Women's College Volleyball Bracketology: 2025 NCAA tournament predictions, bubble watch

4 hours ago 4

Charlie CremeOct 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 nearly reached the midway point of the season and the RPI and KPI rankings are out, it's time to look at what the key elements of the bracket might 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 chosen by the NCAA volleyball committee. Volleyball seeds the top eight teams in each region, and the top four teams in each region serve as first- and second-round hosts. The rest of the bracket is filled out to balance it competitively and geographically. The highest remaining seeds also host regionals, and the 2025 Final Four is in Kansas City, Missouri, on Dec. 18, with the finals on Dec. 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 haven't lost a set since Sept. 16. Texas is the nation's only other unbeaten and is No. 2 overall. The ACC duo of Pitt and Louisville fill out the top line. Their clash at the L&N Federal Credit Union Arena on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, ESPN) is the first of two matches between the Panthers and Cardinals. With Kentucky looming on the 2-seed line, Pitt and Louisville's match on Sunday (as well as their rematch on Nov. 26) will go a long way toward deciding the No. 1 seeds. Louisville also has to navigate a home meeting with SMU on Friday night before facing the Panthers and Olivia Babcock, the frontrunner to defend her crown as the AVCA Player of the Year.

Full seedings

No. 1 seeds: Nebraska, Texas, Pitt, Louisville

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

No. 13 seeds: Stephen F. Austin, UC Davis, Utah Tech, Fairfield

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

No. 15 seeds: San Diego State, Weber State, Little Rock, Coppin State

No. 16 seeds: UMBC, USC Upstate, St. Francis, Prairie View A&M

Bubble watch

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

First Four Out: Auburn, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Villanova

Next Four Out: Oregon, Utah, Washington, Arizona