The NCAA ladies’s volleyball ultimate 4 will characteristic all 4 No. 1 seeds, as Nebraska and Penn State received their regional finals Sunday, becoming a member of Pitt and Louisville, who superior Saturday.
The nationwide semifinals are Thursday in Louisville, with the hometown Cardinals dealing with the Panthers at 6:30 p.m. ET, adopted by the Huskers vs. the Nittany Lions. Both matches are on ESPN. The nationwide championship match might be Sunday, Dec. 22, at 3 p.m. ET on ABC.
Both semifinals match up convention foes. ACC rivals Louisville and Pitt are every in search of their first nationwide championship in volleyball. It’s very totally different on the opposite facet of the bracket: Big Ten rivals Penn State (seven) and Nebraska (5) have 12 NCAA titles and 9 runner-up finishes between them.
During the common season, No. 1 total seed Pitt beat Louisville of their two matchups, and Penn State beat Nebraska of their assembly.
The Huskers, now of their 18th NCAA ultimate 4, superior simply Sunday, sweeping Wisconsin 26-24, 25-17, 25-21. Taylor Landfair, a senior taking part in her first season at Nebraska after transferring from Minnesota, led the Huskers with 11 kills. Nebraska additionally swept the Badgers in each Big Ten regular-season conferences this yr.
Penn State is making its 14th NCAA ultimate 4 however had a harder go of it Sunday. The Nittany Lions had been pushed to 5 units by No. 2 seed Creighton, which was making an attempt to make its first ultimate 4 and arrange an all-Nebraska-school semifinal. But the Nittany Lions, with the benefit of taking part in the regional on their residence courtroom like the opposite No. 1 seeds, took the fifth set 15-7. Jess Mruzik led Penn State with 20 kills.
No lady head coach has ever received the NCAA Division I volleyball championship, which was first contested in 1981. But there’s a probability it might occur this yr, as two ladies — Louisville’s Dani Busboom Kelly and Penn State’s Katie Schumacher-Cawley — are within the ultimate 4.
The solely coach within the ultimate 4 who has beforehand received a title is Nebraska’s John Cook, who has 4 of the Huskers’ titles. All of Penn State’s championships got here beneath Russ Rose, who retired after the 2021 season.
