Thursday kicks off a weekend of thrilling volleyball as the NCAA tournament moves to its Sweet 16. This weekend’s games will decide which teams will head to Kansas City for volleyball’s Final Four on December 18. All four No. 1 seeds are intact, but there are a few chances for upsets and plenty of excitement. Here’s what you need to know before you tune in on Thursday.
Cinderella to watch: Cal Poly
The Mustangs took out sixth-seeded BYU in the first round before defeating fourth-seeded USC in the second round. Both matches went the full five sets. Emma Fredrick had two huge performances with a total of 37 points.
She will need to come up big again as her team faces its biggest test yet against No. 1 seed Kentucky, which will be playing on its home court. The Wildcats’ height means they can own the net, and Cal Poly will need to limit mistakes to pull off yet another upset.
Getting ready for Regionals 🔒#NCAAWVB x 📸 @CalPolyVolleypic.twitter.com/8cneuyMbRM
— NCAA Women’s Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) December 10, 2025
Team so good you can’t not watch: Nebraska
Maybe you’ve heard this before, but Nebraska is really, really good. They haven’t dropped a set since November 14, when the Huskers won 3-1 over UCLA on the road, and they’ve only dropped seven sets over the course of the season. Junior setter Bergen Reilly acts like a point guard in how she runs Nebraska’s offense, and she’s averaging 10.42 assists per set. Harper Murray is also a special player and has 3.51 kills per set.
Nebraska vs. Kansas at 9:30 p.m. ET on Friday night will be a match worth staying up for. You should tune in for the same reason you would to see the 2023 Las Vegas Aces or the 2022 Kansas City Chiefs: this kind of greatness is rare, so watch it while you can.
Matchup of the former powers to watch: Stanford vs. Wisconsin
Stanford has nine national titles in women’s volleyball, with its most recent coming in 2019. Wisconsin won it all in 2021 and has been a runner-up three times, including in 2019 to Stanford. The two schools have produced Olympians and have been at the top of the volleyball world for years. But as Nebraska, Pitt and Texas have taken over, these two powers have fallen off the podium.
But in their regional semifinal, Stanford and Wisconsin play for a chance to return to the Final Four. Wisconsin has been hot as the season has gone on and easily beat North Carolina and Eastern Illinois in the first two rounds. Stanford’s service game is impressive as they averaged two aces a set in the first weekend of the tournament. Can one of these former juggernauts sneak into the Final Four? Tune in Friday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Family ties to watch: Cari Spears, Texas
From Asjia O’Neal, daughter of Jermaine, to Sidney Duncan, daughter of Tim, volleyball is packed with players whose last names will make you say, “Wait, is her dad …?” Keep an eye on Cari Spears when Texas plays Indiana to tip off Friday’s action. She’s a freshman who earned the SEC Player of the Week honors twice this season. Her father is Marcus Spears, who you may recognize from his seven seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, or from his NFL analysis on ESPN. Spears had 7.5 points against Florida A&M to open Texas’ tournament play, and 10.5 points against Penn State.
Schedule, how to watch:
Thursday, Dec. 11
No. 2 Arizona State vs. No. 3 Creighton, 1 p.m. ET on ESPN2
No. 1 Kentucky vs. Cal Poly, 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2
No. 4 Minnesota vs. No. 1 Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2
No. 2 SMU vs. No. 3 Purdue, 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2
Friday, Dec. 12
No. 1 Texas vs. No. 4 Indiana, 12 p.m. ET on ESPN
No. 3 Wisconsin vs. No. 2 Stanford, 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 2 Louisville, 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2
No. 1 Nebraska vs. No. 4 Kansas, 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2
The regionals will continue on Saturday and Sunday ahead of next week’s Final Four.
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