Pittsburgh, Nebraska, Penn State and Louisville earned top regional seeds Sunday in the NCAA women’s volleyball tournament and an inside track to the national semifinals.
The unveiling of the 64-team field featured seven programs among the top eight overall seeds from the Big Ten and the ACC. The No. 2 regional seeds went to Stanford, Creighton, Wisconsin and SMU.
First- and second-round matches are set for Thursday through Sunday at campus sites. On-campus regionals will be played from Dec. 12 through Dec. 15, with the national semifinals on Dec. 19 at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky.
The national championship will be played on Dec. 22 in Louisville and televised by ABC.
ACC regular-season champion Pittsburgh (29-1) earned the No. 1 overall seed. The program seeks a fourth consecutive trip to the Final Four and its first appearance in the championship match. The Panthers lost last year and in 2021 against Nebraska in the semifinals and against Louisville in 2022.
AVCA Player-of-the-Year candidates Olivia Babcock, an opposite hitter, setter Rachel Fairbanks and outside hitter Torrey Stafford lead Pitt. The team has won 14 consecutive matches, including a five-set battle in the regular-season finale on Saturday against Georgia Tech.
The Panthers’ only loss came on Oct. 12…
