Pittsburgh, Nebraska, Penn State, Louisville earn top regional seeds in NCAA women's volleyball tournament

2 December 2024Last Update :
Pittsburgh, Nebraska, Penn State, Louisville earn top regional seeds in NCAA women's volleyball tournament

Pittsburgh, Nebraska, Penn State and Louisville earned top regional seeds Sunday in the NCAA women’s volleyball tournament and an inside track to the national semifinals.

The unveiling of the 64-team field featured seven programs among the top eight overall seeds from the Big Ten and the ACC. The No. 2 regional seeds went to Stanford, Creighton, Wisconsin and SMU.

First- and second-round matches are set for Thursday through Sunday at campus sites. On-campus regionals will be played from Dec. 12 through Dec. 15, with the national semifinals on Dec. 19 at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky.

The national championship will be played on Dec. 22 in Louisville and televised by ABC.

ACC regular-season champion Pittsburgh (29-1) earned the No. 1 overall seed. The program seeks a fourth consecutive trip to the Final Four and its first appearance in the championship match. The Panthers lost last year and in 2021 against Nebraska in the semifinals and against Louisville in 2022.

AVCA Player-of-the-Year candidates Olivia Babcock, an opposite hitter, setter Rachel Fairbanks and outside hitter Torrey Stafford lead Pitt. The team has won 14 consecutive matches, including a five-set battle in the regular-season finale on Saturday against Georgia Tech.

The Panthers’ only loss came on Oct. 12 at SMU. The Mustangs, if the seeds hold, would play at Pitt in a regional final.

Nebraska (29-2), seeded second overall, lost at SMU on Sept. 3 before the Huskers won 25 consecutive matches. Penn State (29-2) beat the Huskers in four sets Friday to earn a share of the Big Ten title with Nebraska.

Nebraska setter Bergen Reilly and libero Lexi Rodriguez are listed among 14 semifinalists for the AVCA Player of the Year. Penn State outside hitter Jess Mruzik is a semifinalist, as is Louisville libero Elena Scott.

The Huskers lost to Texas last year in the national championship. Texas, aiming for a third consecutive championship, received a No. 3 regional seed in the Penn State regional.

Penn State has won seven national championships, two behind all-time leader Stanford. Louisville enters the postseason at 25-5.

Required reading

  • How Nebraska volleyball star Harper Murray is leaving a troubled offseason behind her
  • San Jose State volleyball’s controversial seasons ends with loss in Mountain West championship

(Photo of Pitt players celebrating in a game: Jeff Faughender / Courier Journal / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)