Sweet 16 Preview: Women's Volleyball

With the first two rounds of tournament play completed, the Sweet 16 is set. These matchups will begin Thursday and kick off what is expected to be an electrifying final week of the season. Let’s preview each matchup.

The first serve of the Kentucky vs. Missouri matchup is set for 1 p.m. EST on Thursday. The Wildcats (22-7) are coming off a four-set victory over No. 6 seed Minnesota, while the Tigers (22-8) are riding high after upsetting No. 2 seed SMU on the road in a closely contested back-and-forth match. SEC Player of the Year Brooklyn DeLeye looks to lead Kentucky to a regional final, but Texas transfer Marina Crownover hopes to facilitate Missouri to another shocking result. Expect this match to be a potential five-set thriller, with both offenses playing at an elite level.

Following that match, at around 3:30 p.m., the Pittsburgh Panthers (31-1) host the Oregon Ducks (24-7) in a rematch from earlier this season. On Aug. 30, the Ducks hosted Pitt and got swept, so consider Matt Ulmer’s squad hungry for a much different outcome this time. Having lost only one match all year, the Panthers look to maintain the pace that has carried them to the Final Four each of the last three seasons. Oregon will aim to get sophomore outside hitter Mimi Colyer going early and often, while Pitt will rely on its balanced attack, featuring pin hitters Olivia Babcock, Torrey Stafford and Valeria Vazquez Gomez. The winner will face the Kentucky-Missouri winner in the Elite Eight.

In the Louisville Region, No. 2 seed Stanford (27-4) matches up with No. 6 seed Florida (23-7). The Gators have been playing their best volleyball lately, led by sophomore Kennedy Martin’s outstanding performances. Martin had a whopping 33 kills in Florida’s upset win over No. 3 seed Kansas in the regional quarterfinals and will need another big performance if her team is to defy the odds again. Setter Kami Miner, the AVCA Pacific Region Player of the Year, leads the Cardinal, who are vying for their first Final Four appearance since 2019, when they won their NCAA-best ninth championship.

The last match of the day features the top-seeded Louisville Cardinals (27-5) against the No. 4 seed Purdue Boilermakers (27-6). The last time these two teams met, Louisville swept Purdue in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. On Saturday night, the Cardinals were pushed to the brink by No. 8 seed UNI in a five-set classic that ended with a 22-20 final in the decisive set, which is typically played to 15 (win by two). Junior outside Eva Hudson has elevated her stellar regular-season play, and as Purdue’s leading scorer, she’ll lead the Boilermakers against ACC Defensive Player of the Year Elena Scott. The winner will face the victor of Stanford-Florida for a spot in the Final Four.

Friday brings a new slate of volleyball, starting with the State College Region. Two-time defending national champion Texas (20-6) will face Big East champion and No. 2 seed Creighton (31-2). The two teams have met only once before, in the 2016 tournament. The Longhorns are led by phenom Madisen Skinner, the 2023 tournament MVP, while the Bluejays boast a balanced offense run by setter Kendra Wait, who relies on outside hitters Norah Sis and Ava Martin. The winner will face the Marquette-Penn State winner Sunday at 8:30 p.m. EST.

Top-seeded Penn State (31-2) will battle No. 5 seed Marquette (25-8). The Big Ten co-champs have won eight straight matches since falling to Wisconsin on Nov. 9. Grad student Jess Mruzik for the Nittany Lions and redshirt senior Aubrey Hamilton for the Golden Eagles will both look to continue their team-leading scoring roles as they fight for a spot in the next round.

Finally, in the Nebraska Region, No. 2 seed Wisconsin (25-6) will take on No. 6 seed Texas A&M (21-7), fresh off an upset over No. 3 seed Arizona State. This match will likely come down to the duel at the net between reigning AVCA Player of the Year Sarah Franklin and the Aggies’ standout right-side hitter Logan Lednicky. The Badgers hope to advance and set up a rematch with bitter rival Nebraska, who swept them in both regular-season matchups.

The last match of the Sweet 16 will take place at the Bob Devaney Sports Center between the Nebraska Cornhuskers (31-2) and the red-hot Dayton Flyers (31-2). These teams have taken very different paths to this point. The Huskers have swept their opponents in each match, playing the minimum number of sets to advance, while the No. 5 seed Flyers just defeated Baylor in five sets, fueled by outside hitter Lexie Almodovar’s 34-kill performance. The final spot in the Elite Eight will be decided in this matchup, capping off a thrilling set of Sweet 16 matches.

Tune in to the ESPN networks this weekend to watch the best the sport has to offer. The Sweet 16 and Elite Eight will be played back-to-back, with regional finals beginning Saturday.

Luke Armstrong is a first-year majoring in digital and print journalism. To contact him, email lea5382@psu.edu