The brackets are all locked and set for the 2024 NCAA ladies’s volleyball championship and we’re in for an unimaginable version this 12 months.
The arrange of the bracket can result in tantalizing future matchups of among the prime groups, there are some critical darkish horses sprinkled in trying to spoil the get together and the two-time defending champion isn’t one of many prime eight groups within the event.
With that in thoughts, let’s take a look at among the key storylines to observe for heading into December Insanity.
The story of two conferences
All through the season, the highest 4 ranked groups within the nation have been comprised of applications from both the ACC or the Massive Ten.
Though the groups traded locations at instances, it was the Pitt Panthers, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Penn State Nittany Lions and Louisville Cardinals who established themselves as the highest 4. The Huskers and Nittany Lions shared the Massive Ten title after PSU beat the Huskers in its last match of the season. In the meantime, Pitt’s solely loss was to the SMU Mustangs as they beat the Cardinals twice to win the ACC.
These 4 groups earned No. 1 seeds, which means they’ll get residence court docket benefit all through the event till the Remaining 4. However the remainder of the groups within the convention have been fairly darn good too.
The ACC, Massive Ten and SEC every had 9 groups chosen from their conferences to compete within the championship event.
In reality, three of the No. 2 seeds are from the ACC or Massive Ten, they usually have been paired with a convention mate for some potential grudge matches. Pitt is on the identical facet of the bracket as SMU, Louisville is on the identical facet as Stanford — the 2 have break up wins this 12 months — whereas Nebraska and Wisconsin are in the identical nook of the bracket as nicely.
All that’s to say, it’s probably these prime groups can see some acquainted faces in key event video games.
A Texas three peat?
Regardless of the comprehensible eyeballs on the highest seeds, one way or the other the defending nationwide champion is sliding below the radar.
The Texas Longhorns and Madi Skinner are a No. 3 seed, sitting in the identical nook of the bracket as No. 1 seed Penn State and No. 2 seed Creighton. In addition they have gained the final two nationwide championships in dominant trend.
The dearth of focus could be as a result of the Longhorns went 18-6 on the 12 months, with out-of-conference losses to Minnesota, Miami and Stanford and three straight SEC losses to Texas A&M, Missouri and Oklahoma. In reality, Kentucky pipped Texas to the SEC title within the Horns’ first 12 months within the convention.
Texas ended the season on a six-game win streak and Madi Skinner continues to be one of the vital harmful gamers within the nation. But possibly the relative quietness surrounding the Horns will assist encourage them within the event. They’re at all times a troublesome buyer come December and have an opportunity to trigger some upsets because the defending champion. What a enjoyable place for them to be.
The deeper subject
Though the event continues to be a lot chalkier than the boys’s and girls’s basketball tournaments, the unfold within the subject is getting higher the place groups that aren’t within the prime few seed strains can hope to make a deep run.
Take for instance No. 7 Georgia Tech. They’ve been a program on the rise and have actual expertise. They tackle Tennessee within the first spherical contest in Madison, earlier than a potential match with the No. 2 Wisconsin Badgers. That’s a a lot tighter contest when it comes to expertise than earlier 2 vs. 7 matchups within the event.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers are solely a six seed. They’ve confirmed they will go toe-to-toe with the highest applications within the nation, beating the Badgers and Longhorns early within the season and have been a pesky out in Massive Ten play.
Out of the Massive 12, Kansas and Utah are three and 4 seeds, respectively, and have a historical past of strong applications who could make deep runs. However, No. 3 Arizona State has made simply its second event look in a row after going 13-19 in 2022. No. 7 Missouri is in an analogous boat, reaching its second straight event look after posting a 9-19 document simply two seasons in the past.
Whereas they won’t be favorites to achieve the Remaining 4, all these squads are getting higher and higher, making for a much less top-heavy event. I don’t suppose the event goes to have the equal of a 1 seed being upset by a 16 seed like the boys’s and girls’s basketball tournaments have seen, however the matchups are getting nearer and nearer yearly.
It’s an thrilling time to be a volleyball fan, each for followers of conventional powers and followers of groups trying to stand up. Now let’s sit again and benefit from the volleyball.
