Pitt, Louisville Nebraska make women’s volleyball Final Four; last place determined on Sunday evening

On By Littum

No. 1 regional seeds of Pittsburgh, Louisville and Nebraska have punched their tickets to the NCAA women’s volleyball Final Four. A fourth-place finish is still up for grabs Sunday night between Creighton and Penn State.

The national semifinals will be played Thursday in Louisville, Ky. The championship game will be on December 22.

Nebraska (34-2) took third place on Sunday with a three-set win against Big Ten rival Wisconsin. The Final Four berth for the Huskers, who lost in the championship game to Texas last year, is their 18th since 1986.

Pitt (33-1), the top seed in the 64-team tournament, swept Kentucky on Saturday to earn a fourth consecutive Final Four appearance. The Panthers lost in the semifinals to Nebraska last year. Louisville (29-5) beat Stanford in four sets on Saturday to earn a third trip to the national semifinals and the opportunity to stay home for the entire postseason. Texas beat the Cardinals in the 2022 championship game.

ACC rivals Pitt and Louisville play in the semifinals on Thursday at the KFC Yum! Center. It will be the third meeting this season between the Panthers and Cardinals. Pitt won in five sets at home in October and won at Louisville in four sets last month.

The Panthers are led by ACC Player of the Year Olivia Babcock, a sophomore opposite hitter. Senior outside hitter Anna DeBeer leads the Louisville offense. Senior libero Lexi Rodriguez paced Nebraska to victory — its 45th straight home victory — Sunday in front of a national audience on ABC. The Huskers swept Wisconsin for the third time this season behind a ferocious defensive effort.

Nebraska will seek its sixth national championship and first since 2017 in Louisville. Creighton is looking for its first trip to the Final Four. The Bluejays eliminated Texas on Friday in a four-set regional semifinal. Penn State has won seven national championships, most recently in 2014, and made 13 Final Four trips.

The winner Sunday night in State College, Pa., will face Nebraska on Thursday. The Huskers are 21-0 all-time against their in-state rival Bluejays of the Big East. Included is a five-set win in September. Penn State beat Nebraska last month in State College to share the Big Ten championship with the Huskers.

(Photo: Dylan Widger / Imagn Images)