The 2025 volleyball season begins Friday, August 22, with the American Volleyball Coaches Association (ACVA) First Serve event.First Serve is a collection of opening matches that showcases multiple doubleheaders during the four days from Aug. 22-25. Many of the teams featured are ranked in the Division I women’s volleyball preseason poll, including No. 1 Nebraska, No.2 Penn State, the defending national champ, and No. 3 Pitt.
Here are four storylines to keep a pulse on ahead of the 2025 NCAA volleyball season:
Can Penn State repeat?
When the Nittany Lions kick off their season on Saturday, August 23, against Creighton, they will begin with one looming question: Can they win back-to-back? Penn State went 29-2 in the regular season and 19-1 in the Big Ten, which netted the team co-Big Ten Championship honors with the Nebraska Huskers. As head coach Katie Schumacher Cawley guided her roster into the postseason, the Nittany Lions met the Huskers again, sweeping them in the NCAA semifinals. Schumacher-Cawley eventually became the first woman head coach ever to win a volleyball national championship when Penn State beat the Louisville Cardinals, 3-1, for the program’s eighth championship.
The Nittany Lions have a chance to add more hardware to their trophy case in 2025, but it could be tougher this time around. Despite returning nine players from its championship roster, including NCAA All-Tournament team standout Gillian Grimes, the last time Penn State won consecutive titles was 2013 and 2014 and four straight from 2007 to 2010. Since then, only two other teams, the Texas Longhorns (2022, 2023) and Stanford Cardinal (2018, 2019), have gone back-to-back.
Dani Busboom Kelly kicks off new era at Nebraska
One of the biggest changes of the offseason came in Lincoln, Nebraska, when longtime Huskers head coach John Cook retired. Cook announced his retirement in January after more than two decades with the program. His 25 seasons with the Huskers produced four national championships, three AVCA National Coach of the Year awards and many more accolades.
With Cook moving on, Nebraska tapped alumna Dani Busboom Kelly to be its next coach. Busboom Kelly was on the 2006 national championship team under Cook and was also an assistant coach in 2015 when the Huskers won a title. The former libero spent eight seasons at Louisville, taking the program to new heights, including a phenomenal 2021 season that helped the team achieve a No. 1 national rank and reach the first NCAA Final Four in school history. Coinciding with Busboom Kelly’s arrival in Lincoln, the Huskers open the 2025 season as the No. 1 team in the country.
Top players to watch
Izzy Starck, setter, Penn State: Starck is a future powerhouse who led the country in total assists (1483) as a freshman. The AVCA Freshman of the Year started 37 matches for Penn State and recorded 18 double-doubles. She also helped spearhead the Nittany Lions’ national championship run with 10.72 assists a set, landing her a nod on the NCAA State College Regional All-Tournament Team.
Harper Murray, outside hitter, Nebraska: Murray, the 2023 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, is a phenomenal talent on the outside, who led the Huskers last season in kills per set (3.4). She finished her season with nine double-doubles and tallied a career-best 411 kills on the year. After a solid regular season with the Huskers, Murray earned a spot on the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team during Nebraska’s postseason run.
Olivia Babcock, outside hitter, Pittsburgh: Babcock is a young star, and in 2024, she won the AVCA National Player of the Year. During her sophomore season, she set a single-season program record with 71 aces, and was ranked third in the country with .62 aces per set. Babcock also led the nation in points (677.5), helping Pitt to a 33-2 record and an NCAA semifinals appearance.
Biggest transfer portal impact player
Perhaps there was no bigger transfer in the offseason than two-time All-American outside hitter Torey Stafford leaving Pitt for Texas. Stafford, previously a stellar complement to outside hitter Olivia Babcock, exited the Panthers after helping them reach the Final Four in her first two seasons. During her time with the program, she added first-team All-ACC honors to her résumé and ranked second on the team in points per set (4.24) and kills per set (3.70). Her .358 hitting percentage during her sophomore season was also noteworthy.
Stafford helps Texas fill the void after losing outside hitter Madisen Skinner, who now plays pro volleyball with LOVB Austin. Skinner was an AVCA second-team All-American and first-team all-SEC in 2024. During her time with Texas, Skinner led the Longhorns with 409 kills and averaged 4.35 kills per set. If Stafford can create similar production, it could be a game-changer for the program.