NCAA volleyball watch guide: Contenders like Penn State and Pitt play in Nebraska

It’s here. The 2025 Division I women’s college volleyball season is upon us.

And now, an offseason full of questions can begin to be answered.

Can Penn State, after graduating five seniors, defend its title? Will Dani Busboom Kelly make sure Nebraska lives up to the preseason hype? Can Dan Meske keep momentum rolling at Louisville? Can reigning National Player of the Year Olivia Babcock finally help Pitt breakthrough and reach the title game? After combing the transfer portal, will SMU and Wisconsin continue to take steps forward? Will Torrey Stafford propel Texas back into the Final Four? What other transfers will make an impact? What new stars will emerge?

And on and on and on…

As interest in women’s college volleyball has grown, television networks have started to take notice. Two years ago, FOX started using Big Ten games as lead-ins to NFL clashes. The aggregate result, according to Front Office Sports, was 1.7 million viewers, the most-watched regular-season volleyball window of all time. So FOX increased its volleyball offerings last year across its platforms, broadcasting 18 regular season games. Other networks are airing college volleyball too, from NBC’s Peacock to ESPN. Last year’s title game between Penn State and Louisville peaked at 1.9 million viewers, making it the second-most-watched title game of all time. As we’ve learned with many women’s sports, if the folks in power put these games on an accessible platforms, people will watch.

So, college volleyball is easier to find and watch than perhaps ever before, whether you’re flipping through channels or streaming.

Here are four games that are worth tuning into this weekend:

Friday, 7 p.m. ET — FOX

The AVCA First Serve Showcase begins Friday when two teams who made the Final Four last season face off in Lincoln, Nebraska. The bus driver for Pitt, Olivia Babcock, returns, but the Panthers have some new faces in the lineup. Meanwhile, while Nebraska has a new head coach, it didn’t lose any players in the transfer portal and brought in an impressive recruiting class. On-paper, this looks like a great table-setter for the season. And it’s incredibly possible that we see these two teams face-off in the NCAA Tournament.

Saturday, 5 p.m. ET — FS1

Penn State lost some key players to graduation from its national title team, but they bring back National Freshman of the Year Izzy Starck and brought in some transfer portal reinforcements like two-time All-American Kennedy Martin. A mid-major power in the sport, Creighton is aiming to make its 14th consecutive NCAA Tournament this season under first-year coach Brian Rosen. Cal setter Annalea Maeder and Wisconsin libero Saige Damrow are among the key incoming transfers for the Bluejays.

Sunday, 3:30 p.m. ET — ESPN

Nebraska will get its second ranked opponent test on Sunday when it clashes with the Cardinal. This weekend, fans will get their first look at Logan Parks, a Stanford freshman who comes into this season with a lot of hype. A longtime power in the sport, a NCAA Division I volleyball tournament has never been played without Stanford in it. This should be a solid measuring-stick test for both squads.

Monday, 8:30 p.m. ET — Big Ten Network

Coming off a trip to the Sweet 16, and with their highest preseason ranking ever in the history of the AVCA poll, this is the first of seven nationally televised matches that the Aggies will play in this season. Texas A&M returns 11 players from last year’s team, added a strong freshman class, and brought in Baylor transfer Kyndal Stowers. The Gophers are coming off a season where they notched wins over top 10 programs like Texas and Wisconsin, and then advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Senior outside hitters Julia Hanson and Mckenna Wucherer, both preseason All-Big Ten honorees, anchor a squad that’s missed the postseason just once since 1999.