NCAA volleyball tournament: 16 players to watch in regionals

The NCAA volleyball tournament enters its regional round on Thursday and Friday with a few unexpected teams sticking around for an extended stay.

The four No. 1 seeds all advanced — although Pitt got pushed to extra points in the first set by Oklahoma, Penn State had to play four sets against North Carolina and Louisville was down match points against Northern Iowa. Nebraska had an easier time, sweeping its six sets over the first two rounds.

The bracket lost a No. 2 seed (SMU) and two No. 3 seeds (Kansas and Arizona State). According to ESPN’s Stats and Information, since seeding began in 2000, there have been 102 teams to earn a top three seed. Only four of those have failed to reach the regional semifinals — three of them were this year.

Amid the upsets and the upset bids, many of the sport’s biggest stars delivered, and a few new ones emerged.

Elena Scott tied a season-high with 26 digs for Louisville, which advanced to the regional semifinals on a kill by star outside hitter Anna DeBeer. Oklahoma mounted its upset bid by holding Pitt star Olivia Babcock to 13 kills and eight errors on 36 attempts, but the loaded Panthers had enough of a supporting cast to sweep. Penn State, led by 21 kills from star outside hitter Jess Mruzik, put up a dominant fourth set against North Carolina after dropping the third. Nebraska libero Lexi Rodriguez powered the Huskers from the back row as she continued to inch toward the program’s all-time digs record.

Two-time defending national champion Texas, which had a surprising stroll by USC in the second round, relied, as usual, on Madisen Skinner, who tipped and attacked from the front and back rows en route to a game-high 23 kills against the Trojans.

Likewise, Missouri’s Mychael Vernon, a transfer from Oregon State, helped the Tigers pull off the biggest upset so far with 23 kills in a four-set win over SMU. Kennedy Martin pounded 33 kills in the Gators’ upset of Kansas. And Logan Lednicky hit .500 and logged 27 kills to lead Texas A&M to a four-set win over Arizona State

With 16 teams remaining, here are 16 stars you can’t miss.

No. 1 Pittsburgh vs. No. 4 Oregon, Thursday, 3:30 p.m. ET (approx.), ESPN2

Torrey Stafford, Pittsburgh. Because of big personalities like Babcock on her team, Stafford somehow manages to fly under the radar. But she swings freely and fearlessly, playing an integral role in the Panthers’ sweeps in the first and second rounds. She recorded a game-high 14 kills vs. Morehead State in the first round, and came close to a double-double against Oklahoma, with 10 kills and nine digs. She’s a semifinalist for the national player of the year, and Oregon coach Matt Ulmer will have to find a way to slow her down when the teams meet Thursday afternoon. Texas coach Jerritt Elliott ranks her among the best outside hitters in the country, saying in November that Stafford is playing at a “high, high level.”

Mimi Colyer, Oregon. The 6-foot-3 junior is one of the most mesmerizing outside hitters in the tournament. She already has been in two NCAA regional finals in her first two years at Oregon, and she brought that knowledge to this year’s tournament. In the second round against fifth-seeded TCU, Colyer led the Ducks with 19 kills. Her high contact point and her sheer power can leave opponents defenseless. She was named the AVCA Northwest region player of the year. If Oregon has any chance of knocking off Pitt, the No. 1 overall seed, they will need Colyer to show off her fierceness and wisdom.

No. 1 Nebraska vs. No. 5 Dayton, Friday, 9:30 p.m. (approx.), ESPN2

Andi Jackson, Nebraska. There’s not a more dynamic slide attacker in the country. The springy middle hitter brings speed, power and boom to the Nebraska lineup. Despite hitting a bit of a rough patch during the final games of the regular season, Jackson had eight kills, three blocks and hit .538 against Florida A&M in the first round. Nebraska, which features one of the most balanced attacks in the country, needs to work its middle hitters to keep defenses guessing, and that means more swings for Jackson, who is hitting .435 on the year. When Pitt coach Dan Fisher was asked in November to name a player he would like to add to his team for the tournament, he picked Jackson. That’s saying something.

Lexie Almodovar, Dayton. The redshirt senior averages a whopping 5.02 kills per set this season, and she has continued to fire away in the tournament. In a scintillating five-set thriller against No. 4 Baylor, the 5-foot-8 outside hitter recorded 34 kills — a career high — and became the first player in program history to surpass the 2,000-career kill mark. She also had eight digs and two aces that night. The back-to-back Atlantic 10 player of the year will look to help Dayton continue the trend of tournament upsets.

No. 1 Penn State vs. No. 5 Marquette, Friday, 3:30 p.m. ET (approx.), ESPN2

Izzy Starck, Penn State. The Nittany Lions have had some of the greatest setters in the college game, and Starck is the latest to join that list. The Big Ten’s freshman of the year’s parents also were college volleyball players and her sister Anjelina is a senior outside hitter with the Nittany Lions. Izzy Starck has started every match for Penn State and averages 11 assists per set. As well as she runs the offense, Starck also has been a strong defensive player. She is second on the team in digs and third in blocks. In Penn State’s early-round NCAA wins against Delaware State and North Carolina, the Nittany Lions hit .456 and .368 with a combined 73 assists from Starck.

Aubrey Hamilton, Marquette: The fifth-seeded Golden Eagles lost in the Big East tournament final to Creighton, but they have made the most of their at-large bid. The Golden Eagles upset fourth-seeded Utah in the second round after beating Florida Gulf Coast in the first round. And outside hitter Aubrey Hamilton was a big reason why. One of three Marquette players named all-Big East, Hamilton had a team-high 20 kills against Utah. Her mother, Heidi Bunek-Hamilton, played basketball for Notre Dame in the 1980s. And Aubrey began her volleyball career with the Irish. But after two seasons, she transferred back to her home state of Wisconsin and has been a standout at Marquette the last three years.

No. 1 Louisville vs. No. 4 Purdue, Thursday, 9:30 p.m. ET (approx.), ESPN2

Charitie Luper, Louisville. A senior outside hitter transfer from UCLA, Luper has been a consistent force for Louisville over the last two seasons. In the first-round sweep against Chicago State, Luper recorded a game-high nine kills and five digs. And in the barnburner in the second round against Northern Iowa, it was a Luper kill that gave the Cardinals a match point at 21-20, and then she stepped back to serve the clinching point that ended with an Anna DeBeer kill. Both DeBeer and Luper finished the match with 19 kills. Afterward, Luper said, “I’ve never played in a match that close and just that crazy.”

Eva Hudson, Purdue. Nobody in the tournament has taken more swings this season than Hudson, who has 1,444 attacks so far. Nobody in the tournament has more kills than Hudson, who has terminated the point 557 times. Regular-season Hudson was a sight to see, and playoff Hudson is a downright beast. The 6-foot-1 junior loves the pressure, she’s said so in the past, and it shows. She leads the entire NCAA tournament field with 6.83 kills per set after the first two rounds, hitting .500 with 41 kills and just three errors. She led Purdue with 20 kills, hitting .563 in a sweep against Loyola in the second round. “The best way to go out is swinging, and that’s what I’ll do,” Hudson said in a recent interview with “B1G Today.”

No. 2 Stanford vs. No. 6 Florida, Thursday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Elia Rubin, Stanford. The 6-foot-1 junior outside hitter has played a dominant role for the Cardinal all season, but postseason Rubin is one to be feared. She’s hitting with abandon, her angles so sharp that she’s leaving opponents bewildered. Rubin had a match-high 15 kills in the Cardinal’s sweep against Loyola Marymount, hitting at a season-best .577. What’s more? She also added 10 digs to her stat sheet, recording her ninth double-double of the season. Stanford setter Kami Miner is looking for Rubin a lot more as the stakes rise, and the duo is one to watch as they head to Louisville to take on upset-minded Florida.

Kennedy Martin, Florida. The 6-foot-6 outside hitter is one of the most exciting storylines of this season. With the Gators up 14-13 in the fifth set against No. 3 seed Kansas, setter Alexis Stucky set the ball to right-side pin Martin. Nicknamed “slugger” by head coach Mary Wise, Martin jumped in the air and swung hard. A Kansas blocker got a touch on it, but the ball deflected into the crowd. Martin threw her hands in the air as the Gators advanced to the regional semifinals. Martin recorded 33 kills, the most by a Gator in the 25-point rally scoring era. It was her fifth match this season with 30 or more kills, and she leads all players in the tournament with an average of 5.58 kills per set this season. She’s just a sophomore and already is 17 kills away from reaching the 1,000-kill club.

No. 2 Creighton vs. No. 3 Texas, Friday, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Norah Sis, Creighton. A 6-foot-1 senior outside hitter, Sis has been a powerhouse for Creighton since she joined the team in 2021. That, combined with her rigorous nursing major — she often leaves for a 10-hour shift at an Omaha hospital after matches — makes her journey one of the most interesting in this year’s tournament. In the first-round sweep against South Dakota, Sis moved into second place on the program’s all-time kills list. She has 1,628 and counting. With a senior setter in Kendra Wait (also a nursing student) orchestrating a dynamic offense, Creighton and Sis will look to end the Longhorns’ three-peat bid. The showdown could be the most anticipated one of the all the regional semifinals.

Marianna Singletary, Texas. The redshirt sophomore middle blocker has been a force for the Texas defense this season. She spent the past two years watching Asjia O’Neal — one of the most decorated Longhorn middle blockers ever — lead her team to two national championships, and now has stepped into O’Neal’s role herself. She brings a similar jolt of energy to the Longhorns and is a blocking phenom. Add her ability to turn defense to offense — she recorded 10 kills against Texas A&M Corpus Christi in the first round — and she could add the energy that Texas needs in its three-peat chase.

No. 2 Wisconsin vs. No. 6 Texas A&M, Friday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Sarah Franklin, Wisconsin. Franklin started her volleyball career at Michigan State, but she’s made her name at Wisconsin. Now in her third and final season in Madison, Franklin was named Big Ten player of the year for the second year in a row. She averages 4.48 kills and 4.99 points per set. In Wisconsin’s early-round wins over Fairfield and Georgia Tech, she had a combined 32 kills and 18 digs. A powerful 6-4 outside hitter — one of her nicknames is “Frank the Tank” — Franklin was AVCA national player of the year last season.

Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, Texas A&M. The Aggies upset No. 3 seed Arizona State on the Sun Devils’ home court to make it to the regional semifinals, and middle blocker Cos-Okpalla was one of the key factors in how the Aggies did it. An all-SEC honoree, Cos-Okpalla had 12 kills and eight blocks in the early-round victories over Colorado State and Arizona State. Cos-Okpalla was an all-SEC choice as one of just two middle blockers in the league to have at least 200 kills and 140 blocks this season.

No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 7 Missouri, Thursday, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Brooklyn DeLeye, Kentucky: Kentucky became the first SEC team to win the NCAA volleyball title in the pandemic-impacted 2020 season, which finished in 2021. The Wildcats would love another trip to the final four, this time in nearby Louisville. The next step: getting past Missouri, the lowest seed left in the field. Kentucky will need to rely on its biggest weapon: outside hitter DeLeye, the SEC Player of the Year. She averages 4.77 kills per set. Kentucky won both its SEC matches against Missouri, 3-0 and 3-1, with DeLeye combining for 31 kills. She had 37 kills to just eight errors in the Wildcats’ NCAA tournament wins over Cleveland State and Minnesota. Incidentally, the only player in the SEC this season who has more service aces than DeLeye is Missouri’s Jordan Iliff.

Maya Sands, Missouri: The Tigers beat SMU on the Mustangs’ home court to advance to the regional semifinals, and now they hope their third chance vs. Kentucky this season brings a victory. The Tigers had three players make the All-SEC team, including Sands, the league’s two-time Libero of the Year. Sands started her career at UNLV, then transferred to Missouri when coach Dawn Sullivan left UNLV for the Tigers after the 2022 season. Sands has averaged 4.58 digs per set this season, the highest average in the SEC. She had 14 digs and four service aces in the upset of SMU.