2022 will see a new NCAA volleyball champion.
Defending champions Wisconsin lost to No. 2 seed Pitt in the regional final in Saturday’s five-set thriller, securing the Panthers a place in the national semifinals for the second year in a row.
The ACC is guaranteed to be represented in the conference this year, as Pitt will face No. 1 seed Louisville, although the team has never played in a national championship game. This season they split his two matchups. Pitt scored on October 23, where he won 3–2, and Louisville on November 18, where he scored 3–0.
Meanwhile, San Diego edged No. 1-seeded Stanford in five sets in the regional final. Losing in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament, Torreros advanced to the Final 4 for the first time by defeating his nine-time champion Cardinal, who won the title in 2016, 2018 and 2019.
The only team to have played a National Championship game is #1 seed Texas, who haven’t won a title since 2012 and have won three in 2020 (Kentucky), 2016 (Stanford) and 2015 (Nebraska). lost two championship matches.
With Dani Basboom Kelly of Louisville and Jennifer Petrie of San Diego, the final four will become two female head coaches for the second time in NCAA Tournament history. The first was in 1993 when Florida’s Mary Wise and then-BYU coach Elaine Michaelis lost in the semifinals.Wise coached in the NCAA Finals twice, in 2003 and 2017. But no female head coach has ever won a championship. Let history be made this weekend.
The National Semifinals begin Thursday (7 PM ET, ESPN/ESPN app), with the championship on Saturday night. We asked a volleyball expert to sort the field and preview the final four games.
Wisconsin, Nebraska, or Stanford, which team failed to make it back to the Top 4?
Holly McPeak: I think Wisconsin was a really good shot this year. The Badgers reloaded in key positions and were very dominant in the net defensively. Pitt forced them out of the system and scored. That was the difference.
Courtney Lyle: I really thought Wisconsin would keep running to repeat as national champions.The Badgers lost a lot from last year’s team, but reloaded some valuable arsenal, including the transfer of Sarah Franklin. . The fact that Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Stanford failed to reach the national semifinals speaks to just how high the level of competition is in every conference.
Jennifer Hoffman: As the volleyball landscape continues to evolve, it’s no surprise that there are so many regional finals. The early exits of Stanford and Nebraska weren’t too surprising given the talent of their opponents. The real surprise about Wisconsin’s loss was how many errors the Badgers made in a tournament against a team like Pitt. All of Wisconsin’s regular season losses have involved errors, and the regional final against Pitt was no exception.
Shelby Copedge: Originally, I really thought there was no way Wisconsin wouldn’t go beyond our region. But when they saw how Pitt played, the Panthers totally got it. It’s no surprise that Stanford University didn’t get in. San Diego has sought attention and respect every week. Toreros have beaten a school of Power 5 (including Pitt) since opening the weekend.
MA Vopel: San Diego had enough evidence that they could have been the top seed in the region, so most expected Toreros to win even on Stanford’s home court. Still, it was really impressive that San Diego actually pulled it out in a set of 5. As for the Badgers loss, Wisconsin has had some heartbreak in his NCAA Tournament. was painful too. But Pitt’s last four experiences last season probably helped the Panthers pull off that upset.
The two teams returning to Final 4 are Louisville and Pitt. How has ACC evolved over the past two years?
McPeak: Both Louisville and Pitt have established themselves as the top programs in the country, and their growth will help the conference as a whole continue to strengthen.
Lyle: Louisville and Pitt set the tone for ACC. I think it will only attract more high-profile players to the conference because of the Panthers and Cards’ continued success.
Hoffmann: The ACC has been dominated primarily by Florida, North Carolina and Duke, so the addition of Louisville and Pitt were the boosts needed to increase conference dominance. By appearing, history will be made by the ACC team competing in a national championship game.
Coppedge: Pitt and Louisville have set a new standard for ACC. The ACC is definitely coming for the Big 10 and will only get better after the new recruit sees how these two teams have played in the postseason.
Vopel: You have to look at two very good coaching hires in Pitt (Dan Fisher in 2013) and Louisville (Dani Basboom-Kelly in 2016). Fisher won a national championship at his NAIA level as head coach before taking over in the pits. Busboom Kelly won the NCAA title as a player and his assistant coach at the University of Nebraska. Both have powerfully built programs and changed the national landscape.
Year of the ACC? perhaps. Making it to the national semi-finals is tough enough. Winning the title is the next step in difficulty. However, neither of those programs has now established him as a perennial contender, even if he failed to win the 2022 championship.
Considering San Diego lost in the first round last year, how impressed are you with your last four runs of the year?
McPeak: I am very impressed with what my coach, Jennifer Petrie, has done with this program. San Diego has consistently been in tournaments and from Portal Gabby he has his team of veterans with his piece of the puzzle talented at Blossom. Together, they’re a special group who have dominated all season and have proven themselves worthy of the title. We can’t wait to see what they do in the big test against Texas.
Lyle: San Diego is a great example of how much equality there is in college volleyball and how Transfer Portal can help programs make big leaps in a short amount of time. They completely agreed “why not us?” motto, and that makes them dangerous. Other teams have to worry about the game against Stanford. They have proven they can weather the storm. Now can they do it on the biggest arena in college volleyball?
Hoffmann: San Diego should have been the No. 1 seed. Petrie and her team cleared the big hurdles to win her first two rounds and ended up playing their best ball. After all, they ranked him third in the latest national poll. The big story this year is Texas and its standout senior Logan his Eggleston, and San Diego now has to face his top team in the country on the biggest stage. Wrong.
Coppedge: I am very impressed. I was lucky enough to call him opening weekend in San Diego in a game against Texas A&M. Toleros swept the Aggies and Hawaii, defeating Pitt in five sets that weekend. After that, I continued to follow SD and lighted out every week. It can be argued that they definitely deserve the top seed as they have been consistently dominant throughout the season.
Vopel: It’s good to see Petrie and San Diego’s decades of hard work come to fruition. She and her team deserve a lot of credit for beating the sport’s most successful program on the road.
Petrie’s team has been a regular in the NCAA Tournament, but this season it all came together. Adding a 5th grader like Blossom was awesome. She had veteran setters who experienced many pressure situations at Penn State, including two elite eights. She’s been integral to San Diego’s success this season.
Will Logan Eggleston have a supporting cast to win the title in Texas this year?
McPeak: With the talented combination of UCLA mover Zoe Fleck, freshman Emma Halter and Nebraska mover Keonilei Akana, the Longhorns have the best chance of winning a title this year.
Lyle: Logan Eggleston is just one of many Texas productions this year. It’s not all down to her, and that’s working in the Longhorns’ favor. I was really impressed with the back row play of the Texas kids like Zoe Fleck, Emma Halter and Keonilei Akana. That trio has a certain toughness to them, with Fleck setting the tone.
Hoffmann: I think the national championship depends on who has the better team, not who has the better player. Texas has an All-Star lineup that will go all out to win the title, but this team has yet to face a defensively minded team at the net. Louisville (331 blocks total), San Diego (311 blocks) and Pitt (296 blocks) all beat Texas with just 229 this season. All four of these teams are special and have fought their way to Omaha. Texas is definitely the favorite for the scoring prowess of Maddy Skinner and Acilla O’Neal, but defense wins the championship. I think that makes a difference as these four teams are battling it out in epic fashion.
Coppedge: Yes, Logan Eggleston has the pieces to win the title. All-Star libero Zoe Fleck has been a huge asset. Madison Skinner has title experience. Saige Ka’aha’aina-Torres brought a positive culture. Asjia O’Neal is the spark. Molly Phillips is a wall. The biggest reason to stop Texas is their style of play. Texas likes to play highball. Longhorns pass and set so high (because it is possible) that it sometimes seems to be watching in slow motion. Their style has worked for a long time, but it hasn’t been tested at conferences as much as other schools.
Vopel: It must be said that Texas had all the ingredients to win many times since the championship in 2012, but it hasn’t happened. I think it’s passed. In 2016, the Longhorns played great in the semifinals but didn’t fare well in the championship game. The Longhorns are always in a winning position and consistency is key. But they really want this title.
What are your predictions for winning?
Hoffmann: San Diego beats Texas after a night of light-out monster blocks and faces Louisville in the finals – and Louisville lifts the championship trophy.
Coppedge: Texas vs Pitt. I really don’t know who I think will win. Texas is in the finals again and I don’t think they will lose.
Vopel: The Longhorns win their third championship in the Louisville-Texas game. I’ve picked Texas to win several times over the last 10 years, so it’s probably right.
