On a chilly night in Omaha, Nebraska, last December, the Texas Longhorns finally ended a decade of frustration in falling short of their third NCAA women’s volleyball title. Their 3-0 sweep of Louisville was the culmination of a near-perfect season, with just one loss.
Starting their final season in the Big 12, the Longhorns are once again atop the AVCA poll and looking to run it back in 2023. But it took the top-ranked Longhorns one match to equal their 2022 loss total as Texas fell to Long Beach State 3-1 to open the 2023 season Friday.
Texas, which along with Oklahoma moves to the SEC in 2024-25, is not the only former national champion going through a “last dance” conference-wise. Stanford (NCAA-record nine titles), UCLA (four titles), USC (three) and Washington (one) are in the final season of the Pac-12 as we know it.
UCLA, USC, Washington and Oregon (which has made the final four) are heading to the Big Ten, already a major volleyball powerhouse with past champions Penn State (seven NCAA titles), Nebraska (five) and Wisconsin (one).
How the conference realignments, along with the large amount of transfers and the impact of NIL deals continue to impact the sport will be one of the biggest storylines to follow in the coming years. This season feels…
