NCAA volleyball

If you were in search of an underdog narrative in the NCAA Division I women’s volleyball championship on Friday, you chose a day that was not favorable for such tales.

The day’s notable upset featured a Power Four SEC team, Missouri, defeating a Power Four ACC opponent, SMU, during the second round among seeded teams.

In the closely contested 4 vs. 5 matchups, renowned underdogs Dayton (Atlantic 10) and Marquette (Big East) from non-power leagues triumphed.

Day 2 of the NCAA Tournament showcased a mix of contests in both the first and second rounds, with favored teams largely emerging victorious, most doing so comfortably.

One remarkable comeback occurred: Oklahoma reversed its fortunes against UTEP on a day highlighted by the SEC’s 6-1 record.

A standout performance of the night belonged to 5-foot-8 Dayton star Lexie Almodovar, who achieved 34 kills on 77 attempts with 13 errors (including crucial points during tense moments), added two aces, eight digs, and two blocks in the Flyers’ five-set victory over Baylor. Almodovar surpassed the 2,000-kill milestone in her career.

In Division III, Juniata, fresh off a reverse-sweep win against Hope in the national semifinals, faces Wisconsin-Whitewater on Saturday. Having won 96 consecutive matches and boasting a 34-0 record this season, Juniata has claimed the last two DIII NCAA championships. Wisconsin-Whitewater holds a 31-3 record.

We examine all the happenings in a dedicated NCAA edition of Volleyball Today, which also covers the ongoing NIVC.

 NCAA volleyball Saturday

All remaining second-round matches on Saturday will be streamed on the ESPN+ platform. Winners advance to the round of 16: Oklahoma vs. Pittsburgh, Miami vs. Nebraska, North Carolina vs. Penn State, Northern Iowa vs. Louisville, Florida vs. Kansas, Texas A&M vs. Arizona State and Loyola Marymount vs. Stanford.

NCAA second-round matches Friday

Host team Purdue (27-7) figured out how to handle “on two” setter Bree Borum, cruising to a 25-20, 25-21, 25-12 victory over Loyola-Chicago (22-12), thrilling a sellout crowd of 2,415 at Holloway Gymnasium. The 10th-ranked Boilermakers stifled Borum’s early plays, limiting her to four kills against five errors on 15 attempts, resulting in a negative hitting percentage.

The upset-seeking Ramblers—who shocked Brigham Young in the first round but could not extend their winning streak to 14—lost momentum in the second set. The Atlantic 10 champions surged to a 5-0 lead, but Purdue swiftly retaliated with an eight-point run, driven by junior Eva Hudson’s three kills and sophomore Taylor Anderson’s two aces, seizing a 9-6 lead.

As Loyola clawed back to a 14-13 lead, Hudson responded with three consecutive kills to halt that momentum. A kill by Chloe Chicoine, together with attack errors from Borum and Marta Cvitkovic (both due to double blocks by Raven Colvin and Kenna Wollard), established a 21-16 advantage for Purdue, who withstood the pressure. Loyola recorded a .000 hitting percentage in the third set (nine kills matched against nine errors from 33 attempts).

Anderson orchestrated an attack with a .409 efficiency, led by Hudson’s impressive .563 percentage (20-for-32 hitting with two errors). The Boilermakers dominated with a 13-to-3 edge in blocks, with Lourdes Myers contributing six (two solo) and Colvin also with six (one solo). Raven also displayed a .500 hitting percentage (7-for-12 with one error).

“This was a tremendous team effort,” Boilermakers Coach Dave Shondell remarked. “From serving to passing – our passing numbers have improved as the season has progressed – this is a mindset our team has cultivated late in the season. They’re passing exceptionally well, which I often say, makes everything possible.

“We’re thrilled about advancing to the regional round again. We’re healthy, energized, and eager to keep going.”

Purdue has progressed to the regional semifinals in Louisville.

In the Pittsburgh region, 11th-ranked Kentucky (22-7), 14-ranked Oregon (24-7) and Missouri (22-8) secured their places in the round of 16 with second-round victories. Missouri is set to compete against Kentucky in an all-SEC confrontation after delivering the tournament’s most considerable upset on Day 2.

As the seventh seed in the region, the Tigers defeated the second-seeded SMU (25-8), ranked eighth in the VolleyMag Super 16 Media Poll, in Dallas, prevailing 25-22, 25-14, 31-33, 25-22. A notable disparity of 11-to-1 in aces aided the Tigers’ effort as Jordan Iliff and libero Maya Sands (14 digs and five assists) produced four aces each. Iliff (16 kills and 10 digs) scored the last two kills of the match. Mychal Vernon also shined for Missouri with 23 kills, an ace, and three blocks, while the Mustangs showcased Nya Shime’s 22 kills on .487 hitting.

A decisive kill from Erin Lamb, followed by a hitting error from Minnesota star Julia Hanson, capped a 25-11, 23-25, 25-22, 26-24 win for No. 3 seed Kentucky against the sixth-seeded Gophers (21-11) in front of 2,715 at Rupp Arena. Brooklyn DeLeye amassed 22 kills, three aces, 11 digs, and two blocks for the Wildcats. Hanson led Minnesota with 15 kills, 10 digs, and four blocks.

Fourth-seeded Oregon overcame an initial setback in the first set to defeat fifth-seeded TCU (22-8) with scores of 19-25, 25-21, 25-11, 25-15 in Eugene. The Ducks showcased substantial leads in kills (53 to 39) and aces (12 to 5). Mimi Collier starred for Oregon with 19 kills, two aces, and eight digs, while Michelle Ohwobete contributed 12 kills, three service winners, and 14 digs. Melanie Para led TCU with 18 kills on 61 attempts.

The Lincoln bracket experienced a mild upset as fifth-seeded Dayton (31-2) emerged from a 2-1 deficit in sets to send fourth-seeded Baylor (23-8) of the Big 12 packing in five sets 25-22, 22-25, 24-26, 25-21, 15-12 in Waco. Dayton and Baylor were tied at 16th place in the final regular-season VBM media rankings. The final point was close before Liana Sarkissian delivered three kills (including the match-winner) and Lexie Almodovar added two helping Dayton clinch victory. Sarkissian’s total of 17 kills was overshadowed by Lexie’s career-high 34, making Almodovar the first player in the program to exceed 2,000 career kills. Allie Sczech kept Baylor competitive with 22 kills on .463 hitting and six blocks. The Big 12 ended the day with a 2-3 record.

Additionally, seventh-ranked Wisconsin (25-6) faced a formidable challenge from Georgia Tech (21-10) in a 2 vs. 7 matchup, needing four sets to secure a win in front of 7,229 at their Field House in Madison. Big Ten Player of the Year Sara Franklin recorded 20 kills and 10 digs, 6-foot-9 Ann Smrek contributed nine blocks (one solo), while freshman setter Charlie Fuerbringer provided 41 assists and collected 21 digs for the Badgers in a 25-27, 25-20, 25-23, 25-21 win. The Yellow Jackets saw Tamara Otene accumulate 21 kills and 17 digs.

In the Penn State regional, Marquette (25-6) achieved a modest upset over sixth-ranked Creighton (31-2), while 12th-ranked Texas (20-6) advanced to the Sweet 16 for the 19th consecutive year. The defending NCAA champions, the Longhorns, await a rematch with the Blue Jays, who’ve gained 24 consecutive victories.

Marquette, ranked fifth in the region, defeated fourth-seeded Utah (25-6) in Salt Lake City, overcoming a comeback attempt by the 15th-seeded Utes in an intense five-set battle 25-23, 25-22, 18-25, 24-26, 15-12. Two critical kills from Aubrey Hamilton, separated by a block from Hamilton and Hattie Bray, secured the Golden Eagles’ win in the tiebreaker. Hamilton compiled 20 kills, two aces, 14 digs, and two blocks. Marquette’s hitting percentage was .152, while Utah hit .177, with the two teams combining for 161 digs, 90 made by Marquette.

No. 2 seed Creighton attracted a record audience of 2,665 at D.J. Sokol Arena in Omaha for its clean sweep against Ole Miss (18-12). The Rebels displayed fight in the first two sets but ultimately succumbed, losing 28-26, 27-25, 25-7, as they dropped 15 of the first 16 points in the third. The Big East Player of the Year Kendra Wait, a setter, attained eight kills on nine errorless attempts, recorded 35 assists, eight digs, and two blocks.

The ambiance at Texas’ Gregory Gymnasium was electric with 4,137 fans as the third-seeded Longhorns captured a tightly contested match against sixth-seeded USC (22-10) with scores of 26-24, 25-20, 25-22. Madisen Skinner tallied 23 kills, one ace, 12 digs, and two blocks, while Jenna Wenaas contributed 13 kills on .619 efficiency. The Trojans’ Ally Batenhorst recorded 17 kills but struggled with a .118 hitting percentage.

NCAA first-round matches Friday 

The rising powers, Northern Iowa (26-7) and fourth-ranked Louisville (26-5), will meet in the second round on Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Cardinals’ intimate L&N Federal Credit Union Arena.

Regional top seed Louisville rebounded from some struggles in the second set to dominate Chicago State (19-10) 25-10, 25-18, 25-13 before 4,416 at the KYC Yum! Center. The  Cougars, making their NCAA debut, were held to a dismal .009 hitting percentage (21 kills contrasted against 20 errors), as the Cardinals’ defense restricted Northeast Conference Player of the Year Patrycja Lagida (7-for-34 with eight errors, achieving a minus-.029 hitting rate). Sophia Maldonado Diaz and Charitie Luper each notched nine kills for Louisville, while Hannah Sherman amassed seven blocks.

Earlier, eighth-seeded Northern Iowa extended its winning streak to 21 by overcoming a third-set stumble to defeat Illinois (18-13) 25-15, 25-16, 16-25, 25-21 in Louisville. The Panthers served up six aces (four from senior libero Erin Powers) against 10 service errors, applying pressure that disrupted the Illini’s reception. Sophomore Cassidy Hartman led the Missouri Valley champions with 21 kills, Olivia Tjernegal contributed 13 (hitting .476) and Powers garnered 17 digs. The Illini faced a sixth loss in their last seven matches, with their sole triumph against Rutgers (1-18 in the Big Ten), while star player Raina Terry needed 57 attempts to earn 18 kills.

No unseeded team upset a seeded opponent in the opening round on Friday, and the top seeds triumphed confidently.

No. 1-ranked Pittsburgh (30-1) overwhelmed Morehead State (18-15) with a 75-47 scoreline, while second-ranked Nebraska (30-2) contained Florida A&M (27-7) to just three points in the first set (this is not an error!) and 29 points overall. Third-ranked Penn State (30-2) nearly matched Nebraska’s performance, only allowing Delaware State (17-14) to score four in the opening set while giving playing time to 14 athletes in the final two sets.

The competition was a bit more challenging for No. 5-ranked Stanford (26-4), which allowed 55 points to Sacramento State (21-12), and eighth-ranked Arizona State (30-2), which conceded 53 to New Hampshire (18-10). The fifth-seeded North Carolina State (16-13) from the Power Four ACC could only manage 52 against Florida (22-7) as Gators standout Kennedy Martin amassed 18 kills and picked up five blocks (one solo). Miami (22-10) limited South Dakota State (27-3) to a hitting percentage of .068 in a clean sweep led by Flormarie Heredia Colon’s 21 kills and 13 digs. Finally, Colgate (19-11) kept pace with 13th-ranked Kansas (25-4), narrowly falling 25-18, 25-23, 25-22.

In the closest upset that didn’t materialize, WCC champion Loyola Marymount (25-5), seeded No. 7 in the Louisville bracket, was pushed to the edge by Washington (19-12), finally emerging with a 25-18, 25-20, 23-25, 18-25, 19-17 win at Stanford. The largest margin during the tiebreaker was three points (LMU led 10-7) before the score was tied at 13, fluctuating back and forth until the Lions secured the final two points from kills by Sophia Meyers and Paige Flickinger. Meyers contributed 21 kills, two aces, six digs, and two blocks, while four Huskies attained double-digit kill counts.

Also extending to five sets was the clash between Oklahoma (15-10), the eighth seed in the Pitt regional, and Texas-El Paso (27-6), where the Sooners secured a reverse sweep in Pittsburgh but with a comfortable margin in the tiebreaker: 19-25, 22-25, 25-19, 25-21, 15-9. Alex Shelton’s 21 kills, two aces, six digs, and four blocks propelled Oklahoma to the next round. The Miners applied pressure with 10 aces against 11 errors in serving.

Lastly, the eighth seed in the Penn State bracket, North Carolina (23-7), outperformed Yale (19-6), hitting .369 to .165 while claiming an 18-25, 25-13, 25-17, 25-20 victory in Happy Valley. Key players for the Tar Heels included Emani Foster (13 kills with a .545 hitting percentage) and Safi Hampton (12 kills at .500). Meanwhile, Lincoln regional sixth seed Texas A&M (20-7) emerged victorious over Colorado State (20-11) 25-20, 16-25, 29-27, 25-23 as the Aggies’ Logan Lednicky (23 kills) and the Rams’ Malaya Jones (26 kills) starred in scoring.

NIVC continues 

The pay-to-play tournament featured four five-set clashes: DePaul over Omaha (15-13 in the tiebreaker), Wyoming would take over Utah Valley (15-12 in the final set), Pacific against Weber State (15-11 in the fifth) and Arkansas State triumphing over SFA (15-12 in the tiebreaker). In addition, Northern Colorado defeated App State  in four sets, UConn prevailed in a four-set match against East Carolina, and Georgia Southern overwhelmed Southeast Missouri State.

Saturday’s NIVC lineup includes Northern Colorado vs. Georgia Southern, St. John’s facing North Carolina A&T and Pacific competing against Arizona.