Summary

• The NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament begins on Thursday, Dec. 3 with 64 teams competing for the national championship.
• 5wins created a guide with predictions for how people can complete their volleyball bracket.

The 2025 NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship is packed with talent, breakout stars, and unpredictable results, but at 5wins we are here to break it down and help you with your 5wins bracket.

Chloe Dunford, a third-year student at Brock University for Sport Management in Ontario, Canada, and avid NCAA Volleyball watcher, has her predictions locked. Here’s a breakdown of the championship bracket and her deciding factors.

Lincoln Regional

Why Chloe thinks Nebraska will advance to the national semifinals:

Nebraska is the overall one-seed, undefeated, and looks like the best team in the country. It feels like the year that Nebraska finally gets the championship after falling just short the last two seasons. Plus, they have three players still on the AVCA National Player of the Year watchlist.

Other tidbits:

• I think this is the second hardest quadrant of the bracket, with Nebraska potentially facing (4) Kansas, and then needing to beat (3) Texas A&M or (2) Louisville to get to the national semifinals.
• Nebraska head coach Dani Busboom Kelly left Louisville this year to take the position at Nebraska.
• Other fun matchups could include: (4) Kansas vs. (5) Miami (a team that probably deserved to host) in the second round, and (6) TCU vs. (3) Texas A&M, with an upset possibility as TCU beat A&M in the regular season.

Pittsburgh Regional

Why Chloe thinks Pittsburgh will advance to the national semifinals:

Pitt is the fourth, one-seed and has played in the national semifinals each of the last four seasons, beginning in 2021. Reigning AVCA National Player of the Year Olivia Babock continues to get it done offensively, defensively, and from the service line.

Other tidbits:

• I think this is the quadrant with the least amount of competition. Should the seeds hold, Pitt would face (4) Minnesota and (2) SMU in the regional finals. SMU will need to beat (3) Purdue.
• Pitt beat SMU twice during the regular season, and Purdue beat SMU once.
• SMU is led by ACC setter of the year, Averi Carlson, an experienced senior who has her team hitting .309
• Other fun matchups could include: (4) Minnesota vs. (5) Iowa State and (8) Xavier vs. Michigan

Texas Regional

Why Chloe thinks Texas will advance to the national semifinals:

Texas is the third, one-seed in the nation with only three losses during the regular season. With one of the best liberos in the tournament and outside hitter Torrey Stafford, this team is a force to be reckoned with. Plus, they know what it takes to win a championship in recent history, having won in 2022 and 2023.

Other tidbits:

• Hardest quadrant in the bracket with lots of talent spanning from (1) Texas, (2) Stanford, and (3)Wisconsin. (8) Penn State, last year’s champs, are also in this quadrant and look to take on Texas in the second round. (4) Indiana’s speed could stress Texas if they match up.
• Wisconsin is playing good volleyball at the right time and could meet (2) Stanford in the round of 16 to set up a showdown between the Andrew sisters, Alicia (senior at Wisconsin) and Lizzy (freshman at Stanford).
• My prediction is that Texas and Stanford will face off in the round of eight. Stanford’s electric win against Louisville on the last day of the regular season willed them to clinch the ACC spot will challenge the Longhorns.
• Other fun matchups could include: (6) UTEP vs. North Carolina and (4) Indiana vs. (5) Colorado

Lexington Regional

Why Chloe thinks that Kentucky will advance to the national semifinals:

Kentucky is the second-ranked one-seed and has the best outside hitter duo in the nation in Eva Hudson and Brooklyn DeLeye. The Wilcats won both the SEC regular season and conference tournament, reverse sweeping Texas and have three players being named to the SEC first-team, including Hudson, who is the SEC Player of the Year.

Other tidbits:

• The third most competitive quadrant with Kentucky, (2) Arizona State, (3) Creighton, and (4) Southern California.
• Arizona State vs. Creighton could be a five-setter, with Creighton getting the slight edge, having been one of two teams that pushed Nebraska to five sets.
• Kentucky is good all-around the court and should move through fairly easily.
• Other fun matchups could include: (2) Arizona State vs. (7) Tennessee and (4) Southern California vs. (5) BYU

Semifinals

The semifinal matchups are Nebraska vs. Pittsburgh and Texas vs. Kentucky. I see Texas and Kentucky going to 5 sets like in their last meeting, with Kentucky getting the edge, and Nebraska getting a four-set victory.

National Championship

It feels like Nebraska’s year, even though Kentucky is the other team besides Creighton to push them to five sets in September. Since then, Nebraska has only dropped sets in a dominant showing. With Nebraska being closest of the one-seeds to Kansas City (the host city for this years’ National Championship), and their fans breaking many attendance records for away teams this season, the ‘home field feel’ will be an advantage for this team. Nebraska feels like they are on a revenge tour from last year’s semifinal defeat and that this is their moment to win it all. Fill out your bracket at 5wins!