The Final Four team predictions for the NCAA Volleyball 2023 tournament are going to be Nebraska, Wisconsin, Stanford, and Louisville.
The NCAA Volleyball tournament began its first round, on November 30th. The brackets start with 64 teams to later end up with the ultimate winner. The top seeds are Nebraska (28-1), Stanford (26-3), Wisconsin (26-3) and Pittsburgh (25-4).
The young Nebraska has been leading the number one rank in the nation since the beginning of the volleyball season. Having no seniors the lineup contains 4 freshmen, 1 sophomore, and 3 juniors. Harper Murray, a crucial freshman to the Nebraska team is a Michigander from Ann Arbor, who previously played at Woodhaven High School during the 2022 first round of regionals. Captain Merritt Beason, a transfer from Florida with 3.83 kills per set, remains a strong right-side hitter, with an overall hitting percentage of 14.102 and a digging percentage of 13.704. The Nebraska team has already swept LIU and Missouri, consistently demonstrating their strength throughout the tournament.
Stanford, a team held with high standards, climbed the rank throughout their season earning every second of their placement. The team maintains 14.5 kills per set and 13.5 digs per set. Their significant contributors are Kendall Kipp, a six-rotational right-side hitter who dominates the front and back row, Kami Miner, an aggressive setter, and Elena Oglivie, Stanford’s libero. Stanford swept Fresno St. and then went to an intense 5-set win against Houston, causing some debate on whether the team will continue doing well due to their performance with a lower-ranked team.
A big team like Wisconsin creates fear in the volleyball community with its reach and defense, with 14.0 kills per set and 14.6 digs per set. Many of the Badger’s hitters are averaged at 6 ‘0, compared to many pro basketball players like Lebron James and Stephen Curry. Wisconsin started strong during the beginning of their regular season, but later lost to Nebraska, a surprise upset by Penn State and Purdue. There has been a lot of debate surrounding the loss between Penn State and Purdue, mostly due to Anna Smrek, Wisconsin’s 6 ‘9 right-side hitter, absent from an injury. Both Anna Smrek and Sarah Franklin lead the team with kills, Franklin being their star outside winning an award, Player of the Year for the Big 10. During the tournament, they swept Jackson St, and Miami (FL).
Lastly, knowing that Pittsburgh is the last top seed in the NCAA tournament bracket, my last Final Four prediction is Louisville. These teams are fierce rivals in their conference ACC, creating an exciting finals game. These teams have previously faced each other with a 1-1 record. Pittsburgh has an average of 13.9 kills per set to Louisville’s slightly lower average of 13.7. Louisville has a higher digging per set record by 1.6 than Pittsburgh. After the loss for the holding of the ACC champion title, the belief is Louisville is going to come back with fire.
Honorable mention to Western Michigan’s first time getting selected for the tournament ever and making it past the first round, later falling to the Cards.
Ultimately the winner of the tournament will be Wisconsin, during the matchup between Nebraska vs. Wisconsin. The Badgers have been the only team in the nation to beat Nebraska during their regular season. Both teams have high hitting, blocking, and dig percentages with lots of experience, it will be the most anticipated game during the tournament hosted in Tampa, Florida to be streamed on ABC.
