NCAA Volleyball

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NCAA Photos via Getty Images

OMAHA, NE – APRIL 22: Jhenna Gabriel #2 of the Texas Longhorns hits a set against the Wisconsin Badgers during the Division I Women’s Volleyball Semifinals held at the Chi Health Center on April 22, 2021 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

College volleyball has begun, this week will kick off week five! College volleyball has been one of the fastest growing NCAA sports. As of 2019, there are 1,800 women’s college volleyball teams. There are five major collegiate levels, Divisions 1,2, and 3 and then NAIA and JUCO. Division 1 volleyball teams offer twelve full ride scholarships per team. The average height of a D1 player is 6 foot, which would only allow 2 percent of women to play. While there are exceptions, your skills would have to be outstanding in order to outshine the taller girls. This division also requires a 20 inch vertical jump. The top 3 D1 schools are Texas, Louisville, and Nebraska. Division 2 volleyball is still an incredibly competitive space. On average the athletes need to be 5’10, which is 15 percent of females, compared to the 2 percent in Division 1. The top D2 schools are California State Polytechnic University-Pomona, Truman State University, and Colorado School of Mines. Division 3 average height for players is 5’8-5’10. Division 3 is still very competitive, however it allows players to live a more normal day to day life.  The top 3 D3 schools are Massachusetts Institute of Technology-MIT, Emory University, and John Hopkins University.

Here’s some upcoming games you don’t want to miss:

-September 24: Texas vs. Texas Tech

-September 24: Louisville vs. South Florida

-October 1: Nebraska vs. Indiana

Sources:

-https://www.ncsasports.org/articles-1/college-volleyball

-https://huskers.com/sports/football/schedule/2022