The NCAA women's college volleyball semifinals are here! After probably the most eventful Sunday in national quarterfinals history where we saw No. 1 overall seed Nebraska fall to No. 3 seed Texas A&M, and No. 1 seed Texas fall to Wisconsin, we're in for an exciting semifinals.
Pittsburgh's making its fifth consecutive visit to the semifinals, something no other program has done before, but will this be the year the Panthers make it through to the national championship game? Pitt's Olivia Babcock, the reigning National Player of the Year, is a name mentioned numerous times as a must-watch player throughout the tournament, but who else should volleyball fans keep their eye on heading into the semis?
Our women's college volleyball experts give their thoughts on four big questions heading into the final four.
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Key storylines | Most to prove
Must-watch player | Title game prediction
What are the key storylines going into the final four?
Sam Gore: Pitt has incredibly made the past five NCAA semifinals, but is still seeking its first breakthrough into the national championship. Will the fifth time be the charm? Going into the tournament, Nebraska was the team to beat. Now that it lost to Texas A&M, it feels like you can make the case for each of the remaining four to win it all. Each team has a Player of the Year candidate and multiple weapons. Kentucky is the front runner, but you can never count Wisconsin out. Will Texas A&M become another NCAA tournament Cinderella champion, or does Pitt take the next step and make history for the ACC?
Madison Fitzpatrick: Texas A&M battled through two five-setters to advance to its first national semifinals in school history! The Aggies took down a No. 1 seed, undefeated Nebraska and displayed more heart and grit than I've ever seen in a volleyball team. Coach Jamie Morrison said he prepared and built this roster to make it to Kansas City, and he was 100% correct! Watch out world, A&M is on a mission.
Emily Ehman: There are so many good ones. Can Pitt finally advance past the national semifinal on its fifth straight try? Can Texas A&M's magical regionals run continue on? Kentucky vs. Wisconsin will be a slugfest full of heavy hitters. Then of course, who ends up taking home the Player of the Year award? I also love how Kentucky's Craig Skinner and Wisconsin's Kelly Sheffield grew up together and have been lifelong friends.
Charlie Creme: Who doesn't have their eye on Texas A&M? The win over Nebraska in the regional finals was not only an instant classic, but one of the great upsets the sport has ever seen. As the page turns from Lincoln to Kansas City for the Aggies, questions naturally arise about what is next. Will there be a hangover for A&M? Can the Aggies duplicate the focus and intensity it took to knock off the regular season's best team? Is there anything left in the emotional tank? The underdog is always a story, and Texas A&M will have that distinction once again facing Pittsburgh.
Michael Voepel: A big thing is how the vibe of the final four changes without Nebraska and its huge fan base. The Huskers faithful filled the arena the last time the final four was in Kansas City, when Nebraska won the title in 2017. Lincoln, Nebraska, is only a three-hour drive from Kansas City, and it would have been the same at T-Mobile Center this year if the Huskers were playing.
Some Huskers fans will still come because they are huge volleyball fans in general. But it will no longer feel like a home match for Nebraska. It will be more like a neutral environment, with all four teams having good fan followings -- but not quite the same overwhelming red wave of the Huskers.
Former Florida coach and ESPN commentator Mary Wise said that Texas A&M's 3-2 victory at Nebraska in the regional final might be the biggest road win in NCAA tournament history. I think she's right. One other fairly recent epic road victory in a regional final also comes to mind: the freshman-led Stanford squad winning in a reverse-sweep against Wisconsin on the Badgers' home court in 2016. That led to the first of that Cardinal group's three national championships in four years.
This is a different scenario in that Stanford was already a longtime established national power then even though freshmen led the way, while this Texas A&M group is led by seniors and in the program's first final four. Plus, Nebraska had powerfully swept through this season and had not lost a home match in three years.
Charlotte Gibson: It has been more than 72 hours, and the volleyball world is still reeling from Texas A&M's 3-2 upset of previously undefeated No. 1 Nebraska in Sunday's match. The Aggies booked their ticket to Kansas City for the program's first final four. And the nine seniors on the Aggies' roster are leading the way in Kansas City. Texas A&M head coach, Jamie Morrison, said he was "not scared of Nebraska" heading into their matchup. After beating the Huskers, there's nothing to be scared about, right? It's either win a championship or go home for the Aggies.
Who or what team has the most to prove in Kansas City?
Gibson: When it's your fifth straight appearance to the final four, you have something to prove. For No. 1 seed Pitt, this week in Kansas City is more than another notch on the belt when it comes to final four appearances -- it's a test of whether this team can win its first championship. In the semifinal matchup, it will be the underdogs (Texas A&M) versus the veterans of the final four (Pitt).
Voepel: Pitt's situation reminds me of LSU in women's basketball from 2004-2008. The Tigers had future Hall of Famers Seimone Augustus and Sylvia Fowles during that time and made the Final Four five years in a row but never got past the national semifinals. The Panthers are now in their fifth consecutive final four in volleyball and looking to advance to their first championship match.
Last season seemed like Pitt's year to do that, but the Panthers had to face the hometown crowd in Louisville against the Louisville Cardinals in the semifinals, falling 3-1. But despite losing outside hitter Torrey Stafford, who transferred to Texas, the Panthers relied on Babcock to make yet another run to the national semifinals this year.
Everyone thought they would be facing unbeaten Nebraska there, but instead, they will go against the upset specialists from Texas A&M. That may seem like a good break for Pitt. But considering how well the Aggies have played, the Panthers will not underestimate them.
Gore: Pitt would seem to have the most to prove, but not to anyone other than itself. No other program has made the past five national semis, so its legacy is intact. However, you know the Panthers are burning to make the championship to cap their legacy of consistency with the ACC's first national volleyball title.
Fitzpatrick: Pitt Panthers. This will be their fifth national semifinals, yet to advance to a final. Will this be their year? They have the pieces to deliver, but it won't be easy vs. A&M.
Creme: Pittsburgh. The Panthers have now made five straight trips to the final four. The previous four ended at the national semifinals and they've have never made a final. Last year, Pittsburgh entered the NCAA tournament as the No. 1 overall seed but lost in the national semifinals to a Louisville team it had beaten twice during the regular season. Had Nebraska reached the final four, the Panthers would have been expected to lose once again in the semifinals. Now, they are the favorites against Texas A&M and need to deliver.
Ehman: Pitt. It has now made its fifth consecutive national semifinal and has never advanced further. Kentucky and Wisconsin have both already won a title in the past five years, and Texas A&M wasn't expected by most to even make it here. Now's the time for the Panthers to make their run!
Which player should we keep our eye on?
Fitzpatrick: Kyndal Stowers for A&M is coming off a career high 25 kills versus an undefeated Nebraska team. A year ago today, she wasn't playing at all due to getting four concussions at Baylor. But she's back, better than ever and one of the most explosive players her head coach said he has ever seen. Now Stowers' out to win it all with A&M!
Creme: Wisconsin's Charlie Fuerbringer led the nation in assists per set during the regular season and has been even better in the NCAA tournament. Fuerbringer's 61 assists in the regional semifinals against Stanford were a career high. Her second-best assist total came two days later against Texas. Fuerbringer is also second on the team in digs per set. Her value cannot be understated. Three of the Badgers' four losses came with Fuerbringer on the sidelines with a shoulder injury. They haven't lost since her return.
Voepel: Kentucky junior Brooklyn DeLeye will be playing in the final four just about an hour from her hometown of Topeka, Kansas. The 6-foot-2 outside hitter leads the Wildcats in kills per set at 4.69. She teamed with SEC Player of the Year Eva Hudson, a transfer from Purdue, to power the Wildcats' attack in going 15-0 in SEC regular season play and the league tournament championship. DeLeye is one of those electric players who can take over matches.
Gibson: The 6-foot-4 right side hitter from Pitt: Babcock. After winning the ACVA National Player of the Year last season, Pitt junior Babcock is once again a finalist for the prestigious award. Her accolades speak for themselves: 2025 AVCA first-team All-American, 2025 AVCA East Coast Region Player of the Year, 2025 ACC Player of the Year, five 2025 ACC Offensive Player of the Week honors, 2024 AVCA National Player of the Year -- just to name a few. Babcock recorded career highs in kills per set (5.11) and digs per set (2.11) this season.
Gore: There are so many, but Babcock is the elite among the elite.
Ehman: I'm supposed to pick just one? If I must, it has to be Pitt's Babcock. She's the reigning National Player of the Year and a finalist for the award this year for good reason. She's like watching a professional player playing at the college level -- she's that good!
What's your championship matchup prediction?
Ehman: No matchup would surprise me here because the field is so evenly matched across. I'll give the advantage to Pitt and Kentucky though. First to Pitt because I'm not sure Texas A&M's left side block will be able to shut down Babcock, and Pitt has motivation after facing heartbreak in this round for four straight years. Then to Kentucky because it not only can compete with Wisconsin offensively, but it has the defense to back it up. And there's just no stopping Kentucky's DeLeye and Hudson once they get hot!
Gibson: There is trepidation in predicting a matchup after what happened on Sunday. And as much as I love an underdog story, I think we will see both No.1 seeds, Pitt and Kentucky, in the championship. Pitt is no stranger to the final four. Kentucky is no stranger to the championship. Both teams will first have to remind volleyball fans why they are the standard in college volleyball by defeating Texas A&M and Wisconsin.
Voepel: Kentucky won its NCAA title in the pandemic-impacted 2020 season, when all the NCAA tournament matches were played in the spring of 2021 in Omaha, Nebraska. While the Wildcats certainly celebrated that, it didn't quite feel the same as a regular final four. Now they have that chance, and I think they will prevail in a tight final vs. Pitt, 3-2.
Creme: Pittsburgh vs. Wisconsin. With Nebraska out of the way, the path for the Panthers to finally break through to a national championship game, while not easy, is clearer. They have the best player in the country in Babcock. That was the case a year ago too, but this time Babcock has fifth-year senior Brooke Mosher feeding her. Perhaps Mosher, who played at Illinois before this season, is the difference.
