The NCAA women's volleyball rules committee met and approved several changes, some of which could impact gameplay.

Double Contacts: The most significant change is that players can "contact the ball more than once with any part of the body in a single attempt on the team's second contact." A teammate must then play the ball. If it crosses the net, the other team will win the point. 

TLDR: fans won't be able to call for a double contact on the other team when an ugly set happens.

 Teams can dress and use two liberos in one set. The purpose is to create flexibility and change how many substitutions teams use.

 Players may wear snug-fitting nose rings and ear cuffs. This decision stops referees from having to make judgment calls on jewelry.

NCAA Volleyball Rules Committee Approves Changes

NCAA volleyball rules committee approves changes

Hook 'em! Texas was down in the fourth set in the regional semifinals against Tennessee before forcing a fifth set and coming out on top. Since then, the Longhorns have defeated the top three teams in the country to defend their national title. 2023 is their fourth NCAA Championship.

In the regional finals, Texas knocked off overall No. 2 Stanford, 3-1, in Palo Alto. In the National Semifinals, Texas defeated No. 3 Wisconsin, 3-1, behind stellar serving and defense. Texas's serving pressure also guided them to a 3-0 win against No. 1 Nebraska, recording 12 aces and holding the Cornhuskers to .013 hitting. Texas also swept Louisville in 2022 to win it all.

Texas Outside Hitter Madisen Skinner won her third National Championship, one with Kentucky in Spring 2021 and two more with the horns. She contributed 16 kills. Sixth-year all-star Middle Blocker Asjia O'Neal had five aces and three blocks.

Texas volleyball defeats Nebraska in national title game 

Texas wins back-to-back national titles 

Pack your sunglasses; four teams travel to Tampa for the NCAA Volleyball semifinals and finals. The National Semifinals will be played on Thursday, December 14, and shown on ESPN. The final will be played on Sunday, December 17, at 3:00 pm on ABC. Will we get a first-time winner in Pittsburgh, or will Texas defend its crown from last season? Will Wisconsin get its second title in two years, or will Nebraska return to the top for the first time since 2017?

How We Got Here: Regional Semifinals (Sweet Sixteen)

(2) Louisville beat (3) Creighton in five sets after an up-and-down match. Outside Hitters Charitie Luper and Anna DeBeer paced the Cardinals with 20 and 19 kills, respectively.

(1) Nebraska rolled through (5) Georgia Tech, cruising to a quick 3-0 win and holding the Yellow Jackets to 0.19 hitting.

(1) Pittsburgh outplayed (4) Washington State behind the play of superb freshman Olivia Babcock.

(3) Arkansas, one of the field's most fun and inspiring teams, beat SEC rival (2) Kentucky in five sets. The Hogs lost to Kentucky twice during the regular season.

(1) Wisconsin beat (5) Penn State handily and avenged their November 11 loss. Penn State took the second set 30-28 after Wisconsin ran out of subs.

(2) Texas came out on (rocky) top of (3) Tennessee in another match that went to five sets. Tennessee had a chance to win in four, but a Texas challenge pushed it to five.

(2) Oregon's fast offense dismantled (3) Purdue as the Ducks advanced with a quick 3-0 and hit .355.

(1) Stanford avenged an earlier season loss to (4) Arizona State, 3-1, to move to the next round. The last time the two played, ASU ran Stanford out of the gym.

How We Got Here: Regional Finals (Elite Eight)

(1) Pitt reverse-swept (2) Louisville in what felt like two lopsided matches. Louisville came out swinging, but Pitt's serve came alive and forced Louisville to scramble through the last three sets. In the previous meeting between the two on November 18, Pittsburgh also reverse-swept Louisville. Pitt heads to the semifinals for the third time in three years.

(1) Nebraska held off a scrappy and fearless (3) Arkansas team. Arkansas led 21-16 in the first set before Nebraska came back to win 26-24. Arkansas won the third set to keep their hopes alive but lost set four, 23-25.

(1) Wisconsin beat (2) Oregon, 3-1, in a defensive battle in front of rocking Field House. The Badger's physicality at the net and defensive hustle were too much for the Ducks.

For the second year in a row, (1) lost on their home court in the Regional Finals. (2) Texas came alive behind the play of Junior Outside Hitter, Madisen Skinner.

Four teams earn trip to NCAA Volleyball final four

The final four teams travel to Tampa

With the first weekend of play in the books, sixteen teams rev up for round three of the 2023 NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament, starting Thursday, December 7th. Take a look at the matchups below:

There's something in the water in Omaha. Creighton is on a 17-game winning streak, extending through the tournament's opening rounds, where they swept Colgate and the University of Minnesota on their home court. The Bluejays enter the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2016, facing a supremely talented Louisville team that finished second in the ACC. The Cardinals are led by Elena Scott, Elle Glock, Cara Creese, and Phekrong Kong. The teams face off at 12:00 pm in Pittsburgh on ESPN2.

Nebraska is a juggernaut with only one loss to another one seed - Wisconsin. There's no getting around it. They cruised through the first two rounds of tournament play, not conceding a single set. The Huskers have already won 30 games this season; the last time that happened was in 2017, and they went on to win the national championship. Nebraska is also a host site for this round of play, making it a home game in front of a sold-out crowd of 8,00+ for the Huskers. That said, five-seed Georgia Tech is coming into this sweet 16 blazing hot. On Friday, they swept their first-round matchup and stunned four-seed Florida, 3-2, in round two. Will the Yellow Jackets be the team to take down this year's goliath? Tune in Thursday at 2:00 pm on ESPN2.

Pitt, who finished the season an impressive 27-4, punches its ticket to the Sweet 16 for the 4th consecutive year, defeating USC in four sets on Saturday night, thanks in part to a stellar performance from Junior Setter Rachel Fairbanks, who has been a stalwart for the Panthers this season. Washington State beat Dayton handily on Saturday. The Cougars have talent, led by Senior Setter Argentina Ung, who is top 10 in the country in assists per set, and All-American Middle Blocker Magda Jehlárov. Catch this one at 2:30 pm on ESPNU.

2023 has been the year of the SEC in college volleyball. The veteran Wildcats, led by one of the more impressive senior groups in the country, won both matchups against the Razorbacks this season and again became outright SEC Champions. But Arkansas has momentum. They defeated a talented TCU team in round two on Saturday, with four players posting double-doubles. It's the school's first Sweet 16 appearance since 1998, and they do not look ready to go home yet. The two face off at 4:30 pm on ESPNU.

The Badgers look to avenge their four-set loss to Penn State from November 11th when first-team All-Big Ten Right Side Anna Smrek was injured. The Badgers rely on physicality, cracking the top ten nationally in hitting percentage and blocks-per-set. Penn State posted a 21-8 record and improved as the season went on. Even as a five-seed, counting out the Nittany Lions is impossible. Will Penn State pull off another upset, or will their season end in Madison? The two storied programs duke it out at primetime, 7 pm on Thursday on ESPN2.

The Horns swept their first two rounds at the dance, and the Vols nearly did the same, conceding only one set over two matches to Western Kentucky in round 2. Both want to make a deep run after inconsistency throughout the regular season. Senior Middle Blocker Asjia O'Nael and Junior Outside Hitter Madisen Skinner lead the Longhorns. Tennessee wins with redshirt freshman Setter Caroline Kerr, who ranks third in the country in assists per set, graduate students Right Side Morgahn Fingall, and Outside Hitter Jenaisya Moore—the two play on Thursday at 9:00 pm on ESPN2.

Oregon is a team heavy on seniors and grad students. They have yet to concede a set this tournament and rely on their fast-tempo offense and finesse to win. The two teams have played only three times in program history, and Purdue has won all three matches. Will Oregon's veteran savvy grant them a trip to the Elite 8? Or will the Boilermaker's underclassman Outside Hitters continue in the tradition of rolling the Ducks? Find out at 9:30 pm on ESPNU.

Arizona State wiped the floor with Stanford, 3-0, the last time the two played. Stanford's out for blood but is likely a bit rattled as eight-seed Houston took them to five sets in the second round on Saturday. Arizona State, meanwhile, beat four-seed BYU 3-0 to reach the round of sixteen. Perhaps Stanford will get revenge, or will Arizona State continue its outstanding season? We'll find out Thursday, December 7th, at 11:30 pm on ESPNU.

NCAA Volleyball Tournament Down to Sixteen Teams 

Volleyball tournament continues with sixteen teams

Sixteen teams are feeling pretty sweet after the first weekend of tournament play. Major upsets have yet to happen with the top teams taking care of business, but that doesn't mean the weekend was drama-free. (8) Houston pushed (1) Stanford to five sets before The Cardinal prevailed. The only four seed to survive is Washington State. Four seeds, Florida, Kansas, and BYU, fell before their home crowds.

From here on out, there is no bad volleyball, with all matchups providing stellar viewing. Play resumes on Thursday, December 7th, on ESPN2 and ESPNU at noon ET. The last game of the day starts at 11:30 pm ET. It's a great day to call out sick to watch volleyball. Better yet, gather friends and family and make your local bar turn the games on!

For more information on the schedule, visit 

wholesome and emotional interview with Michella Chester. Gillen is a star for Arkansas. As a 5'7 graduate student, she jumps out of the gym, and you can tell how much she loves competing for her coaches and teammates.

Sixteen volleyball teams remain in the tournament

Survive and advance: the round of sixteen is set

Put on your dancing shoes! Sixty-four teams will officially go dancing when the NCAA Volleyball Tournament begins on Thursday, November 30th. The volleyball Selection Show was shown on ESPN for the first time ever, with Nebraska, Stanford, Wisconsin, and Pittsburgh securing the top four seeds. Each will have the opportunity to play in front of their home crowds through the Regional Finals (Elite Eight). Baby, let the games begin!

Let's dance: NCAA volleyball tournament begins

Down goes No. 2 and No. 3! No. 19 Penn State beat No. 2 Wisconsin at home after falling just short of upsetting No.1 the week before. Days before, No. 3 Texas lost to Kansas State. The Wildcats already pulled off several upsets this season - including against then No. 18 Baylor, No. 25 Iowa State, and No. 8 BYU (Twice!). Playing in Manhattan is a scary place for visiting teams right now.

Wisconsin and Texas drop matches late in season

Top teams stumble late in season

Last weekend, the volleyball world watched with bated breath as No. 2 Nebraska took down top-ranked Wisconsin in what many have called a preview of the national championship game. The five-set thriller was the most watched regular season match in NCAA volleyball history, another notch in the belt for what has been a historic season for college volleyball viewership. All eyes are on the Big Ten, and for good reason — the conference has produced 10 of the last 17 National Champions. But as the heavyweights trade blows at the top of the table, a dogfight is happening in the SEC.

Historically, the SEC's volleyball success was limited, but the conference produced its first national champion in Kentucky in 2020 and had seven teams reach the NCAA tournament in 2022. SEC schools have begun to draw more touted recruits as the sport's popularity increases, building more competitive programs. This year, 5 SEC schools rank in the top 25: Arkansas (10), Tennessee (12), Kentucky (15), Florida (19), and Auburn (24), as well as Texas A&M on the receiving votes.

In recent memory, the SEC has been predominantly a two-horse race between Kentucky and Florida, as no other team has claimed the conference title since 2016. Florida All-American setter Alexis Stucky suffered a devastating, season-ending ACL tear in September. The Gators have dropped three matches to Texas A&M, Auburn, and Mississippi State since the injury. Now, with the Sunshine State juggernaut vulnerable, the division has become a race to the top, with many teams pushing for a spot in the tournament and fighting to gain respect around the sport. As of publication, Arkansas and Kentucky are tied for first with one loss a piece, and Tennessee sits in second with two losses.

These battles have recently lent themselves to a handful of gripping SEC grudge matches. Last week, No. 10 Arkansas squeezed past No. 12 Tennessee in 4 sets, only to be upset two days later by No. 15 Kentucky, who have now won seven straight.

Looking forward, schools will play largely in-conference through the end of the regular season. As the tournament approaches, intra-SEC rivalries will only get hotter.

Here are three games to look out for in the coming weeks:

No. 10 Arkansas vs. No. 19 Florida -- Recently upset by No.15 Kentucky, the Razorbacks look to bounce back but face a talented Florida team; Freshman Gator Kennedy Martin is the only freshman to win National Player of the Week. She averages 4.7 Points per set.

No. 12 Tennessee vs. No.19 Florida -- Perhaps the most lethal offensive team in the SEC, the Lady Vols lead the nation in kills per set (14.89) and show the SEC in kills, assists, and hitting percentage.

No. 24 Auburn vs. Texas A&M -- Two bubble teams vying for a spot in the tournament. At the time of this writing, Auburn has one more win than A&M. The Aggies, anchored by Sophomore Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, who leads the nation in blocks-per-set, look to shake things up.

Tune in; many of these teams will be sure to make a splash at the tournament in December.

Kentucky, Florida, Arkansas, and Tennessee seek championship

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NCAA volleyball rules committee approves changes

Rules Committee changes "double contact" rule and more

NCAA volleyball rules committee approves changes

Texas wins back-to-back national titles

The final four teams travel to Tampa

Volleyball tournament continues with sixteen teams

Survive and advance: the round of sixteen is set

Let's dance: NCAA volleyball tournament begins

Top teams stumble late in season

The race for the SEC championship

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