NCAA Women's Volleyball Recap

Women’s volleyball has been making splashes in recent years, being one of the biggest rises in women’s sports.

The NCAA Championship was no different. No. 1 Nebraska took on No. 2 Texas at the University of South Florida on Sunday.

Texas came in as the defending champions, defeating Louisville in straight sets in 2022. Nebraska last won in 2017.

All season the Cornhuskers have been at the top of the headlines for their record-breaking attendance numbers. Back in August, Nebraska hosted “Volleyball Day in Nebraska” where 92,0003 fans filled Memorial Stadium to watch the Cornhuskers beat Omaha.

Not only was that the world record for attendance at a women’s sporting event, but was also the NCAA volleyball attendance record and the attendance record for Memorial Stadium.

Texas took down Nebraska’s season-long rival, Wisconsin, on Thursday to advance to the finals. The orange and white won 3-1.

Before being eliminated, the Badger’s only losses of the season came from Nebraska, Penn State and Purdue. The Big 10 is certainly a powerhouse in women’s volleyball with five teams selected for the NCAA tournament.

Texas was in control of the championship from the start. Junior Madisen Skinner earned the first kill of the game and the Longhorns were hot with a 4-0 lead.

After a timeout tied at 22 a piece, Texas went on a 3-0 run to win the first set 25-22. The set point was an ace by junior Keonilei Akana.

Set two was no different. The Longhorns had seven aces and went on an 11-0 run to break away with a 25-14 set victory.

Texas finished the sweep to become back-to-back NCAA champions. Their storybook ending came on an ace by Asjia O’Neal, her fifth of the match.

O’Neal, nicknamed the Slide Queen, kept Texas’ defense fierce and helped to not let up any easy points.

They are the first team to go back-to-back since Stanford in 2019. Texas began the year 5-3, but turned around their season with freshman setter Ella Swindle.

Skinner was the offensive star of the match for Texas, hitting .273 and recording 16 kills in the match. Harper Murray, Nebraska’s top player, just couldn’t match her, ending with 7 kills.

The Longhorns raised the NCAA Championship Trophy and celebrated on the court with smiles and tears of joy. For some of the players, this wasn’t their first victory, but that didn’t make it any less special.

Jerritt Elliott, the head coach of Texas, has been coaching the Longhorns for 23 years. He’s returned the team to national prominence winning championships in 2012, 2022 and now 2023.

Nebraska will be back next year as the 2023 squad featured zero seniors and had four freshman starters in the championship match.

The D1 men’s volleyball season will begin in January.

Allie Wenskoski is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, please email amw7637@psu.edu.