Key players, how to watch: Everything you need to know about NCAA volleyball final four in Columbus
Five years later, the NCAA women’s volleyball final four and championship match are back at Nationwide Arena. In 2016, it was the Stanford Cardinals who beat out semifinalists Minnesota and Nebraska, and defeated Texas in the final to win the championship.
This year, either No. 1 Louisville, No. 3 Pittsburgh, No. 4 Wisconsin or No. 10 Nebraska will be taking home the trophy.
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Here’s everything you need to know ahead of first serve on Thursday night.
NCAA volleyball championship schedule, channel
National semifinals:
No. 1 Louisville vs. No. 4 Wisconsin – 7 p.m. Thursday on ESPN
No. 3 Pittsburgh vs. No. 10 Nebraska – approx. 9:30 p.m. Thursday on ESPN
National championship:
Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 – 7:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2
What to know: Louisville vs. Wisconsin
The No. 1 Cardinals are 32-0 and the last remaining unbeaten team in the field. It’s only fitting that in the program's first-ever final four, Louisville will have to go through last season’s No. 1 seed, whose season ended in the final four.
Since upsetting No. 2 Texas in Austin in the 2019 NCAA tournament, the Cardinals have steadily improved up to this historic season. Coach Dani Busboom Kelly guided the Cardinals to an ACC title and No. 11 seed in 2020, the highest seed in program history before earning the top ranking this season.
The Cardinals have lost just one set this tournament, beating the University of Illinois Chicago, Ball State, No. 16 Florida and No. 8 Georgia Tech.
No. 4 Wisconsin won the Big Ten — a conference that had five of the top 16 seeds in the tournament — for a third consecutive year and is looking to avenge its past two seasons that ended just shy of the program’s first national championship.
The Badgers lost in the 2019 national championship game to Stanford, then came back in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, which took place this past spring, and finished the regular season undefeated before Texas beat them in straight sets in the final four.
Despite an early conference season lost to Maryland, the Badgers finished the year 29-3, 17-3 in the Big Ten, and look every bit the part of a national championship caliber team. They have yet to lose a set in the tournament, knocking out Colgate, Florida Gulf Coast, No. 13 UCLA and No. 12 Minnesota to reach Columbus.
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What to know: Pittsburgh vs. Nebraska
The history of these two programs couldn’t be any different, but both have a legitimate case for why they should be playing for a national championship.
After an 11-year NCAA tournament absence, the Pittsburgh Panthers have made six straight tournament appearances, culminating in their first final four berth one season after their first-ever regional final. Their only losses this season have come to the Cardinals (twice) and against Georgia Tech, but coach Dan Fisher’s team has proven they can compete with the best.
The Panthers beat UMBC, Penn State, Kansas and No. 6 Purdue — who beat Wisconsin twice but lost to Nebraska twice — to reach the final four.
The only non-top-four seed in the tournament to reach this stage is a name no one will be surprised to see. The No. 10 Nebraska Cornhuskers haven’t missed an NCAA tournament since 1981 and are making their 16th final four appearance, their fifth in seven seasons. It’s the Huskers first final four appearance since losing in the 2018 national title match.
At 25-7, 15-4 in Big Ten play, coach John Cook has his group playing perhaps its best volleyball of the season and has enough weapons to compete for a title. The Huskers topped Campbell, Florida State, Illinois and upset No. 2 Texas to reach the final four.
Tori Dilfer, Dana Rettke, Kayla Lund, Lauren Stivrins: Players to watch
Louisville: Teams don’t get this far in the NCAA tournament without great setters. Louisville has one of the best one in the country in Tori Dilfer. The ACC Setter of the Year — and daughter of former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer — averaged 10.79 assists per set this season with her favorite target being outside hitter Anna DeBeer, who leads the team with 3.23 kills per set.
Middle blocker Anna Stevenson, a second-team All-American last season, is one of the most efficient hitters in the country with a .430 hitting percentage. Stevenson and Amaya Tillman are dominant at the net, leading Louisville to being the second-best blocking team in the country at 3.03 blocks per set. Outside hitter Claire Chaussee was terrific against Georgia Tech with 18 kills and hitting .348.
Wisconsin: But where Louisville is strong, Wisconsin matches it. Three-time All-American setter Sidney Hilley and four-time All-American middle blocker Dana Rettke are two of the most dominant players at their position in the country. Hilley leads the country with 12.04 assists per set while the 6-foot-8 Rettke is third in the nation at an astonishing .447 hitting percentage. Rettke, however, is the second-tallest player on the team behind freshman middle Anna Smrek. At 6-foot-9 she’s the tallest player in NCAA volleyball history.
Another senior who returned for some redemption, libero Lauren Barnes leads the Badgers defensively. Middle blocker/right-side hitter Devyn Robinson has been terrific this tournament. She’s hitting .431 with 3.56 kills per set and almost two blocks per set. Outside hitter Julia Orzol was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
Pittsburgh: The Panthers have so many weapons that it’s impossible not to mention them all. Led by Kayla Lund, Leketor Member-Meneh, Chinaza Ndee and Serena Gray, Pittsburgh is an aggressive team that might have the most complete array of hitters in the country. Also, keep an eye on Bishop Hartley graduate, middle blocker Chiamaka Nwokolo
Lund wasn’t at her best in the regionals against Kansas and Pittsburgh since coming back from an injury, but the two-time ACC Player of the Year is still a handful. Member-Meneh was unstoppable in the regional final against Purdue, notching 21 kills and just three errors on 47 swings.
Nebraska: With those weapons at the pins for Pittsburgh, Nebraska will need star libero Lexi Rodriguez. The freshman was named first-team All-Big Ten and is a key part to the Nebraska offense that runs through setter Nicklin Hames.
It’s a young group, with freshmen Lindsay Krause and Ally Batenhorst playing large roles in the win over Texas. But junior outside hitter Madi Kubik and three-time All-American middle blocker Lauren Stivrins are the go-to weapons for the Huskers.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: NCAA volleyball final four in Columbus: Schedule, TV details, games
