International Volleyball

Two big ACC battles highlight Friday’s NCAA volleyball schedule

Two big ACC battles highlight Friday's NCAA volleyball schedule

Western Michigan’s Maggie King hits over the CMU block/Ashley Huss, WMU Photographer

The ACC takes center stage Friday in NCAA Division I women’s volleyball. 

Thursday’s recaps and top performances follow after a day in which some league races tightened, but first a look at Friday’s schedule

The featured match of the day is at Louisville, when the Cardinals (14-2, 5-1), ranked No. 8 in the VolleyballMag.com Super 16 Media Poll, play host to No. 7 Pittsburgh (15-2, 6-0) in the downtown KFC Yum! Center. Something’s got to give in their first meeting since Louisville beat the Panthers in the 2022 NCAA national semfinals 25-18, 23-25, 25-22, 22-25, 15-2. Louisville has lost only to No. 3 Stanford in five before getting upset in ACC play by NC State. Pitt has won nine in a row and is tied with Florida State atop the standings. The 7 p.m. Eastern match is on ESPNU.

Speaking of FSU (12-6, 6-0), the Seminoles are at No. 12 Georgia Tech (14-2, 5-1). GT has won the last seven matches between them; FSU received votes in our poll this week. That one can be seen on ACC Network Extra.

Also in the ACC, Wake Forest (14-4, 5-2) tries to keep pace when the Deacons at NC State (13-4, 3-3), which has lost to Miami and FSU, both in five, since upsetting Louisville. Miami is at Clemson, Duke is at Boston College, Virginia is at Notre Dame and North Carolina is at Syracuse.

In the Big 12, AVCA No. 20 Baylor is back at Cincinnati, where the Bears won in four on Thursday, and No. 10 BYU is at Texas Tech. Saturday, in Houston, the Fertitta Center is sold out in advance for first time in program history as Houston, No. 22 in the AVCA poll plays host to VBM No. 6 Texas.

No ranked Big Ten teams play each other. Top-ranked Wisconsin is home for Rutgers, No. 2 Nebraska plays host to Michigan State, No. 13 Penn State is at Iowa, Illinois is at Ohio State and Maryland is at Northwestern.

There’s a big match in the SEC when league-leading VBM No. 9 Tennessee plays host to AVCA No. 22 Auburn. Florida, No. 11 in the VBM Poll and AVCA No. 14, is at Mississippi State, VBM No. 13 Arkansas is home for Ole Miss and Texas A&M is at LSU.

There are six Pac-12 matches, including Stanford (13-2, 6-0) home for USC (11-5, 5-1), which is tied with Arizona State, Oregon and Washington State for second. No. 4 WSU (15-2, 5-1)  is home for Utah, No. 5 Oregon (15-2, 5-1) is home for Arizona and Arizona State (17-1, 5-1), in the AVCA Poll at No. 19 and receiving…

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