With probably one of the most eventful NCAA Volleyball seasons coming to an end, with one of the underdog teams taking the title, it leaves a lot of teams hungry for more in this upcoming season. Texas A&M is, of course, the number one-ranked team coming into this next season, but without official rankings being released until pre-season, it leaves volleyball fans to rank these teams themselves.
Of course, Texas A&M has to take the top spot this upcoming season as the reigning national champions on their not-necessarily-expected run. However, Texas A&M might have a rebuilding season, as most of its starting lineup contained seniors. Although we have seen this happen in the past with teams like Penn State, like Penn State, I assume Texas A&M will bounce back, winning the upcoming transfer portal war.
Pitt is taking the national championship this year. This is the most stacked team in the NCAA, with two players who will absolutely carry this season. With the recent transfer of Izzy Stark, who in her freshman season carried Penn State
to a national championship, and the pairing with Olivia Babcock, the best pin hitter in the NCAA, the duo will be unstoppable. Babcock set an NCAA record with 41 kills against number 4 Louisville, then, a week later, broke her own record with 45 kills against number 21 North Carolina. She is averaging 5.17 kills PER SET, which is absolutely unreal.
Nebraska, as always, is going to be an absolute powerhouse. With the entire starting lineup returning except for Rebekah Allick, they will be just as good, if not better than last year. With Andi Jackson, Harper Murray, Bergen Reilly, Laney Choboy, Virginia Adriano, and Liv Mauch coming back, Nebraska will stay the same powerhouse as last year. Nebraska tends to choke near the end of the year, so we will have to see how this season ends and if they can continue as a powerhouse throughout the whole season.
