NCAA women’s volleyball: Nebraska and the No. 1 seeds continue their dominance, while some Cinderellas remain
The first weekend of the NCAA volleyball tournament delivered on kills, points and of course, upsets. At campuses across the country, big names dominated, but there is still a Cinderella or two to cheer for as the tournament moves to the Sweet 16 this coming weekend. Here’s what you need to know from the first two rounds.
No. 1 seeds dominated…
Perhaps it’s not a surprise to see No. 1 seeds romp their way to the regional semifinals, but Nebraska, Texas, Kentucky and Pittsburgh each won their first two matches of the tournament with relative ease. Among the four teams, only one dropped a set — Kentucky dropped its third set to UCLA in the second round, and then came back to take that match with a 25-17 set. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh had 99 kills over the weekend, and Texas scored 73 points more than its opponents. And Nebraska? They were so good that they inspired their own bullet point in this story. (See below.)
…but there were plenty of upsets to enjoy
Unseeded Marquette took out the higher-seeded Western Kentucky (No. 7) in the first round in just three sets, then took Louisville — which went to the national semifinal last season — to five sets before the Cardinals eventually pulled out the win. After a 25-5 regular season, UTEP earned a sixth seed, but unseeded North Carolina knocked them out 3-1 in the first round. Rice had a No. 7 seed but lost to Florida, and Utah State won a barn-burner 3-2 match over No. 7 Tennessee in the first round of the tournament.
But no one had a better weekend than Cal Poly. The Mustangs, unseeded with a 27-7 record in the regular season, first knocked out fifth-seed BYU with a 3-2 win. Their next feat came in the second round against some fellow Californians, beating USC 3-2 to make it to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2007. Emma Fredrick’s play was key with 17 kills and 17 digs.
Nebraska is playing at a different level
In her first season as the head coach at Nebraska, Dani Busboom-Kelly — a national champion player at Nebraska in 2006 — has the Cornhuskers playing on a different level. Against Long Island University, Nebraska had 47 kills to Long Island’s 24. In the second round against Kansas State, Nebraska withstood every charge the Wildcats brought and scored 75 points to their 54 to get a quick three-set win.
It’s not just about the statistics, though. Nebraska looked focused and stayed calm throughout its games, even with the pressure of a sold-out crowd expecting a dominant win.
“I think us being put in high-pressure situations is going to be good for us going deep into the tournament,” said Huskers star Harper Murray after the win over Kansas State. “Bergen [Reilly] said it in the locker room, ‘We really need to take in the moments and appreciate that we’re able to be here.’ Not every team is able to play in the Sweet 16, and just being grateful that we’re here.”
Louisville-Marquette was the match of the tournament so far
The tournament started well for Marquette, as the unseeded Golden Eagles beat Western Kentucky in straight sets, earning them a spot in the second round against No. 2-seeded Louisville. Marquette went 18-11 in the regular season, and didn’t seem like a team that could challenge the formidable Cardinals team.
Playing in Louisville, Marquette won the first set 25-21. Louisville came back to win the next set, and the two teams exchanged the next two sets, leading to a 2-2 tie. Cara Cresse and Chloe Chicoine were impressive in that final set as Louisville finally got the win. Chicoine finished with 28 kills, including the final one to clinch the match.
“More so than just the stats, just the way that they compete,” Dan Meske, Louisville’s coach, said after the win. “I feel so fortunate as a coach to have such great competitors and great people to watch them keep getting better and keep battling together, it was really cool. I kept looking Chloe in the eye and kept saying, ‘Good things are about to happen because we’ve got you on the court,’ so good things happen.”