The NCAA Volleyball Tournament is down to the final four, set to take place in Columbus, Ohio.
Two teams from the Big Ten, one from the Big 12 and one from the Pac-12 advance on to the final rounds of the national tournament. The matches will be aired on ESPN2.
#2 Minnesota vs #6 Stanford
- December 15 at 7 PM ET
- Nationwide Arena – Columbus, Ohio
Minnesota: The Gophers have had a relatively easy path to the final four, with their first real test coming against #15 Missouri. Their first rounds were sweeps versus North Dakota and Hawaii. In their final regional match, they swept #10 UCLA to advance on.
Stanford: The Cardinal’s first three rounds began similarly to Minnesota’s in that they swept Denver and Boise State in their first two rounds. They dropped one set to Florida State, before advancing to play #3 Wisconsin. The Card’s match to the Badger’s was a tough five set comeback, after being down 0-2.
What to watch for: For the Gophers, senior Sarah Wilhite is the player to watch, as she has been dominating this season and the tournament. In their UCLA match, Wilhite put down 15 kills and eight digs. The Cardinals have been led by Inky Ajanaku who in their five set battle to Wisconsin, put down 20 kills and a career-best 11 blocks.
#1 Nebraska vs #4 Texas
- December 15 at 9:30 PM ET
- Nationwide Arena – Columbus, Ohio
Nebraska: The Huskers swept all the teams they have played except for their five set comeback to #16 Penn State. This match will be the first for Nebraska away from their home gym in the NCAA Tournament.
Texas: The Longhorn’s road to the Final Four came the same way as their opponents sweeping UTRGV and SMU in their first two rounds, but facing a tough #13 BYU, going five, barely making it through. Their Elite Eight match to the Cinderella team, Creighton was a dominate three set sweep.
What to watch for: The Huskers have a slew of players to watch for, with Kadie Rolfzen topping the list, who has had a decorated career with the Huskers and is a steady player every match. For the Longhorn’s Ebony Nwanebu and Micaya White are the players to watch. The pair have been consistently putting down big numbers for the Longhorns.
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