The 2025 school volleyball season is sort of right here, aiming to construct off a stellar 12 months for the game that noticed its viewers develop. The 2024 title sport between Penn State and Louisville drew greater than 1.3 million viewers, making it the second-most watched championship sport on-record for Division I girls’s volleyball.
A pair of groups that competed in final season’s Remaining 4 will face off on Friday, when No. 1 Nebraska hosts No. 3 Pitt. Two different hopeful contenders, No. 16 Florida and No. 6 Stanford, can even conflict within the AVCA First Serve. Each video games can be televised by FOX.
A lot has modified within the sport since final December due to the switch portal and training shifts. Dani Busboom Kelly left Louisville to guide her alma mater, Nebraska, into its subsequent period. SMU and Wisconsin have been each huge switch portal winners, whereas essentially the most consequential mover was in all probability two-time All-American Torrey Stafford going to Texas from Pitt.
Forward of the season starting, right here’s the ten squads that seem like contenders heading into the autumn.
Welcome to SB Nation’s NCAA volleyball energy rankings:
Simply missed: Arizona State, Oregon, UCLA, Florida, Texas A&M
The Bluejays will determine early whether or not they’ll sink or swim this season, as they open their schedule with three ranked groups: Penn State, Texas and Kansas. Creighton turned a continuing within the postseason beneath former longtime coach Kirsten Bernthal Sales space, and it’s now aiming to make its 14th consecutive NCAA Match this season beneath first-year coach Brian Rosen. Creighton returns three starters from final season’s crew that went to the Elite Eight and likewise added just a few key transfers in Cal setter Annalea Maeder and Wisconsin libero Saige Damrow.
The Wildcats made the Elite Eight of the NCAA Match final season earlier than their season was ended by Pitt. Kentucky can be a crew that goals to rack up kills once more as they carry again SEC Participant of the 12 months Brooklyn DeLeye and pairing her with Purdue switch Eva Hudson, who led the Huge Ten with 4.81 kills per set. Center blocker Lizzie Carr additionally involves Kentucky from Purdue, and libero Molly Berezowitz joins the Wildcats from Marquette.
The Mustangs’ debut season within the ACC was a powerful one as they went 25-8 and notched spectacular victories over the likes of Nebraska, Baylor, Georgia Tech and Pitt. Guided by coach Sam Erger — an SMU alumna who agreed to a contract extension in December — the Mustangs superior to the second spherical of the NCAA Match. Within the offseason, SMU reloaded, bringing in Favor Anyanwu and Jadyn Livings from USC, Colorado State reverse hitter Malaya Jones, Auburn outdoors hitter Madison Scheer, Texas setter Averi Carlson, and Jordyn Schilling — who was the Huge South Libero of the 12 months at Excessive Level. On paper, the Mustangs appear to have some of the proficient rosters within the nation.
The Badgers superior to at the least the Elite Eight for the seventh consecutive season in 2024 and spent the offseason constructing a roster that appears able to one other deep postseason run. Coach Kelly Sheffield introduced in three key transfers in Miami reverse hitter Grace Lopez, Oregon outdoors hitter Mimi Colyer and Ohio State outdoors hitter Grace Egan. Robust returners are nonetheless with the Badgers too, a gaggle that’s headlined by among the finest center blockers within the nation in 6-foot-7 Carter Sales space. Surrounded by proficient gamers, there’s a possibility for sophomore setter Charlie Fuerbringer to emerge too.
Torrey Stafford was arguably the perfect participant accessible within the switch portal. A proficient and confirmed outdoors hitter from Pitt, she led all Energy 4 outdoors hitters with a .358 hitting share and she or he’ll be an enormous enhance to the Texas offense. Lots of people even have excessive expectations for incoming 6-foot-3 freshman Abby Vander Wal, who piled up accolades in highschool and was touted by many as the perfect highschool recruit in her class. Along with these spectacular additions, returners Ramsey Gary, Anja Kujundzic and Emma Halter return to anchor the protection. Winners of 5 nationwide titles, Texas misplaced within the Candy 16 final season.
Like Vander Wal at Texas, Logan Parks is a freshman with a number of hype for Stanford as she was the Gatorade Participant of the 12 months in Kansas and an Beneath Armour All-American. A longtime energy within the sport, an NCAA Division I volleyball match has by no means been performed with out Stanford in it. Nevertheless, the Cardinal hasn’t made a Remaining 4 since 2019. Followers ought to be capable of inform fairly early whether or not Stanford has the potential to interrupt that drought, because the Cardinal will face Florida, Nebraska, Texas, Missouri and UCLA in non-conference play.
Is that this the 12 months that Dan Fisher’s Panthers lastly break by way of and seize a nationwide title? Pitt has reached the Remaining 4 in 4 consecutive seasons however hasn’t been capable of attain the championship sport. Whereas Torrey Stafford is gone, a number of different proficient Panthers are nonetheless right here, together with reigning Nationwide Participant of the 12 months Olivia Babcock and among the finest center blockers within the nation in Bre Kelly. Libero Mallorie Meyer is again too after a powerful freshman marketing campaign and Emery Dupes arrives by way of the switch portal from Florida State.
With Dani Busboom Kelly again at Nebraska, Dan Meske takes the reins of the Cardinals now after they performed within the nationwide title sport for the second time in three seasons. A number of proficient gamers return for Louisville, together with ACC Freshman of the 12 months Nayelis Cabello, who has rapidly established herself as among the finest setters within the nation. AVCA All-American center blocker Cara Cresse can be again. Bolstering Louisville’s lineup is Purdue switch Chloe Chicoine, a do-it-all second crew All-Huge Ten choice who was a giant purpose why the Boilermakers made the Candy 16 final season.
En path to profitable the nationwide title final season — their eighth — the Nittany Lions ranked second nationally in each kills and assists per set. Penn State returns a number of proficient gamers who’re wanting to defend that championship, together with arguably the perfect setter within the nation and the Nationwide Freshman of the 12 months, Izzy Starck. All-Huge Ten gamers Gillian Grimes and Caroline Jurevicius additionally return. Incoming for Penn State by way of the switch portal are Ohio State’s Emmi Sellman and two-time All-American Kennedy Martin. Beneath the course of Katie Schumacher-Cawley, Penn State has the potential to repeat as nationwide champs.
The five-time nationwide champs are anticipated by many to seize a sixth this season in what can be Dani Busboom Kelly’s first 12 months on the helm of this system following the retirement of John Prepare dinner. No gamers transferred out of this system and Nebraska returns a roster that options three All-Individuals and the No. 2 recruiting class of 2025. Headlining the returners is Bergen Reilly, the reigning two-time Huge Ten Setter of the 12 months. Among the many seven rookies is 6-foot-5 Virginia Adriano, who performed professionally in Italy. One pickup Nebraska did make within the portal was getting outdoors hitter Allie Sczech from Baylor. The Huskers’ roster is among the many most proficient within the nation, greater than able to capturing a championship.
