Pittsburgh and Nebraska looked to be on a collision course for the national championship when they headed into the NCAA women’s volleyball final four last December.

But by the time the weekend ended, Penn State had defeated Louisville for the program’s eighth NCAA title. Katie Schumacher-Cawley became the first woman head coach to win the championship since the tournament began in 1981 and a major coaching change was about to take place.

As we head into the 2025 season, those four schools are atop the AVCA Division I preseason poll: The Huskers lead the way with 40 first-place votes, followed by the Nittany Lions (21), the Panthers and the Cardinals. Past national champions Texas, Stanford, Kentucky and Wisconsin round out the top eight.

Those are the familiar names we expect to contend for the 2025 championship, which will be decided Dec. 18-21 in Kansas City. But now former Louisville coach Dani Busboom Kelly leads Nebraska, replacing retired program legend John Cook. Dan Meske, who had been associate head coach for the Cardinals, took over at Louisville.

Busboom Kelly is a Nebraska native who previously won NCAA championships as a player and assistant coach with the Huskers, so it always seemed a matter of time before she went back. She built the Louisville program into a national powerhouse, and along with Pittsburgh coach Dan Fisher helped elevate the ACC to elite status.

But the Panthers and the Cardinals still seek their first NCAA title. Could this be the year for either? Will Nebraska win its sixth championship? Or might Penn State repeat and tie Stanford’s record of nine NCAA titles?

More than 2,600 matches will be shown on ESPN platforms this season, culminating with every NCAA tournament match. The national semifinals will be on ESPN and, for the third season in a row, the final will be on ABC. Here’s a primer to get ready for the 2025 season.

How soon do the powerhouses meet?

Immediately. One of the great things about college volleyball is the top programs almost always face off in nonconference play. The AVCA First Serve Showcase at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, runs Friday through Sunday. It starts with Pittsburgh vs. Nebraska at 7 p.m. ET Friday. Sunday’s matches — Florida vs. Pittsburgh (1 p.m. ET) and Nebraska vs. Stanford (3:30) — air on ESPN.

The inaugural Broadway Block Party will be Aug. 31 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. It features Nebraska vs. Kentucky (noon ET, ABC), Tennessee vs. Purdue (3 p.m. ET, ESPN2) and Vanderbilt vs. Illinois (6 p.m. ET, SEC Network). Vanderbilt has brought volleyball back as a varsity sport after briefly sponsoring it in 1979-80. The sister of WNBA star Kelsey Plum, Lauren Plum, is an assistant coach for the Commodores’ new program.

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Identifying transfers who will make an impact in the SEC

SEC Network’s Missy Whittemore and Leah Edmonds pinpoint the transfers who will likely make an impact in the SEC and describe the strengths that make them unstoppable on the court.

What stood out from the transfer portal for this season?

Like with every other sport, transfers are a major part of volleyball. Outside hitter Torrey Stafford going to Texas from Pitt was one of the biggest moves. The Panthers still have AVCA national player of the year Olivia Babcock (5.94 points per set) back from last season’s 33-2 team. But Stafford, who averaged 4.24 points per set in 2024, is big pick-up for the always stacked Longhorns.

Kentucky added firepower with outside hitter Eva Hudson, who led the Big Ten in kills per set last season at 4.81. Nebraska, which is also a magnet for transfers, added opposite hitter Allie Sczech from Baylor.

How different will Nebraska be under new leadership?

Realistically, not much. Busboom Kelly played for and coached with Cook for a long time before she took over the Louisville program, so this is as seamless a transition as Nebraska could have hoped for.

Outside hitter Harper Murray is back for Nebraska; she led the Huskers in points per set (4.01 last season). Andi Jackson and Rebekah Allick make a formidable middle blocker tandem, and Bergen Reilly, the Big Ten setter of the year the last two seasons, returns to quarterback the Huskers.

Admittedly, following someone as successful as Cook, head coach for four of the Huskers’ NCAA titles and architect of a perennial championship contender, is not easy.

Busboom Kelly has her own personality and coaching style; she’s not a Cook clone. But in terms of the high quality of the product put on the floor for some of the nation’s most ardent volleyball fans, she knows the expectations better than anyone.

Last year, Nebraska went into the national semifinals poised to win its sixth title, and the Huskers took a 2-0 lead on Penn State. But in a nightmarish last match for Cook, the Nittany Lions won on a reverse sweep, then beat a Louisville team that had lost star player Anna DeBeer to an ankle injury in its semifinal. Despite that disappointment, Cook praised Busboom Kelly and Schumacher-Cawley — whose teams met in the final — for their high-profile coaching roles in the sport.

Any chance for a first-time NCAA champion this season?

Four of the programs in the AVCA preseason top 10 — Pittsburgh, Louisville, No. 9 Texas A&M and No. 10 SMU — have never won the NCAA title. The Panthers have been to the national semifinals the last four years in a row but have not advanced to the final. Led by Babcock, they are still the best bet among teams looking for their first national championship.

But keep an eye on No. 16 Florida, too. Mary Wise, who had led the Gators since 1991 and made the NCAA tournament every year, retired from coaching and is now part of ESPN’s broadcasting crew. She guided Florida to the final four eight times. Ryan Theis has taken over the program and will pursue the goal of winning an NCAA title.

What’s the biggest news off the court?

The Pro Volleyball Federation has rebranded into Major League Volleyball, or MLV, which will provide a place to play for some of the top college players when they turn professional.

The PVF started in 2024 and has played two seasons. But the popular Omaha Supernovas franchise in Nebraska had conflicts with PVF management and intended to start its own league called MLV. Instead, there was a merger of sorts and PVF became MLV.

MLV is scheduled to begin its 2026 season in January with teams in Atlanta, Columbus, Ohio; Dallas, Grand Rapids, Michigan; Indianapolis, Omaha, Orlando and San Diego. Two more teams — in Washington D.C. and Sacramento, California — are slated to join in 2027.

While Cook retired as coach for the Huskers, he is still busy with volleyball: He recently was announced as a co-owner and the general manager of the Supernovas.