The 2024 NCAA DI volleyball tournament officially kicks off on Thursday, when 64 teams will gear up to battle for postseason glory in this weekend's first and second rounds.
The college court's best have their sights set on competing in the December 22nd national championship match in Louisville, Kentucky.
Along with the 31 conference champions who automatically received postseason invites, the NCAA committee revealed its 33 selectees in Sunday's selection show. The top 32 teams are seeded one through eight in their respective bracket quadrants, and teams are guaranteed to only face non-conference opponents through the tournament's second round.
Leading the field with nine teams each are the ACC, Big Ten, and SEC, followed by the Big 12 with six squads selected.
The four teams who finished atop the national rankings — Pitt, Louisville, Nebraska, and Penn State — all earned No. 1 seeds.
ACC powerhouses take aim at first national title
Sitting atop the rankings for most of the season, overall No. 1 seed Pitt showcases the ACC's immense depth, despite the conference having yet to produce a champion. The Panthers, who finished with Division I's best record at 29-1, have come achingly close over the last three seasons, falling short in the national semifinals each year.
Pitt's only loss this season came courtesy of ACC newcomer No. 2 SMU, a team they could face in the regional finals after landing in the same bracket quadrant.
Similarly, Louisville has been a consistent contender for the conference, becoming the ACC's first-ever team to make the championship match in 2022. Last year, the Cardinals failed to advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2020, stumbling in a five-set quarterfinal thriller against conference rival Pitt.
Big Ten dynasties seek continued dominance
After battling through arguably the sport's toughest all-around conference, Big Ten behemoths Penn State and Nebraska will take aim at their eighth and sixth program titles, respectively. Only former Pac-12 team Stanford — now a No. 2 seed in their debut ACC season — boast more NCAA championships than the Nittany Lions or Huskers.
Both teams finished their 2024 regular season campaigns neck-and-neck, posting 29-2 overall records and going 19-1 in conference play to share the Big Ten title. Penn State holds the tournament edge, however, maintaining their streak as the only NCAA team to make all 44 championship brackets — one more than Nebraska.
Each faces an uphill battle in the 2024 championship field. The Huskers must contend with longtime rivals and 2021 champs No. 2 Wisconsin in their quadrant. Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions find themselves in the same quadrant as reigning back-to-back champion Texas, who grabbed a No. 3 seed after a rollercoaster season.
How to watch the 2024 NCAA DI Volleyball Tournament
The first and second rounds of the NCAA volleyball tournament will take place at 16 campus sites between Thursday and Saturday.
No. 5 BYU will kick off the action against Loyola Chicago at 3:30 PM ET on Thursday, with all 32 first-round and 16 second-round matches airing across ESPN platforms.
Already one of the most popular women’s spectator sports in the US, the 2024 NCAA volleyball season is off to the races this month as the shifting lines of modern college sports plays out in real time.
Thanks to major conference realignments, regional rivalries turned national storylines will drive the narrative all the way to December's NCAA tournament.
The Big Ten's big changes
At the forefront of these shifts is longtime volleyball powerhouse the Big Ten, which welcomed USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington from the Pac-12 this summer to bring the conference total to 18 teams.
Added travel, raucous home crowds, and even fiercer competition will play into the conference's season storyline as Midwest heavyweights Wisconsin and Nebraska meet West Coast specialists in a quest to bring the Big Ten its first NCAA title since 2021.
"We knew the venues, everything was comfortable," Oregon head coach Matt Ulmer, speaking with JWS at last month's Big Ten Media Day in Chicago, said of his team’s former Pac-12 home. "I think we're going to [see] a lot of uncomfortableness this year, just with new change."
Surprises and upsets already define the 2024 season
Mirroring that uncertainty, several 2023 heavy-hitters have already produced surprising results this season. Two-time defending champion Texas fell to Minnesota in early non-conference play and again to unranked Miami last weekend, while Wisconsin went 0-3 before picking up a pair of weekend wins.
Then last week, 2023 runners-up Nebraska suffered a historic upset loss to unranked SMU, though they also bounced back with weekend victories.
With Power 10 rankings already a rollercoaster, expect even more impressive performances, greater parity, and larger crowds as college volleyball rides its meteoric rise through 2024.
The NCAA volleyball tournament has arrived, with Nebraska locking up the No. 1 overall seed.
The five-time national champion Cornhuskers lead a contingent of stacked No. 1 seeds, including 2021 title winner Wisconsin, nine-time champion Stanford and Pitt.
No. 2 seeds include Kentucky, Louisville, Oregon and 2022 champion Texas, while Arkansas, Creighton, Purdue and Tennessee enter as No. 3 seeds. Rounding out the top four seeds are BYU, Florida, Kansas and Washington State.
A total of 64 teams will compete in the tournament. The field includes first-timers in Omaha, Coppin State, Wofford and Grand Canyon.
Penn State is in the tournament for the 43rd time. The Nittany Lions are the only program to appear in the tournament every single year. Nebraska and Stanford each have made 42 appearances and Hawai’i has made 41, while defending national champion Texas has made 40.
The SEC leads all conferences with eight teams, while the Big 12 has seven teams and the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 each have five.
For the first time, the championship match will be televised on ABC, taking place at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, Dec. 17.
Check out the full bracket here. The full schedule for first round matches – including time of matches – is here.
NCAA women’s volleyball tournament: Schedule
- First and second rounds: Thursday, Nov. 30, through Sunday, Dec. 3
- Regionals: Thursday, Dec. 7, and Saturday, Dec. 9
- Semifinals: Thursday, Dec. 14 — 7 p.m. ET on ESPN
- Championship: Sunday, Dec. 17 — 3 p.m. ET on ABC
Nebraska volleyball is officially more popular than the football team.
As if filling out Memorial Stadium wasn’t enough, Cornhuskers volleyball’s upset over then-No. 1 ranked Wisconsin on Saturday averaged 612,000 viewers. The most-watched regular season volleyball match ever and the largest volleyball audience in Big Ten Network history, the match also beat out Nebraska football’s game against Northwestern.
The volleyball team beat the Badgers in five sets and took over the No. 1 ranking in the process. The match aired at 8 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.
The football game, which aired at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday on Big Ten Network, averaged just 560,000 viewers for the Huskers’ 17-9 win.
Saturday's Nebraska-Wisconsin volleyball game averaged 612,000 viewers — the largest regular season college volleyball audience ever.
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) October 24, 2023
It's also more than the Nebraska football game earlier that day on the same network. pic.twitter.com/X2MSE4oNlI
“Both teams delivered on the hype of an undefeated No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup with a thrilling five-set match,” Big Ten Network executive Michael Calderon said. “It was a tremendous introduction to Big Ten volleyball for any first-time viewers, who will undoubtedly be back to watch more Big Ten volleyball during the final five weeks of the season. We believe there is still plenty of room for more growth.”
It’s the first time that a volleyball match has exceeded 600,000 viewers on Big Ten Network. The previous high came on Black Friday of 2022, when 587,000 viewers who tuned in for the Nebraska-Wisconsin rivalry match.
Earlier this year, 518,000 viewers tuned in to watch Nebraska’s outdoor volleyball match in late August, which set the all-time attendance record for women’s sports.
Volleyball viewership is on the rise this season in the Big Ten, with the 142,000 average viewers — up 13% from 2022.
Nebraska volleyball won the last two sets against Wisconsin to claim the battle of unbeatens in Lincoln on Saturday night.
The win snapped the Huskers’ 10-match losing streak against Wisconsin dating back to 2017. Saturday night’s matchup was also the first between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in women’s volleyball since 2019. With the win, Nebraska will overtake the Badgers for the No. 1 spot this week.
A challenge by Nebraska coach John Cook on the final point resulted in a net violation against Wisconsin and sealed the victory after a 4-0 run in the fifth set, 25-22, 17-25, 20-25, 26-24, 15-13. Huskers junior Merritt Beason led the way with 21 kills, while freshman and 2023 No. 1 recruit Harper Murray registered 14 kills and 15 digs.
“It was a match for the ages tonight — two great teams battling every point,” Cook said after the match. “We just found a way to be two points better.”
This moment. This team. This place. pic.twitter.com/r9dsHJyHA1
— Nebraska Volleyball (@HuskerVB) October 22, 2023
The teams played in front of 9,198 fans at the Devaney Center, marking the 314th consecutive sellout for Nebraska volleyball. The match comes nearly two months after Nebraska shattered the attendance record for a women’s sporting event when 92,003 fans packed Lincoln’s Memorial Stadium to watch the team defeat Omaha on Aug. 30.
Nebraska (19-0, 10-0 Big Ten) and Wisconsin (18-1, 9-1) meet again on Nov. 24 in Madison, Wisc.
Nebraska volleyball made history Wednesday, setting the attendance record for a women’s sporting event with 92,003 fans packing Lincoln’s Memorial Stadium to watch the team beat Omaha 3-0.
Organizers anticipated “Volleyball Day in Nebraska” would surpass the previous record, held by FC Barcelona. But reality exceeded expectations, for those in attendance and those watching from home.
“It’s incredible. I don’t have enough words to describe it,” Nebraska middle blocker Andi Jackson said. “We were walking out of the tunnel after the second set, and we heard on the speaker we had just broken the world record. Everyone was trying to stay locked in, but we were also so excited. I can’t describe how grateful I am to be a part of it.”
LSU women’s basketball star Angel Reese had her eyes on the spectacle from afar, and now she wants to see her team play in Tiger Stadium, her school’s 102,321-capacity football stadium in Baton Rouge.
“LET’S MAKE THIS HAPPEN!” she said in response to one fan suggesting the idea. In a separate post, she added: “Women’s sports is growing and I love that for us.”
LET’S MAKE THIS HAPPEN! https://t.co/pWTtMFvuYQ
— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) August 31, 2023
Of course, Iowa women’s basketball is already making it happen in October. The Hawkeyes are hosting an exhibition game in 69,250-capacity Kinnick Stadium, with all proceeds going to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. That game set to break the record for the most-attended women’s basketball game.
And Iowa star Caitlin Clark also was among those awed by Nebraska’s feat, reacting to a video of the Cornhuskers walking out of the tunnel with one word: “Sheesh.”
Sheesh🔥🤝 https://t.co/ig2POcPLiW
— Caitlin Clark (@CaitlinClark22) August 31, 2023
Other big names also applauded the event, with Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson calling it “dope.” Tennis legend Billie Jean King called it “outstanding” before calling for the continued growth of women’s sports.
Nebraska volleyball players were glad their match, which was televised on Big Ten Network, reached such a wide audience.
“I’ve been saying it’s so huge for little girls to get to see a women’s sport and volleyball being played on this big of a stage and having so many people invest in it,” junior Lexi Rodriguez said. “When you’re little, you have big dreams and big goals. Having this to look up to is something that a lot of little girls will keep in the back of their mind when they’re pursuing the sport of volleyball.”