It’s safe to say no one could have predicted what happened the first week of NCAA Volleyball. Going into the week, Texas was at the top of the list with Nebraska falling in at second. These two teams being at the top left no surprise among fans, but there was a lot of debate over who should take the number one spot. Texas has won back-to-back National Championships, but they only have three returning starters.
Nebraska finished the 2023 season 33-2, with one of their two losses being to Texas in the National Championship. They had no seniors on last year’s team, so last year’s starting six are all returning. Senior at Eaton High School and Ole Miss volleyball commit Annie DeJager said, “They lacked experience in the tournament with no seniors on the team, and they are looking for revenge after what happened last year.”
These two teams have a lot of pressure put on their back, as they are expected to have nearly perfect seasons. These expectations have already been crushed, as both of these top ranked teams have lost a game. In week one, Texas lost a five set thriller to Minnesota who was originally ranked 18th. This game began the turmoil that would follow in college volleyball for the next two weeks.
The decision was made for fans: Nebraska was the new number 1. This was true until Nebraska went up against unranked Southern Methodist University. They were swept, with the scores of 23-25, 21-25, and 18-25. This loss blew up the college volleyball world, as this was supposed to be an easy win for Nebraska. The top two teams in NCAA volleyball had already both given up a loss within the first week.
Unfortunately, this was not the end of Texas’s upsetting losses. In week two, they went up against the unranked University of Miami. They were defeated in a close five set match. Evie Gavette (24) said, “I think they went into these games with the mindset that they were the best since they won last year.”
On the other hand, Nebraska struck back after their upsetting loss with all sweeps. They took down both Citadel and Montana State with dominant performances.
Gavette said, “Nebraska didn’t use their usual starting lineup when playing SMU, so I think this was just a tough game for them.” Many fans agree with Gavette, and believe that both of these team’s losses are just a result of changing line-ups.
No matter the reasons, these losses have caused a huge wave of attention to college volleyball. A brand new number one has risen. Pittsburgh now takes the number one spot, with Penn State coming in at second. Pittsburgh has had an outstanding season thus far, with a perfect 5-0. They have taken down Michigan, Oregon, Long Beach State, Buffalo, and USC.
Still, the debate for who should have the top spot is highly controversial. Gavette and DeJager both agree that Penn State deserves to be number one. DeJager said, “When I watched Penn State’s game against Louisville, there wasn’t a point of the game that they didn’t have the momentum. That is difficult to do against a top 5 team like Louisville.”
The first two weeks of the 2024 college volleyball season has been very remarkable, as it has shown volleyball fans across the country the depth in how much talent is at the Division l level. Who deserves the number one spot is up for debate, and will only be settled during the National Championship in December.
