The NCAA Volleyball Final Four is set for 2023, featuring three No. 1 seeds and the defending national champion.
This is 26-4 Texas, the lone No. 2 seed, which beat top-seeded Stanford late Saturday night to become the fourth and final team to punch its ticket to Tampa, site of this year’s Final Four. The Longhorns beat the Cardinal 25-16, 19-25, 25-19, 25-22 to avenge a three-set loss in Austin on Sept. 3.
Utah will face Wisconsin, which won the 2021 national title and advanced to its fourth Final Four in five years with a 25-22, 25-22, 25-27, 25-18 win over Oregon. The Badgers (30-3) are the only team this season to beat Nebraska — which topped Arkansas in four sets on Saturday — and feature National Player of the Year nominee Sarah Franklin. UW leads the nation in blocks per set and ranks third in opponent hitting percentage.
Nebraska (32-1) ranks second in opponent hitting percentage. Its opponent Thursday night is top-ranked Pittsburgh.
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The 29-4 Panthers, under coach Dan Fisher, reached their third straight Final Four. They lost to NU two years ago in the national semifinals, and to Louisville in the national semifinals in 2022. That five-set thriller, between the twin powers of the ACC, had the opposite result on Saturday night, when Pitt beat UL in five sets, 23- 25, 20-25, 25-16, 25-19, 15-7, and ride home. Crowd for a reverse sweep.
The first game will be between the Huskers and Panthers on Thursday night – at 6pm on ESPN – with Texas and Wisconsin following in the second game on ESPN.
The winners play at 2 p.m. on ABC, in what could be the most-watched match in college volleyball history.