppable?
George: Penn State, Pitt, and Louisville have all been forced to play five games. Despite their lackluster performance in their regional semifinal victory against Dayton in four sets, the Cornhuskers have played their part. In its regional final, Nebraska dominated Wisconsin with a sweeping victory. No notes. The offensive and defensive performances were outstanding. Against another Big Ten opponent, we'll see whether that performance holds up.
McPeak: Against Wisconsin, Nebraska appeared to be quite resilient. The Cornhuskers' remarkable sweep of the regional final was mostly due to their defense, even if their attack was playing at a high level. Additionally, they are the only top seed that hasn't lost to a fifth set.
Gore: Because the Cornhuskers are playing so well at the moment, Nebraska is the only top seed that hasn't encountered a real challenge in its games thus far. There is a deeper meaning to the adage "Defense wins championships." They are restricting opponents to an incredible hitting % of.066 through four games in the NCAA tournament. Nebraska's defense has a chance to win the national title if opponents are unable to serve them off the floor or lay the ball down on them.
Kumar: I'm leaning with Nebraska, but it's a tie between Pittsburgh and Nebraska. It won three of its four tournaments in sweeps. Why? because it has an unbreakable protection. Following the regional final, Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield remarked, "Some of the defensive plays that those guys were making... just nobody in the country is making those in the backcourt." Every ball is run down by Nebraska, even if it means running into the crowd. Nebraska restricted the Badgers to a.126 hitting % and dug 59 balls in the game against Wisconsin.
Sunderland: It appears like Nebraska is the most unstoppable state. It is tenacious in its defense. No ball is defeated without a struggle. The Cornhuskers are a strong side-out team because to the use of their "littles" and Murray's skill at reception.
Lyle: It's Nebraska, but it can't afford to have another performance like the one against Dayton. Although the Cornhuskers held match point in the third set and won in four sets, they didn't look very good. The athletes acknowledged that the late start had an impact on them. The Huskers must defeat Penn State in their second semifinal matchup on Thursday.
Voepel: Everyone agrees on this one. With so many weapons at their disposal, Nebraska seemed poised to capture the sixth title.
Is Nebraska a good volleyball team?
This season, the Huskers have a 2-0 record in Louisville after sweeping Louisville on September 22 and defeating Kentucky 3-1 at the AVCA First Serve Showcase on August 27. For the second consecutive year and the eighth in the previous ten, Nebraska has returned to the national semifinals.
How long has Nebraska been good at volleyball?
Before joining the Big 12 Conference in 1996, Nebraska dominated the Big Eight Conference from the 1976 season to the 1995 season. The Huskers were the 1995, 2000, and 2006 NCAA National champions. The Nebraska Collesium serves as the home court for the Nebraska volleyball team.
Has Nebraska ever won a national championship?
With five national titles, Nebraska football has one of the most illustrious championship histories in college football history. Prior to winning championships in 1994, 1995, and 1997, the Huskers had won back-to-back titles in 1970 and 1971.
Has Nebraska ever beat Wisconsin in volleyball?
Lincoln, Nebraska In the NCAA Regional Final on Sunday afternoon, the top-seeded Nebraska volleyball team defeated the second-seeded Wisconsin volleyball team 24-26, 17-25, 21-25.