The ACC's top two teams will play for a chance to reach the NCAA women's volleyball championship game.
Pittsburgh and Louisville meet on Thursday, December 19th (12/19/2024) at the KFC Yum! in the NCAA volleyball semifinals. Center in Louisville, Kentucky.
The semifinals will air on ESPN and can be streamed live on DirecTV Stream (free trial), fuboTV (free trial), ESPN+ and other live TV streaming services.
The other semifinal, Nebraska vs. Penn State, begins 30 minutes after that game ends at around 9 p.m. It also airs on ESPN.
Here's what you need to know:
What: NCAA Division I women's volleyball semifinals
WHO: Pittsburgh vs. Louisville
When: 6:30 p.m. ET Thursday, December 19, 2024 (12/19/2024)
Where: KFC Yummy! Center in Louisville, Kentucky
TV: ESPN
Station finder: Verizon Fios, Xfinity, Spectrum, Optimum/Altice, Cox, DirecTV
Live stream: DirecTV Stream (free trial), ESPN+, fuboTV (free trial), Sling (half off first month), Hulu + Live TV
Here's more on the game from Tribune News Service:
The ACC's top two teams will meet for the third time this season, and this meeting will take place on the biggest stage yet – the Final Four.
Pitt is 2-0 against Louisville this year, with a five-set win at Petersen Events Center and a four-set win at KFC Yum! Center. Thursday's game will be the second time these two teams have played on this ground.
Pitt and Louisville have a storied rivalry, as both teams began gaining national prominence around the same time. Since 2017, either the Panthers, the Cardinals or both have won the ACC regular season title.
They used to be the only teams in the ACC that were discussed at the national level, but they paved the way for the conference to be considered one of the best in the country.
It is often said in sports that it is difficult to beat a team three times in a season. Will Pitt be able to rise to the challenge?
Top storyline
Pitt is trying to get to the national title game for the first time in program history. This is the Panthers' fourth time in the Final Four, with a record of 0-3. They lost twice to Nebraska and once to Louisville.
The Cardinals defeated Pitt in a heartbreaking fifth set in 2022. The first four sets were close, but Louisville defeated the Panthers with a 15-2 score in the final set.
Louisville nearly lost to Northern Iowa in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Since then, the Cardinals have had two fantastic performances at regionals. They had a combined batting average of .366 against Purdue and Stanford. Louisville held the two teams to a combined batting average of .197. Charitie Luper said they will play their best volleyball en route to the Final Four.
Conversely, Pitt did not look as dominant as usual in its first four NCAA tournament games. The Panthers had a particularly difficult time against Oregon, where they reached a fifth set for the fourth time this season. However, Pitt is still playing well and has defeated three of its four tournament opponents so far.
Players to watch
Olivia Babcock: A two-time first-team All-American, Babcock sets the pace offensively for Pitt. She averages 5.85 points per set and 4.59 kills per set. It is also very versatile with 1.85 digs per set and 0.65 aces per set. Babcock is averaging 5.00 kills per set against the Cardinals this season.
Torrey Stafford: The sophomore leads the nation in batting average among power conference underdogs (.359). She is fifth in the ACC in scoring percentage, sixth in kills per set (3.67) and seventh in points per set (4.22). She is averaging 3.55 kills per set against the Cardinals this season.
Rachel Fairbanks: Pitt's quarterback gives the team a national-leading .332 hitting percentage and is averaging a career-best 10.56 assists per set. Against Louisville this season, Fairbanks has held Pitt to a .282 batting average and 10.33 assists average.
Behind enemy lines
Anna DeBeer: The All-ACC first-team honoree leads Louisville's offense with 3.37 kills per set and a .270 hitting percentage. Her 19 kills against Northern Iowa were key to the Cardinals staving off a second-round upset. DeBeer is averaging 3.5 kills per set in the NCAA Tournament.
Elena Scott: Scott was a two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year and led the ACC with 4.43 digs per set during the regular season. She added 110 assists and 33 aces, helping Louisville to its 33rd appearance in the NCAA Tournament. She averaged 3.75 digs per set in the first four rounds and added 26 digs against Northern Iowa in the second round.
Charitie Luper: Right behind DeBeer is Luper when it comes to offensive production. The veteran outside hitter is averaging 3.01 kills per set with a .265 batting average. She averaged 3.38 kills per set through her first four NCAA Tournament games.
How can I stream the NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament without cable?
Fans can sign up for a free trial of DirecTV Stream (5-day free trial) or fuboTV (7-day free trial) to watch ESPN for free during the free trial period.
Fans can also subscribe to ESPN+ to watch many postseason NCAA events this fall. ESPN+ does not offer a free trial, but can be bundled with Hulu and Disney+ with the Disney Bundle.
