All preparations are in place for the 2024 NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship, and we're looking forward to a great competition this year.
The bracket setup could make future matchups of some of the top teams intriguing, with some serious dark horses sprinkled in looking to spoil the party, and the two-time defending champions are set for the tournament. Not one of the top eight teams.
With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the key storylines to watch heading into December Madness.
A tale of two meetings
Throughout the season, the top four teams in the nation were comprised of programs from the ACC or Big Ten.
The teams traded places from time to time, but it was the Pitt Panthers. nebraska cornhuskers, Penn State Nittany Lions and Louisville Cardinals He established himself as a top-four player. PSU defeated the Huskers in the final game of the season, and the Huskers and Nittany Lions shared the Big Ten title. Meanwhile, Pitt's only loss was to the SMU Mustangs, who defeated the Cardinals twice to win the ACC championship.
These four teams earned the No. 1 seed and will have home court advantage throughout the tournament leading up to the Final Four. But the rest of the teams in the conference were also very good.
The ACC, Big Ten, and SEC had nine teams selected from their respective conferences to compete in the championship tournament.
In fact, three of the No. 2 seeds were from the ACC or Big Ten, and they were paired with conference mates in games that could settle grudges. Pitt is on the same side of the bracket as SMU, Louisville is on the same side as Stanford (the two schools have split wins this year), and Nebraska and Wisconsin are on the same corner of the bracket as well. There is.
That means the top teams are likely to see familiar faces in major tournament matches.
Texas three-peat?
It's understandable that all the attention is on the top seed, but somehow the defending national champion has slipped under the radar.
of texas longhorns Maddie Skinner is the No. 3 seed, tied with No. 1 seed Penn State and No. 2 Creighton. They also have dominant wins in the past two national championships.
The lack of focus may be because the Longhorns were 18-6 on the year, with non-conference losses to Minnesota, Miami and Stanford, and three straight SEC losses. Texas A&MMissouri and Oklahoma. In fact, Kentucky led Texas to the SEC title in the Horns' first year in the conference.
Texas finished the season on a six-game winning streak, but Maddie Skinner remains one of the most dangerous players in the country. Still, perhaps the relatively quiet environment surrounding the Horns will help motivate them in the tournament. They are always a formidable customer come December and have a chance to pull off an upset as the defending champions. What a fun place for them!
deeper field
This tournament is still tough compared to the men's and women's basketball tournaments, but the spread of the field has improved and teams that aren't in the top few seed lines can still hope to advance.
For example, let's look at No.7. Georgia Tech. They are a rising program and have real talent. They will play Tennessee in the first round in Madison, followed by a potential game against No. 2. wisconsin badger. It was a much more competitive battle in terms of talent than the previous 2-on-7 matchups in the tournament.
of minnesota golden gophers Only 6 seeds. They defeated the Badgers and Longhorns early in the season to prove they can compete with the top programs in the country, a nasty loss in Big Ten play.
Within the Big 12, Kansas State and Utah State are 3 and 4 seeds, respectively, and have a history of solid programs capable of making deep runs. On the other hand, No.3 arizona They made it to the tournament for the second straight year after finishing 13-19 in 2022. No. 7 Missouri State is in a similar situation, making its second consecutive tournament appearance after posting a 9-19 record just two seasons ago.
They may not be the favorites to make the Final Four, but all of these teams are getting better and better and it's not a top-heavy tournament anymore. I don't think we'll see a No. 1 seed pull off an upset against a No. 16 seed in this tournament like we've seen in previous men's and women's basketball tournaments, but the showdown is getting closer and closer each year.
It's an exciting time to be a volleyball fan, whether you're a fan of a traditional powerhouse or a team looking to make a breakthrough. Now, let's enjoy playing volleyball slowly.
