Re-ranking the 16 remaining NCAA women's volleyball tournament teams for regionals

After a thrilling second round of regional play, I re-ranked the remaining 16 teams left standing in the 2024 NCAA women's volleyball tournament.

I took each team's original seeding given by the committee and adjusted it based on tournament play only. 

Here's my 2024 regionals re-rank list, along with their original bracket seeding:

1. Pitt (No. 1 seed)
2. Nebraska (No. 1)
3. Penn State (No. 1)
4. Stanford (No. 2)
5. Creighton (No. 2)
6. Louisville (No. 1)
7. Texas (No. 3)
8. Wisconsin (No. 2)
9. Kentucky (No. 3)
10. Purdue (No. 4)
11. Missouri (No. 7)
12. Texas A&M (No. 6)
13. Oregon (No. 4)
14. Florida (No. 6)
15. Dayton (No. 5)
16. Marquette (No. 5)

Starting at the top, there is no movement with Pitt, Nebraska and Penn State. Pitt and Nebraska dominated through the first two rounds, two sweeps apiece. Listen to this number: the Huskers held their first two opponents to a .010 hitting percentage. PSU dropped one set to North Carolina in the second round. 

2024 TOURNAMENT COVERAGE: See the bracket, schedule and scores through the second round

I moved up 2-seeds Stanford and Creighton since they swept their first two opponents. Stanford was only above Creighton because it had to face a seeded opponent in Loyola Marymount (CA) in the second round and hit an NCAA-best .467 through the first two matches. Creighton also impressed me though, handling Ole Miss in a sweep. They beat the Rebels 25-7 in the third set. 

Louisville, the last of the 1-seeds, drops to No. 6 overall in my re-rank after a highly contested second-round matchup with UNI. That match almost went the other way before Louisville finally got two in a row to win the fifth set, 22-20. I am not going to drop the Cardinals down further than here, though, since the team still held opponents to a .082 clip and battled back in it. And honestly, I think this test will make them stronger. The Cardinals had an unmatched will to win, and UNI was plenty talented. 

At No. 7, I moved two-time defending champ Texas up since I was so unbelievably impressed by the Longhorns' performance. They swept what everyone thought would be a tough challenge in Southern Cal. I am unsurprised that Madi Skinner is back to postseason Madi Skinner form with 23 kills and hitting .347 vs. USC.

Then I have Wisconsin, which handled a tough second-round matchup against Georgia Tech in four sets. There is so much talent on that Badgers roster. 

Next, I have Kentucky and Purdue. I was so impressed by the Wildcats and I think they're peaking at the right time. It was a solid win over a strong Minnesota team. Purdue did not have to face a seeded opponent but handled both rounds as Eva Hudson went off. 

Now for some new teams — Missouri and Texas A&M entered the top 16 as the Tigers looked like the full package against No. 2 SMU, with tough serving and ballers at pretty much every position. Logan Lednicky and Ifenna Cos Okpalla highlighted Texas A&M. They had an efficient offensive outing against a gritty Arizona State defense. Missouri and Texas A&M pulled off their upsets in four sets; they didn't even need five. It was really impressive. 

Then I have Oregon, who took down TCU in four sets in the second round as Mimi Colyer led with 19 kills, hitting over .330. 

And some more new teams in the top 16 re-rank: Florida made it out alive after a five-setter against Kansas. Kennedy Martin is phenomenal; her 30-kill performances are becoming no big deal for her. I think this Gators team is one to watch out for moving forward, making what should be a fun battle with Stanford. 

Finally, I have Dayton and Marquette, two 5-seeds. They upset 4-seeds Baylor and Utah, respectively, in five sets. Lexie Almodovar has been unreal for the Flyers, and Aubrey Hamilton led Marquette with 20 kills in the upset.