Introduction:

Volleyball was first added to the NCAA’s Women’s Championship program in 1981 and has since then expanded to 346 Division I teams across the United States. The game we see today is a direct product of countless rule changes, evolving game strategies, and a continuing passion for high-level play. Top teams such as Nebraska, Stanford, Texas, and more recently in the mix: Pitt and SMU, have all cemented their status as some of the best teams in the NCAA and continue to deliver electrifying performances, which undoubtedly plays a role in the recent record-breaking streak of engagement from fans across the country. Viewership and attendance records have never been as high and show no intention of slowing down. In this article, I will be analyzing this recent breakthrough through data, highlighting both tournament and non-tournament play, and sharing what the future of this sport may look like in the NCAA.

Engagement Through Viewership

The NCAA holds a record of the top 30 matches (Tournament and Non-Tournament Play) with the highest attendance records spanning from the years 2005-2024, highlighting a significant spike in the past couple of years of 2022-2024. To explain this spike, the context in which volleyball games are hosted must be highlighted. Unlike many other sports in the NCAA, volleyball is played indoors and is restricted by much lower capacity limits compared to their outdoor-sport counterparts, such as football. In 2023, though, powerhouse Nebraska hosted a regular-season match against Omaha at their school’s very own football field: Memorial Stadium. Hosting a game of this caliber was impressive in itself but one can say that the engagement from fans was what stood out the most from this match. The game pulled in a total of 92,003 attendees and brought in a total of $2.7 million dollars in revenue, highlighting the level of demand which fans have for women’s college volleyball.

Each volleyball team across the United States has their season broken up into pre-conference and conference matches (both Non-Tournament Play) and postseason matches (Tournament play). The average attendance from both types of play is broken down below:

Highlighted below are Tournament play and each match's average attendance. Like most sports, tournament play can be the most exciting for fans. First-time match-ups between teams welcome new dynamics and high-levels of competitiveness from players. Both new and long-standing fans can enjoy high-level game play from the very best teams in the country either in-person at their nearest hosting arena or just a click away with renewing partnerships between the NCAA and streaming platforms like ESPN. Such partnerships led to the first-ever volleyball national championship match being broadcast on national television in 2023. The championship match between Texas and Nebraska peaked with 2.1 million viewers on ABC and simultaneously broke the NCAA’s indoor attendance record with a total of 19,729 attendants, leaving no doubt in the possibility of volleyball becoming one of the top sports in the NCAA by measurement of engagement.

Earlier this year, the NCAA made a new 8-year agreement with ESPN, in which volleyball was 1 of 21 women’s sports, and ESPN was given exclusive rights to broadcast all rounds of their respective championship tournament. The entire deal was valued at $920 million dollars, putting into perspective the value that teams like women’s volleyball hold to the NCAA through ticket sales, viewership, and merch sales. Deals like this could also impact players directly; by gaining more media exposure, players are able to create their own brand and market themselves accordingly to capitalize on NIL partnerships.

Ending Note

Amongst the winningest teams of top-attended matches, it becomes clear that reigning powerhouses such as Nebraska, Stanford, Penn St., and Texas have gained popularity through their ability to deliver. I believe that through this deal, though, we will see more “underdog” teams join these veterans as the most loved by fans. Different styles of play, different skill sets, and each team’s unique history keep volleyball exciting and engaging for fans. At this time, the top 8 winningest teams are outlined below, but perhaps promising teams like Louisville, Pitt, and SMU will find themselves amongst the mix of legends in the next 5-10 years, gaining not only wins but support from new fans.