Three storylines for the NCAA volleyball season
The 2024 NCAA women’s volleyball season started with a bang. Marquee matches have already taken place, like face-offs between No. 2 Nebraska versus No. 9 Kentucky and No. 3 Wisconsin vs No. 6 Louisville. Now, the season is officially underway, and plenty of elite volleyball will be played over the next four months. With the season already off to a swinging start, here are some storylines to keep an eye on.
Will Pitt four-peat?
The University of Pittsburgh Panthers have made it to the NCAA semifinals three years in a row – and have subsequently lost that very game, three years in a row. In 2021, Pitt fell to Nebraska; in 2022, Louisville knocked them out; and in 2023, they lost to Nebraska again. Losing in the same spot three years in a row has to weigh on a team.
Pittsburgh starts this season a lot like they did in 2023. Head Coach Dan Fisher is in his 12th season with the team. While many of its opponents lost star players to graduations or the transfer portal, the core of the Pitt team has remained relatively similar to 2023’s squad. The Panthers have held onto veteran talent like outside hitter Valeria Vazquez Gomez, outside hitter and role player, Cat Flood, setter/rightside Rachel Fairbanks, and libero Emmy Klika. And perhaps more significantly, they have retained their freshmen phenoms – right side Olivia Babcock, outside hitter Torrey Stafford, and outside Blaire Bayless – who can bring more skill and experience under their belts as sophomores.
Considering the veteran talent, younger energy, and reliable coaching that Pitt brings, it’s not hard to see them making it to that same fateful game for a fourth year in a row. So perhaps the question the team may be asking itself is – is this the year the Panthers can go all the way? They’ll get the chance to play old rivals Louisville on Friday, Oct. 25, in an ACC matchup, but they won’t have a chance to face off against Nebraska until they both (inevitably) make the playoffs.
Will Texas three-peat?
Returning winners Texas have already entered the 2024 season on a high note – they captured the number one spot in the AVCA preseason poll and are once again widely considered the best team in women’s college volleyball. And after winning back-to-back national championships (against Nebraska in 2023 and Louisville in 2022), the team is riding the highest possible high. The excitement around the team largely surrounds outside hitter Madisen Skinner, the 2023 Big 12 female Athlete of the Year and Volleyball Mag Player of the Year, who is already being asked about her role with Team USA in the 2028 Olympics.
However, the story isn’t shaking out perfectly for Texas. The Longhorns lost a few key players during the offseason, including Asjia O’Neal. The middle blocker contributed tremendously to Texas’s 2022 and 2023 wins but graduated after her sixth year and is now embarking on a professional career with LOVB Austin.
The good news for Texas is that they have a strong transfer class coming in through the portal. Three transfers – rightside hitter Reagan Rutherford, outside/rightside hitter Whitney Laurenstein, and setter Averi Carlson – are expected to make big impacts on the court. Rutherford, who played 92 matches in four seasons with Kentucky, is expected to fill a hole as an opposite. Laurenstein, a rightside hitter, had at least five kills in nine matches in her last season with Nebraska in 2022. And Carlson, a two-year starting setter at Baylor, posted 2,446 assists in her two-year career. A combination of returning talent and fresh faces makes Texas an easy favorite this year, but could this be the year that Pitt, Nebraska, or another top contender dethrone them?
Will Sarah Franklin two-peat (otherwise known as a repeat)?
Sarah Franklin of the University of Wisconsin is a once-in-a-generation player. In the 2023 season, Franklin, the AVCA Player of the Year, averaged 4.14 kills, 1.99 digs, and .53 blocks per set. She also held a dominant .300 hitting percentage as an outside. Some of her many awards included the 2023 Big Ten Player of the Year, AVCA first-team All-American honors, and AVCA Northeast Region Player of the Year.
In addition to her phenomenal 2023 season, the 6’4 outside hitter also had a productive offseason, which included carrying Team USA to a silver medal at the 2024 NORCECA championships. Needless to say, Franklin is entering her fifth season with high expectations. And, with a third-place AVCA ranking, the team also has high expectations. It’s unclear how she can post a year that was somehow better than her previous one, but if there’s anyone who can outdo sky-high expectations, Franklin might be the one.