In a season the place data for attendance maintain getting damaged, increasingly more video games are on nationwide tv and new faces and blue-bloods are battling it out heading into the meat of convention play, the school volleyball season is heating up.
Listed below are a few of the prime storylines as we hit midterm season.
Tremendous convention? However possibly not the way you anticipated it
A lot ink has been spilled about convention realignment in faculty athletics, however many of the focus has been on the way it impacts completely different fall sports activities. However the modifications to the conferences have added extra nice groups to a convention rising as a volleyball vacation spot: the ACC.
As Louisville and Pitt have emerged as burgeoning powerhouses over the previous few seasons, the ACC’s new additions of Stanford and SMU have introduced a historic blue-blood and a sudden upstart into what ought to be a captivating convention race.
The convention has seven of the AVCA’s Prime 25, together with two prime 4 groups in No. 1 Pitt and No. 4 Louisville — No. 5 Stanford, No. 12 SMU, No. 17 Georgia Tech, No. 19 Florida State and No. 25 North Carolina fill out the rankings.
The Panthers have been the story of the season, with just one loss on the season and a latest sweep of Stanford that propelled them to the highest of the rankings. Sophomores Olivia Babcock and Torrey Stafford are an unimaginable attacking duo whereas veteran Valeria Vazquez Gomez provides one other attacking nice possibility for Pitt.
Louisville and Stanford each boast spectacular out-of-conference wins on the season, however maybe no group boasts a greater non-conference win than SMU Mustangs. The Ponies gave the No. 2 Nebraska Cornhuskers their solely loss on the season in a 3-0 sweep in September. SMU additionally beat Pitt for his or her solely loss on Oct. 12. The Mustangs’ offense is led by Naya Shime and Maya Tabron who’ve each averaged over 3 kills per set.
Whereas Louisville is within the drivers’ seat within the convention race at this level with an unbeaten document within the ACC, the Playing cards and Panthers (one convention loss) will face off twice earlier than the top of the season — together with an enormous match in Pittsburgh Friday night time.
That’s to not point out the UNC Tarheels, who’ve only one convention loss to tie the Panthers in second place. Though they’ve but to beat a ranked group, the Heels host FSU and Miami this weekend and nonetheless have Louisville, Pitt, SMU and Stanford on the schedule.
In the meantime, SMU (two convention losses) hosts the Playing cards on Sunday at Moody Coliseum, the place they’ve already defeated the Panthers and Huskers. And Stanford (two losses) will host Louisville to shut out the season.
All of that’s to say, the ACC has a whole lot of nice matchups left on its slate to see who will win the title.
Blue-Bloods rise within the Huge Ten
Two of probably the most historic packages in faculty volleyball are Penn State and Nebraska.
With the requirements they’ve set — seven nationwide titles for Penn State, 5 for Nebraska — it is smart their seasons are judged by titles, not simply Prime 10 finishes. However PSU hasn’t received a nationwide title since 2014 or a convention title since 2017. Final yr, the Huskers lastly broke by way of for a Huge Ten title, breaking a four-year run of convention crowns for Wisconsin, but Nebraska hasn’t received a nationwide title since 2017.
All that’s to say the street to the Huge Ten title — and nationwide title shot — doubtless will move by way of Completely happy Valley and Lincoln this season. The 2 blue-bloods are thus far 8-0 in convention and 18-1 general, with every squad boasting large wins within the younger season.
The Huskers are as soon as once more loaded, returning nearly all of the group that reached the nationwide championship final season. In the meantime, Penn State has the main kill-getter within the Huge Ten in Jess Mruzik and have added freshman sensation Izzy Starck who has been an amazing setter for the Nittany Lions.
The Huskers and the Nittany Lions will face one another on November 29 in a match that would determine the Huge Ten. However the Wisconsin Badgers, who’re 7-1 in Huge Ten play, could have one thing to say in deciding the winner. The Badgers will tackle Nebraska twice, whereas Penn State has to journey to Madison for a key match in November as nicely.
Can Texas three-peat?
By some means, the two-time reigning nationwide champion has been a bit quiet.
After a strong non-conference schedule that included wins over ranked Wisconsin and Baylor, the Texas Longhorns and Madisen Skinner are the leaders of their new convention (SEC) with an unbeaten convention document and straight-set victories over the convention’s two ranked foes.
But whereas the SEC clearly has a whole lot of muscle in soccer, the trail for Texas in volleyball shouldn’t be the identical as different extremely ranked groups within the Huge Ten, ACC and even their previous convention the Huge 12. Because it stands, Texas will face no different ranked groups the remainder of the best way — although Auburn is simply exterior the rankings additionally receiving votes.
May that imply the Horns aren’t as battle-tested as different opponents? May the energy of schedule, or lack thereof, imply the reigning champs get decrease than a four-seed and won’t have the prospect to host a number of rounds of the NCAA event? Probably.
What I can reply: Madisen Skinner is arguably one of the best participant within the nation, Jenna Wenaas is rising as an excellent dependable second possibility and so they have a transparent championship pedigree. However it is going to be fascinating to notice how enjoying in a weaker convention for volleyball may have an effect on Texas within the event.
Undefeated watch
For our final entry, we head all the best way as much as Brookings, South Dakota and see a group that also has a zero of their L-column.
The South Dakota State Jackrabbits are hanging on to a 18-0 document and a 7-0 document in Summit League play thus far this season.
The Jackrabbits are led by sophomore exterior hitter Sylvie Zgonc from Hartford, Wisconsin. She has a whopping 4.29 kills per set and has completed just one sport this season not hitting in double figures — a September 6 match in opposition to UIC the place she had 9 (so shut). Zgonc additionally leads the group in digs for a group that isn’t afraid to get on the bottom as 5 gamers have over 100 digs on the season.
On the opposite aspect of the protection, center blockers Sydni Schetnan, Madison Burr and Alyssa Groves every common no less than a block per set for the balanced Jackrabbits.
Not unhealthy for a group that final season completed 9-20.
