What to watch as the DII women’s volleyball season opens

The DII women’s volleyball season is here. Cal State LA is looking to defend its crown, but the usual suspects are back, reloaded and ready to make their case to add to their trophy collection. 

Here’s a look at what to watch as the season opens. 

DII WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL NEWS

• 2023 interactive bracket
• Programs with the most titles
• The complete guide to the DII women's volleyball championship tournament

The 2024 DII women's volleyball season, previewed

Can Cal State LA do the unthinkable… again? The AVCA started doing its national polls in 1986. Last year, the Golden Eagles were the first team to go from unranked in the final regular-season poll to win the national championship. Entering the quarterfinals as the No. 6 seed, the Golden Eagles reeled off upset after upset, taking down No. 3 Wayne State (Neb), No. 2 UMSL and defending national champion West Texas A&M to win the first title in program history.

Obviously, the stakes are higher this year as Cal State LA enters the season at No. 1. As CCAA winners the last two years, the Golden Eagles are going for their first “three-peat” in CCAA history, a feat never accomplished by the program. It will be challenging: Only two of their top six point scorers return, albeit one is Emily Elliott, who led the team with 5.69 points per set. Haley Roundtree, Brooke Paige and Jameson Sanders join Elliott as the only returners to appear in the championship-winning match. Throw in a brutal opening weekend at the Yotes Classic Showcase against three 2023 DII women’s volleyball championship tournament teams and the Golden Eagles are testing themselves right out of the gate.

Can West Texas A&M return to the top? The Lady Buffs are a DII women’s volleyball powerhouse, winners of four national championships, the second most in the sport’s history. They also have a pair of national runners-up, including last year when they fell just short of repeating for the second time in program history (the first came in 1990-91). 

Unlike their national championship match counterparts, West Texas A&M returns quite a few key pieces, like second-leading point scorer Emma Becker, Taytum Stow and Camy Jones, all three of which played in each of the previous two title matches. West Texas A&M also hosts the Lady Buff Classic to open the season where it faces three programs that made the tournament last year. This is a tried-and-true program, and coming out of opening weekend with a winning record will set the tone for another strong campaign.

Is this the year we see Concordia-St. Paul win title No. 10? No one has more titles than the Golden Bears' nine. However, the last time they won was 2017, the second of back-to-back titles. Is 2024 the year they rise back to the top?

Concordia comes in at No. 5 in the preseason AVCA poll and No. 2 in the stacked NSIC preseason poll. It is the 20th consecutive season that the Golden Bears have begun the season in the AVCA top 10. This is a powerhouse program, and they return a ton of experience from last year. Sophia Anderson and Emma Schmidt — who finished second and third in points for the Golden Bears last year, respectively — lead the way. But the NSIC will once again be a gauntlet — there are five programs in the AVCA top-16 alone. If the Golden Bears survive that and repeat as NSIC tournament champions, they will once again be a contender for it all.

Of course, the biggest challenge the Golden Bears may face is in their own conference. Wayne State (Neb) has won the NSIC regular-season title two years running and made it to the DII women’s finals for the second time in program history last year. The Wildcats are projected to win the NSIC and come in at No. 4 — one ahead of CSP — in the AVCA preseason poll. With three of their top five scorers from last year’s 31-3 squad back, Wayne State is going to be a presence on the national scene yet again. 

Will the sun shine on Tampa for No. 5? The Spartans are another DII women’s volleyball powerhouse, winning their fourth national championship as recently as 2021. Not only have they won four titles since 2006, but they also have two national runner-up campaigns sprinkled in along the way.

So, what can we expect from Tampa in 2024? The Spartans enter the season at No. 2, marking the fifth straight season they have entered the year in the top 5. All-Americans JJ Ramirez and Nathaly Perez lead a cast of 12 returners from last year’s national semifinals squad, where they lost a thriller to West Texas A&M. Tampa has the experience, coaching and talent that make it seem like the team is a national quarterfinals lock once again. 

Wild opening weekend tournaments pit a bevy of top 25 schools against each other. We won’t have to wait long to find out about the 2024 season and who is ready to play. Check out the lineups in some of these opening weekend tournaments. 

• The Yotes Classic Showcase features No. 1 Cal State LA, No. 8 and host Cal State San Bernardino. No. 10 St. Cloud State, No. 12 Chaminade, No. 19 Seattle Pacific, No. 21 Cal Poly Pomona and Biola. 
• The BritKare Lady Buff Classic features No. 3 and host West Texas A&M, No. 15 Central Missouri and No. 18 Ferris State, as well as 2023 DII tournament team West Virginia State.
• Colorado School of Mines, which is looking to rebound after a 14-12 season, hosts the 2024 Oredigger Classic, welcoming No. 13 Regis, No. 17 Colorado Mesa, Gannon — a team that received votes in the preseason poll and always seem to be the team to beat in the Atlantic — and several others.