4 things to know about Tampa’s NCAA volleyball national championship

TAMPA — The NCAA women’s volleyball national championship is at Amalie Arena this week with a final four of Nebraska, Wisconsin, Pitt and Texas. The semifinals are Thursday and will air on ESPN, with Sunday’s final to be shown on ABC.

Here are four things to know about the event.

It’s the culmination of years of growth

Volleyball’s rise can be summed up in one number: 92,003. That was the attendance for the Nebraska vs. Omaha game Aug. 30 at the Cornhuskers’ Memorial Stadium — the largest U.S. crowd ever for a women’s sporting event.

“It’s still hard to put into words what happened that night,” Nebraska coach John Cook said. “I mean, it was almost mystical in a way.”

Cook called it “a defining moment for women’s sports,” like the United States’ triumph in the 1999 Women’s World Cup. Cook has never seen so many requests for photographs and autographs around his program.

“I think it was a magical moment that people still have not forgotten about,” Cook said.

There are other signs of the sport’s increasing popularity, too. The Gators set a program attendance record (10,323) in September, and ABC will air the championship match for the first time.

“Every year feels like it’s becoming a bigger deal,” said Pitt coach Dan Fisher, who has guided the Panthers to their third consecutive trip to the Final Four.

Conference realignment is a factor

Though football drives the shifting conference landscape, every program feels its effects.

“I’ve learned really fast that I wake up and check the news and see what conference we’re going to be in and how things are changing — what’s the evolution of sport and all this stuff with (name, image and likeness),” Texas coach Jerritt Elliott said.

Texas’ schedule included road trips to Morgantown, West Virginia, and UCF. The Longhorns’ schedule beefed up, too, with the addition of nationally ranked opponents in BYU and Houston.

For Wisconsin, the Big Ten will get even tougher; incoming members UCLA, USC and Washington have all won national championships since 2003. A team could finish 11th in the conference with a losing record, Badgers coach Kelly Sheffield said, and still rank among the top 25 in the nation.

“You better be a competitive junkie if you get in here,” Sheffield said.

So is the transfer portal

The Big Ten’s player of the year is Wisconsin outside hitter Sarah Franklin, a Lake Wales native who transferred from Michigan State.

“The standard is so high here …” Franklin said of the Badgers, a perennial power that won the 2021 national title. “Every aspect of Wisconsin has been able to put that forward.”

Some of the event’s other biggest names are also transfers. Nebraska’s Merritt Beason (a transfer from Florida) and Texas’ Madisen Skinner (Kentucky) are All-Americans, and Emma Monks (Michigan State) leads Pitt in blocks.

Tampa is already drawing positive reviews as a host

That was evident for Sheffield and the Badgers when they walked off the plane Tuesday and were greeted by a group that included Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla.

“To be in the presence of pirates is pretty cool,” Sheffield said.

Cook said he could tell quickly that Tampa has put on big events; the Frozen Four ice hockey championship was here in April, and the city has also hosted the College Football Playoff national championship game and the Women’s Final Four in basketball.

“I’ve been to other places where maybe they haven’t put on a Final Four before or something like that,” Cook said. “But you can tell the people here are used to having great events, and they’re pretty fired up about it. That stood out to me right away.”

Elliott brought Texas here in 2009 for a final four at what was then called the St. Pete Times Forum. His feelings are clear.

“I think Tampa should be hosting it every single year,” Elliott said.

NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship

Semifinals

Thursday

7 p.m.: Nebraska vs. Pitt (ESPN)

9:30: Wisconsin vs. Texas (ESPN)

Finals

3 p.m. Sunday (ABC)

Tickets: Available on Ticketmaster