Women's College Volleyball Bracketology: 2025 NCAA tournament predictions

charlie creamOctober 16, 2025, 11:45 am ET
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Welcome to the first installment of Women’s College Volleyball Bracketology.

Now that conference play has almost reached the midpoint of the season and the RPI and KPI rankings have been revealed, it’s time to see what the key elements of the bracket may look like when the field of 64 is revealed on Nov. 30 (6 p.m. ET, ESPN). There are 31 automatic bids with 33 at-large teams selected by the NCAA Volleyball Committee. In volleyball the top eight teams from each region are seeded, and the top four teams from each region serve as hosts for the first and second rounds. The remaining brackets have been filled to balance competition and geography. The highest remaining seeds also host regionals, and the 2025 Final Four will take place on December 18 in Kansas City, Missouri, with the final on December 21.

bracket watch

With 10 top-50 RPI wins and an unblemished 16-0 mark, Nebraska is the clear No. 1 overall seed. The Cornhuskers have not lost a set since September 16. Texas is the only undefeated player in the country and is ranked No. 2 overall. The ACC duo of Pitt and Louisville fill out the top row. Their contest at L&N Federal Credit Union Arena on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, ESPN) is the first of two games between the Panthers and Cardinals. With Kentucky moving up to the 2-seed line, Pitt and Louisville’s matchup on Sunday (as well as their rematch on Nov. 26) will go a long way in determining the No. 1 seed. Louisville also has a home meeting with SMU on Friday night before facing the Panthers and Olivia Babcock, who is the frontrunner to defend her crown as AVCA Player of the Year.

complete seeding

No. 1 seed: nebraska, texas, pitt, louisville

No. 2 seed: Kentucky, SMU, Arizona State, Stanford

No. 3 seed: Indiana, Miami, Purdue, Minnesota

No. 4 seed: Creighton, Wisconsin, TCU, Texas A&M

No. 5 seed: BYU, Illinois, Penn State, UCLA

No. 6 seed: Kansas State, Cincinnati, Marquette, Baylor

No. 7 seed: Tennessee, Kansas, USC, UTEP

No. 8 seed: Michigan State, Michigan, Colorado, North Carolina

No. 9 Seed: South Dakota State, Iowa State, Xavier, Florida

No. 10 seed: West Virginia, Mississippi State, Western Kentucky, San Diego

No. 11 seed: Tulsa, Iowa, UCF, Dayton

No. 12 seed: Ball State, Colgate, Towson, Coastal Carolina

Number 13 Seed: Stephen F. Austin, UC Davis, Utah Tech, Fairfield

No. 14 Seed: Wright State, Jacksonville, ETSU, Cornell

Number 15 Seed: San Diego State, Weber State, Little Rock, Coppin State

Number 16 Seed: UMBC, USC Upstate, St. Francis, Prairie View A&M

bubble clock

Georgia Tech has a sixth-seeded schedule, a win over Purdue, and a No. 35 RPI. The problem with the Yellow Jackets is their overall record is sub-.500 (7-8). They need to string together some wins, and with Wake Forest, NC State and Cal coming on the schedule they have that opportunity. Auburn can get into the field by beating either Kentucky or Tennessee this week, and the UCF vs. Arizona clash on Friday night could have significant bubble implications. Oregon’s next three games are against NCAA Tournament-bound teams (Minnesota, Wisconsin, UCLA). The Ducks’ postseason fate is likely to be decided in the next nine days.

First four out: Auburn, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Villanova

Next four out: Oregon, Utah, Washington, Arizona