The DII women’s volleyball season is here. Cal State LA is looking to defend its crown, but the usual suspects are back, reloaded and ready to make their case to add to their trophy collection.
Here’s a look at what to watch as the season opens.
DII WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL NEWS
The 2024 DII women’s volleyball season, previewed
Can Cal State LA do the unthinkable… again? The AVCA started doing its national polls in 1986. Last year, the Golden Eagles were the first team to go from unranked in the final regular-season poll to win the national championship. Entering the quarterfinals as the No. 6 seed, the Golden Eagles reeled off upset after upset, taking down No. 3 Wayne State (Neb), No. 2 UMSL and defending national champion West Texas A&M to win the first title in program history.
Obviously, the stakes are higher this year as Cal State LA enters the season at No. 1. As CCAA winners the last two years, the Golden Eagles are going for their first “three-peat” in CCAA history, a feat never accomplished by the program. It will be challenging: Only two of their top six point scorers return, albeit one is Emily Elliott, who led the team with 5.69 points per set. Haley Roundtree, Brooke Paige and Jameson Sanders join Elliott as the only returners to appear in the championship-winning match. Throw in a brutal opening weekend at the Yotes Classic Showcase against three 2023 DII women’s volleyball championship tournament teams and the Golden Eagles are testing themselves right out of the gate.
Can West Texas A&M return to the top? The Lady Buffs are a DII women’s volleyball powerhouse, winners of four national championships, the second most in the sport’s history. They also have a pair of national runners-up, including last year when they fell just short of repeating for the second time in program history (the first came in 1990-91).
Unlike their national championship match counterparts, West Texas A&M returns quite a few key pieces, like second-leading point scorer Emma Becker, Taytum Stow and Camy Jones, all three of which played in each of the previous two title matches. West Texas A&M also hosts the Lady Buff Classic to open the season where it faces three programs that made the tournament last year. This is a tried-and-true program, and coming out of opening weekend with a winning record will set the tone for another strong campaign.
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