Women’s college volleyball finally returns to the hardwood Friday and, evidently, the sport’s top programs are just as excited as the rest of us. Eleven top-25 contests are slated for just the first two days of the season, a stretch that includes a mouth-watering 382 matches of volleyball.
To help navigate the chaos, here are four of the biggest matchups to watch in a packed opening week of college volleyball, according to NCAA Digital’s Michella Chester:
Week 1 of season is HERE‼️@michellachester gives us the top matchups for Week 1 👀#NCAAWVB pic.twitter.com/nXSfYk2L8T
— NCAA Women’s Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) August 23, 2023
No. 11 Penn State vs. No. 8 Florida | Friday, Aug 25 8 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
Both the Gators and Nittany Lions will dream of a cyclical season as they step onto the court at Tampa’s Amalie Arena Friday evening, the same venue where the national semifinals will commence in four months time — in Tampa, Florida. Year one of the Katie Schumacher-Cawley era began flawlessly in Happy Valley, as PSU surged to a 12-0 start in 2022 before falling to Big Ten rivals Wisconsin in the Sweet Sixteen. Returning three of the four points leaders from last season’s roster and offsetting the loss of outside hitter Kashauna Williams with two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection and Michigan transfer Jess Mruzik, the Nits should be poised to push for their eighth championship in program history.
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The Gators, meanwhile, will turn toward a Gainesville institution on their sideline as Mary Wise prepares for her 32nd season in orange and blue. Florida lost both its kills leaders in a relatively tumultuous offseason, but return encouraging pieces in Sofia Victoria and Alexis Stuckey, who posted nearly 1,200 assists in 2022, while adding top-50 freshman Kennedy Martin along with Missouri transfer Anna Dixon. For each of these juggernauts, a return to the Gulf this December is hardly a pipe dream.
No. 21 Washington State at No. 4 Louisville | Saturday, Aug 26 7 p.m. ET (ACC Network X)
Louisville opted for a three-day, three-game round-robin tournament, dubbed the Cardinal Classic, to kick off the season, featuring Troy, Wright State and the lurking Washington State Cougars — a team hoping to score a massive upset over the defending national…
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