NCAA Final Four

It’s December, which means that holidays, hot chocolate, and the NCAA Volleyball Championships are all upon us. This weekend, the bracket was narrowed down to the Final Four. On Thursday, December 15 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, two more teams will be eliminated on their journey to become National Champions, with Texas playing Nebraska and Stanford battling Minnesota.

Top-seeded Nebraksa was the first team to advance to the National Semifinals, after defeating Washington in straight sets. The Huskers were led by Andie Malloy’s 15 kills. With the win, the Huskers keep their hopes alive for back-to-back national titles.

Nebraska will face Texas on Thursday in Columbus, Ohio, with a berth to the National Championship on the line. Texas swept Creighton to earn their spot in the Semifinal, led by Ebony Nwanebu and Micaya White for a combined for 25 kills on the night.

 

In the other half of the bracket, Stanford stunned Wisconsin in a 5-set thriller, after losing the first two sets. The Cardinal were led by redshirt senior Inky Ajanaku, who recorded a season-high 20 kills and a career high 11 blocks. The third-seeded Badgers, led by All-American setter, Lauren Carlini, fell 18-25, 24-26, 25-21, 25-21, 15-9.

Minnesota will also head to Columbus this week, after defeating UCLA in a decisive 3-0 victory. The Golden Gophers were led by Sarah Wilhite’s 15 kills. In the first national semifinal on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET, Stanford will battle second-seeded Minnesota.

 

Smack Sportswear is lucky enough to watch the matches in person. Our sales associate, Geoff, will get to see the action, after showcasing our custom volleyball uniforms in the AVCA Convention. No matter who wins, these matches will be ones you won’t want to miss. Tune in to ESPN2 to see who will be crowned the 2016 National Champions.