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NCAA women’s volleyball bracket takeaways: Nebraska is the top seed

NCAA women’s volleyball bracket takeaways: Nebraska is the top seed

The regular season is over and the bracket is set. In a few weeks, women’s college volleyball will crown its next national champion in Kansas City, Missouri.

In the bracket unveiled on ESPN on Sunday night, the undefeated Nebraska Cornhuskers — to the surprise of no one — received the No. 1 overall seed. Nebraska, under first-year coach Dani Busboom Kelly, completed a 30-0 regular season campaign after getting sweeps this past weekend over Penn State and Ohio State. It’s the third time in school history — and first time since 2000 — that the Huskers have gone undefeated in a regular season.

Nebraska has only lost one set in Big Ten play and only seven in the entire regular season. Led by National Player of the Year candidate Harper Murray, the Huskers are also No. 1 in Evollve Rating, which measures the expected probability of winning a point against an average opponent and is determined by adjusting team performance for schedule strength.

Only two teams have forced Nebraska to a fifth set this season: Kentucky and Creighton. The Wildcats join the Huskers on the one-line as the third overall seed, while the Bluejays — who are riding a 20-game winning streak and went 16-0 in Big East play — are seeded No. 3 in Kentucky’s quadrant of the bracket. An Elite Eight matchup between Kentucky and Creighton could be incredibly watchable.

Louisville is the No. 2 seed in Nebraska’s corner of the bracket, which would set up a potential Elite Eight matchup between Busboom Kelly’s old squad and the one she coaches now.

Joining Nebraska and Kentucky on the one-line are Texas and Pitt.

Here are a few other takeaways from the bracket reveal…

The Big Ten looks like the best volleyball conference

In addition to Nebraska landing the No. 1 overall seed, the Big Ten made out pretty well on Selection Sunday. Six teams from the conference landed top 16 seeds, the most of any league. The ACC was second with four top 16 seeds.

The way the bracket is set up, there could be multiple intra-Big Ten matchups in the Sweet 16, including a rivalry clash between USC and UCLA.

Another ACC team could stand in Pitt’s way

Powered by reigning National Player of the Year Olivia Babcock, Pitt is a top-four seed in the college volleyball tournament for the fifth straight year. Winners of five straight and owners of a 26-4 overall record, Pitt is eyeing what would be its fifth consecutive trip to the Final Four.

But standing in the Panthers’ way could be another strong ACC opponent in No. 2 SMU, the fifth overall seed. Pitt did beat the Mustangs twice in the regular season, 3-2 and 3-1, but SMU has won nine in a row and also owns wins this season over Stanford, Louisville, Miami, Texas A&M and Baylor.

Beating a team three times in one season is often difficult.

Interesting potential second round matchup: Wisconsin vs. North Carolina

The Badgers landed the No. 3 seed in Texas’ quadrant. Wisconsin has won nine straight games and ranks seventh nationally in Evollve Rating. The Badgers are also second nationally in assists per set with 13.9.

To set up what could be an entertaining second-round matchup, Wisconsin will have to top Eastern Illinois, and North Carolina has to defeat No. 6 UTEP.

While the Tar Heels were one of the last four teams to crack the field, they do own some impressive wins this season, notching victories over Florida, SMU and Georgia Tech. Jackie Taylor leads UNC in service aces and blocks this season, and ranks eighth nationally in block assists with 142.

Elsewhere in the bracket, TCU vs. Texas A&M, Miami vs. Kansas, and Baylor vs. Purdue are among the other intriguing potential matchups in the second round.

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Deadspin | Fresh off play-in win, Suns take on top-seeded Thunder  Apr 17, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Jalen Green (4) celebrates after a slam dunk against the Golden State Warriors during the first half in the play-in rounds of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images   The Phoenix Suns come into their first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder with some momentum after knocking off the Golden State Warriors in the play-in finale Friday to earn the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.  The Thunder haven’t played in a week heading into Sunday’s Game 1 of the series in Oklahoma City.  After letting a big lead slip away in the play-in opener against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Suns bounced back with a 111-96 home win over the Warriors.  Jalen Green was one of the biggest factors in Phoenix advancing, with 36 points in Friday’s victory.  “They’re going to come in, play hard, play their game, but I think if we bring the same energy that we brought (Friday night) and getting stops, playing defense, getting out and running, we can use that to our advantage,” Green said, looking forward to facing Oklahoma City. “It should be a good series.”  The Thunder are looking to become the first team since Golden State in 2017-18 to repeat as champions.  “It’s an opportunity,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I think just going through last year and realizing that’s so far down the line. So many things are going to happen before we get to the Finals clinching game. … So many things have to go our way that aren’t in our control and so many things we have to control that are hard to control at this level for a long period of time for us to have that opportunity.”  Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren said there’s value in having the experience, but that his team can’t take any team lightly.  “You have to try to carry over the experiences that you learn from, but you can’t carry over the result, because the result means absolutely nothing,” Holmgren said. “If you’re sitting here in the playoffs saying, ‘Oh, we won last year,’ that’s not going to win you a playoff series or a game or get a stop on a possession.”   The series features two of the best defenses in the league.  The Thunder had the NBA’s best defensive rating, allowing just 106.5 points per 100 possessions during the regular season while the Suns were ninth at 112.9.  In Friday’s win, Phoenix scored 30 points off Golden State turnovers to help fuel the win, while Oklahoma City led the league with 22.0 points per game off turnovers during the season. The Thunder also limited opponents to just 14.7 points per game off turnovers, second-best in the NBA.  The Thunder won three of the five regular-season matchups between the teams, with Phoenix being one of just three teams to hand Oklahoma City multiple losses this season.  The teams closed the regular season against each other, though that game — a 32-point Suns win — will bear little resemblance to Sunday’s matchup.  With their playoff/play-in positions set, both teams sat most of their starters, with the Thunder’s only regular starter to play being Luguentz Dort.  Phoenix was without Grayson Allen (hamstring) and Mark Williams (foot soreness) for Friday’s win.  –Field Level Media   #Deadspin #Fresh #playin #win #Suns #topseeded #ThunderApr 17, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Jalen Green (4) celebrates after a slam dunk against the Golden State Warriors during the first half in the play-in rounds of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Phoenix Suns come into their first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder with some momentum after knocking off the Golden State Warriors in the play-in finale Friday to earn the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.

The Thunder haven’t played in a week heading into Sunday’s Game 1 of the series in Oklahoma City.

After letting a big lead slip away in the play-in opener against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Suns bounced back with a 111-96 home win over the Warriors.

Jalen Green was one of the biggest factors in Phoenix advancing, with 36 points in Friday’s victory.

“They’re going to come in, play hard, play their game, but I think if we bring the same energy that we brought (Friday night) and getting stops, playing defense, getting out and running, we can use that to our advantage,” Green said, looking forward to facing Oklahoma City. “It should be a good series.”

The Thunder are looking to become the first team since Golden State in 2017-18 to repeat as champions.

“It’s an opportunity,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I think just going through last year and realizing that’s so far down the line. So many things are going to happen before we get to the Finals clinching game. … So many things have to go our way that aren’t in our control and so many things we have to control that are hard to control at this level for a long period of time for us to have that opportunity.”

Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren said there’s value in having the experience, but that his team can’t take any team lightly.


“You have to try to carry over the experiences that you learn from, but you can’t carry over the result, because the result means absolutely nothing,” Holmgren said. “If you’re sitting here in the playoffs saying, ‘Oh, we won last year,’ that’s not going to win you a playoff series or a game or get a stop on a possession.”

The series features two of the best defenses in the league.

The Thunder had the NBA’s best defensive rating, allowing just 106.5 points per 100 possessions during the regular season while the Suns were ninth at 112.9.

In Friday’s win, Phoenix scored 30 points off Golden State turnovers to help fuel the win, while Oklahoma City led the league with 22.0 points per game off turnovers during the season. The Thunder also limited opponents to just 14.7 points per game off turnovers, second-best in the NBA.

The Thunder won three of the five regular-season matchups between the teams, with Phoenix being one of just three teams to hand Oklahoma City multiple losses this season.

The teams closed the regular season against each other, though that game — a 32-point Suns win — will bear little resemblance to Sunday’s matchup.

With their playoff/play-in positions set, both teams sat most of their starters, with the Thunder’s only regular starter to play being Luguentz Dort.

Phoenix was without Grayson Allen (hamstring) and Mark Williams (foot soreness) for Friday’s win.

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Fresh #playin #win #Suns #topseeded #Thunder">Deadspin | Fresh off play-in win, Suns take on top-seeded Thunder  Apr 17, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Jalen Green (4) celebrates after a slam dunk against the Golden State Warriors during the first half in the play-in rounds of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images   The Phoenix Suns come into their first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder with some momentum after knocking off the Golden State Warriors in the play-in finale Friday to earn the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.  The Thunder haven’t played in a week heading into Sunday’s Game 1 of the series in Oklahoma City.  After letting a big lead slip away in the play-in opener against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Suns bounced back with a 111-96 home win over the Warriors.  Jalen Green was one of the biggest factors in Phoenix advancing, with 36 points in Friday’s victory.  “They’re going to come in, play hard, play their game, but I think if we bring the same energy that we brought (Friday night) and getting stops, playing defense, getting out and running, we can use that to our advantage,” Green said, looking forward to facing Oklahoma City. “It should be a good series.”  The Thunder are looking to become the first team since Golden State in 2017-18 to repeat as champions.  “It’s an opportunity,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I think just going through last year and realizing that’s so far down the line. So many things are going to happen before we get to the Finals clinching game. … So many things have to go our way that aren’t in our control and so many things we have to control that are hard to control at this level for a long period of time for us to have that opportunity.”  Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren said there’s value in having the experience, but that his team can’t take any team lightly.  “You have to try to carry over the experiences that you learn from, but you can’t carry over the result, because the result means absolutely nothing,” Holmgren said. “If you’re sitting here in the playoffs saying, ‘Oh, we won last year,’ that’s not going to win you a playoff series or a game or get a stop on a possession.”   The series features two of the best defenses in the league.  The Thunder had the NBA’s best defensive rating, allowing just 106.5 points per 100 possessions during the regular season while the Suns were ninth at 112.9.  In Friday’s win, Phoenix scored 30 points off Golden State turnovers to help fuel the win, while Oklahoma City led the league with 22.0 points per game off turnovers during the season. The Thunder also limited opponents to just 14.7 points per game off turnovers, second-best in the NBA.  The Thunder won three of the five regular-season matchups between the teams, with Phoenix being one of just three teams to hand Oklahoma City multiple losses this season.  The teams closed the regular season against each other, though that game — a 32-point Suns win — will bear little resemblance to Sunday’s matchup.  With their playoff/play-in positions set, both teams sat most of their starters, with the Thunder’s only regular starter to play being Luguentz Dort.  Phoenix was without Grayson Allen (hamstring) and Mark Williams (foot soreness) for Friday’s win.  –Field Level Media   #Deadspin #Fresh #playin #win #Suns #topseeded #Thunder

Racing driver Juha Miettinen died and six others were ​injured on Saturday after an accident at the ADAC ‌24h Nuerburgring qualifiers that four-time Formula One ​champion Max Verstappen was due to ⁠compete in.

Organisers said Miettinen, who was 66 years old, died after a crash that stopped the race after about ‌half an hour of the scheduled four hours. All the other drivers were ‌taken to hospital with injuries that were ‌not ⁠life-threatening.

Red Bull F1 driver Verstappen, sharing a ⁠Mercedes AMG GT3 sportscar with Austrian Lucas Auer, was not on track at the time.

Racing Driver dies in car crash ahead of Nuerburgring race featuring Max Verstappen  Racing driver Juha Miettinen died and six others were ​injured on Saturday after an accident at the ADAC ‌24h Nuerburgring qualifiers that four-time Formula One ​champion Max Verstappen was due to ⁠compete in.Organisers said Miettinen, who was 66 years old, died after a crash that stopped the race after about ‌half an hour of the scheduled four hours. All the other drivers were ‌taken to hospital with injuries that were ‌not ⁠life-threatening.Red Bull F1 driver Verstappen, sharing a ⁠Mercedes AMG GT3 sportscar with Austrian Lucas Auer, was not on track at the time.“During the first race of ​the ADAC 24h Nuerburgring ‌Qualifiers, a serious accident involving seven competitors occurred in the early stages of the race,” Nuerburgring officials said in a statement.“Despite the immediate ‌arrival of emergency services, the emergency medics ​were unable to save the driver involved, Juha Miettinen (BMW 325i, #121), after he had ⁠been extracted from the vehicle. The driver died at the Medical Centre after all attempts at resuscitation ‌proved unsuccessful.”Organisers said the race would not resume on Saturday and a minute’s silence would be held during the grid formation on Sunday.Verstappen said on Instagram that he was shocked by what had happened.“Motorsport is something we all love ‌but in times like this it is a reminder ​of how dangerous it can be,” he posted. “Sending my heartfelt condolences to Juha’s family ⁠and loved ones.”The Nuerburgring’s historic and fearsome Nordschleife, known ⁠as the ‘Green Hell’ when it hosted Formula One in the 1960s and 70s, is a ‌20.8 km (12.9 miles) loop in the Eifel region of Germany. It was first opened in ​1927.Published on Apr 19, 2026  #Racing #Driver #dies #car #crash #ahead #Nuerburgring #race #featuring #Max #Verstappen

“During the first race of ​the ADAC 24h Nuerburgring ‌Qualifiers, a serious accident involving seven competitors occurred in the early stages of the race,” Nuerburgring officials said in a statement.

“Despite the immediate ‌arrival of emergency services, the emergency medics ​were unable to save the driver involved, Juha Miettinen (BMW 325i, #121), after he had ⁠been extracted from the vehicle. The driver died at the Medical Centre after all attempts at resuscitation ‌proved unsuccessful.”

Organisers said the race would not resume on Saturday and a minute’s silence would be held during the grid formation on Sunday.

Verstappen said on Instagram that he was shocked by what had happened.

“Motorsport is something we all love ‌but in times like this it is a reminder ​of how dangerous it can be,” he posted. “Sending my heartfelt condolences to Juha’s family ⁠and loved ones.”

The Nuerburgring’s historic and fearsome Nordschleife, known ⁠as the ‘Green Hell’ when it hosted Formula One in the 1960s and 70s, is a ‌20.8 km (12.9 miles) loop in the Eifel region of Germany. It was first opened in ​1927.

Published on Apr 19, 2026

#Racing #Driver #dies #car #crash #ahead #Nuerburgring #race #featuring #Max #Verstappen">Racing Driver dies in car crash ahead of Nuerburgring race featuring Max Verstappen  Racing driver Juha Miettinen died and six others were ​injured on Saturday after an accident at the ADAC ‌24h Nuerburgring qualifiers that four-time Formula One ​champion Max Verstappen was due to ⁠compete in.Organisers said Miettinen, who was 66 years old, died after a crash that stopped the race after about ‌half an hour of the scheduled four hours. All the other drivers were ‌taken to hospital with injuries that were ‌not ⁠life-threatening.Red Bull F1 driver Verstappen, sharing a ⁠Mercedes AMG GT3 sportscar with Austrian Lucas Auer, was not on track at the time.“During the first race of ​the ADAC 24h Nuerburgring ‌Qualifiers, a serious accident involving seven competitors occurred in the early stages of the race,” Nuerburgring officials said in a statement.“Despite the immediate ‌arrival of emergency services, the emergency medics ​were unable to save the driver involved, Juha Miettinen (BMW 325i, #121), after he had ⁠been extracted from the vehicle. The driver died at the Medical Centre after all attempts at resuscitation ‌proved unsuccessful.”Organisers said the race would not resume on Saturday and a minute’s silence would be held during the grid formation on Sunday.Verstappen said on Instagram that he was shocked by what had happened.“Motorsport is something we all love ‌but in times like this it is a reminder ​of how dangerous it can be,” he posted. “Sending my heartfelt condolences to Juha’s family ⁠and loved ones.”The Nuerburgring’s historic and fearsome Nordschleife, known ⁠as the ‘Green Hell’ when it hosted Formula One in the 1960s and 70s, is a ‌20.8 km (12.9 miles) loop in the Eifel region of Germany. It was first opened in ​1927.Published on Apr 19, 2026  #Racing #Driver #dies #car #crash #ahead #Nuerburgring #race #featuring #Max #Verstappen

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