23 under 23 for 2023: Young stars shine bright in women’s sports
From Sophia Smith to Suni Lee to Aliyah Boston, keep your eye on these athletes.
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NCAA Volleyball continues to grow, with nearly 1.2 million viewers tuning in to watch Wisconsin defeat Nebraska in the championship match on ESPN2.
The final tally makes it the most-viewed women’s college volleyball match ever on ESPN’s networks. For comparison, the MLS Cup final on Dec. 11 drew 1.14 million viewers on ABC.
Saturday's @NCAAVolleyball Championship on ESPN2, delivered nearly 1.2M viewers for @BadgerVB's thrilling 5-set win over @Huskervball
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) December 21, 2021
The most-viewed women's college volleyball match ever on ESPN networks - capping a record #NCAAVB event pic.twitter.com/vSpfPkWbnw
It’s the latest example of positive viewership trends in women’s sports, with the numbers for WNBA, NWSL and other NCAA Tournament games also rising over the past year. The 1,188,000 viewership marker represents a 71 percent increase from the spring championship, which drew 696,000 viewers, and a 119 percent increase from 2019.
The semifinals drew a total of 728,000 viewers on ESPN, up 50 percent over the spring and 20 percent from 2019.
From Sophia Smith to Suni Lee to Aliyah Boston, keep your eye on these athletes.
The Longhorns beat Louisville in Omaha.
Four teams will face off in Thursday's semifinals.