At the CHI Health Center on Saturday, Texas (27-1) and Louisville (31-2) will play in the NCAA volleyball tournament final. Texas is vying for its third NCAA Championship, fourth national title, and first crown since 2012. For Louisville, this would be their first victory.
To get to this point, the Longhorns defeated the San Diego Toreros, the No. 3 seed and two-seed, in the semifinals on Dec. 15 by a score of three sets to one. In the NCAA Tournament, Texas has also beaten the No. 10 Ohio State Buckeyes, No. 16 Marquette Golden Eagles, No. Georgia Bulldogs, and No. Fairleigh Dickinson Knights.
Texas vs. Louisville Volleyball Update:
Game: NCAA Volleyball Championship
Teams: Texas volleyball vs. Louisville
Start Time: 8:00 PM ET
TV Channel: ESPN2/ESPN+ (Stream)
The National Championship game between Texas and Louisville will start on December 17 at 7 p.m. CT at the CHI Health Center Arena in Omaha.
In the final set, the Cardinals won the first eight points and went on to lead 12-1 as Pitt failed to mount a late comeback. Claire Chausse finished the match with 25 kills on.429 hitting as Louisville hit.750 in the sixth. Aiko Jones (12 kills,.310 hitting) and Anna DeBeer (15 kills,.195 hitting) both had double-digit kill totals.
Pk Kong completely lost it in the fifth set and finished the match with 11 total blocks. The tenacious Pitt team kept fighting back, and the Cardinals never stopped answering. However, with a total of 19 blocks made as a team and 10 service aces, they were able to dominate at the net.
crucial points
Texas, the top overall seed in the competition, is participating in the finals for the seventh time. Most recently, in 2020, the Longhorns reached the championship game and have won it twice, in 1988 and 2012 (both times with current head coach Jerritt Elliott). The history of the competition is available here, along with a list of all previous winners, coaches, and runners-up. The whole replay of the 2012 championship game is available on the NCAA.com YouTube channel.
Secured a place in the championship #SustainableSuccess | @TexasDisposal pic.twitter.com/keBwQPmCvk
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) December 16, 2022
The first time Louisville has advanced to the finals. The Cardinals are coached by Dani Busboom Kelly, a member of Nebraska’s 2006 national champion squad. She might lead a DI women’s volleyball team to the NCAA title, making history as the first female coach. For this piece, Mike Lopresti of NCAA.com spent time with her early this season.
How to watch Texas vs Louisville Live NCAA Volleyball Championship game
ESPN2 on TV; WatchESPN online (if ESPN is included as part of your TV package)
If the basic ESPN family of networks is part of your TV bundle or subscription, you may watch the game live on ESPN2, and stream it on WatchESPN.
