CHARLOTTE, N.C. —

There’s a lot of positive momentum in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) for women’s sports at the moment.

Two teams, Pitt and Louisville, are projected as top seeds in volleyball, as noted by ESPN. Meanwhile, in field hockey, North Carolina and Virginia hold the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in the RPI rankings. In soccer, Notre Dame, Stanford, and Virginia are the top contenders according to a recent coaching survey. Additionally, in women’s college basketball, Duke is leading a group of five ranked ACC teams in the AP Top 25 preseason poll.

The ACC has excelled in women’s basketball recently, even if it hasn’t won a national championship since 2018. Stanford snagged the title in 2021, but the ACC has sent eight teams to the NCAA Tournament for the past seven years, more than any other conference during that time frame. The conference also boasts a record of sending at least one team to the Elite Eight for 23 consecutive seasons, which is impressive.

This season, there’s a notable change: the ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament will be moving out of Greensboro, North Carolina, for the second time this century. The competition, which was the only tournament in the Power 4 to draw over 10,000 fans per session last year, will take place at the Gus South Arena in Duluth, Georgia.

Jim Phillips, the ACC Commissioner, expressed enthusiasm about this shift during last week’s ACC Tipoff, saying, “We’re looking to grow the sport. There’s never been a better moment to advance women’s basketball. We went through a bidding process for East Coast locations, and I think metro Atlanta presented an exceptional proposal. We’re really excited about it. The results will speak for themselves.”

Phillips also took some time to sit down with SB Nation for an exclusive conversation about women’s sports in the league and the NCAA.

This conversation has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.

Both the SEC and Big 12 have volleyball conference tournaments, while the Big Ten and ACC do not. Is there any thought about starting a volleyball championship in the ACC?

“We’ve had them before (the last was in 2004). At that time, coaches believed the regular season was sufficient preparation for the postseason, and, well, we’ve seen considerable success in volleyball. Given the number of teams making it to the NCAA Tournament, they didn’t think a championship helped us. We valued the coaches’ recommendation, and it wasn’t a push from the conference. But do I have an interest? Absolutely. Still, I always try to heed my coaches’ input as much as I can.”

Softball tournaments are currently held on campuses, and interest in that sport is also on the rise. Has there been any talk about moving the tournament to a neutral site, similar to basketball or baseball?

“We’ve considered that and will keep it on the table for discussion. We haven’t made that switch yet. Rotating campuses has worked well, and the coaches seem to appreciate it, but a neutral site could be an option down the line. We’ve found rotating campuses engages different communities effectively. It has worked beautifully for our softball championship. I’m open to the idea of neutral sites in the future.”

Moving on to women’s basketball… The ACC’s revenue model relies 60% on TV ratings from football and men’s basketball. As platforms for women’s basketball grow (like Duke vs. North Carolina airing on ABC this year), could viewership become part of this revenue-sharing model?

“We’ve addressed this topic. Currently, the board isn’t pushing in that direction. However, we’ve quickly voted to ensure that postseason performance in women’s basketball is included in the Success Initiative program, which rewards teams from football, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball alike. Everything fits within the same structure that allocates funds based on postseason achievements.”

It seems ACC will keep a close eye on viewership trends going forward.

“Absolutely. No doubt about it.”

Speaking of the growth of women’s college basketball, the 2028 Final Four is set to take place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, a football venue. What would your reaction have been a decade ago if someone had told you this was possible?

“I would have been totally elated. And here we are. It’s fantastic. We need to keep investing in women’s basketball—it’s critical for all of us. The game is more vibrant than ever, but we have to stay committed to its growth. It’s on a promising path. But achieving that requires resources, which we’re striving to provide. I’m proud of our progress so far. This conference aims to strengthen how we market and promote women’s sports, adding 12 new games to our inventory, which is higher than last year’s tally on ESPN. We’ll keep prioritizing women’s basketball as we enhance our non-conference schedule.”