Texas sweeps Louisville to win the 2022 NCAA volleyball national championship

The Longhorns have taken a 2-0 lead on the match with a convincing 25-14 win in the second set. The Longhorns are winning the serve and pass game by a landslide and the Cards are struggling in most facets of the game. Logan Eggleston is getting things done no matter what situation she is in. She now has 14 kills on .393 hitting followed by Madi Skinner and Asjia O'Neal with five kills apiece. Every Texas player is hitting above .300, and their team average is a strong .433. The Cards are now down to .192 on the match. Claire Chaussee struggled with some more hitting errors in the second set, and her hitting efficiency has lowered to .143. The Cards have 11 attacking errors compared to Texas' four. 

The Longhorns came out hot, again. The Cards were struggling in serve receive, and Eggleston was just killing them on out-of-system plays. The Longhorns took a pretty hefty lead early on in the set at 15-7, which sent the Cardinals scrambling to regroup. The Cards went on a 4-0 run out of the timeout, but the Longhorns quickly regained momentum after that. They responded with a 3-0 run over their own to pick up an 18-11 lead, and then they were the first to 20. After that, they were rolling. One block, kill, dig, kill or Louisville attacking error at a time, and Texas cruised to a 2-0 lead on the match. 

The Longhorns are now one set away from the national title. The Cards face a must-win third set. 

Texas 2(-0) step 🤘 @TexasVolleyball

📺 ESPN2#NCAAWVB x 🎥 @Big12Conferencepic.twitter.com/LxcnpisgbG

— NCAA Women's Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) December 18, 2022

The Longhorns have taken a 1-0 lead on the match after a 25-22 win in Set 1. But boy do we have a good match on our hands. The energy is just different in a national championship match. You can feel it and see it as you watch the players after each and every point. Logan Eggleston was on absolute fire with 10 kills on .562 hitting. The next highest after Logan was Madi Skinner, Asjia O'Neal and Molly Phillips who each had two kills apiece. The Longhorns have their go-to player back, and they are utilizing her in every way possible. 

Claure Chaussee led the Cardinals with an outstanding offensive performance. She posted seven kills on .429 hitting, but Anna DeBeer only accounted for two kills. The Cardinals hit a strong .400 percent in the first set, and you typically dont see a number like that for the losing team. But Texas hit an absurd .533 average, and won the set by three. 

Both teams were hitting for extremely high average. Side outs were happening very often, and when we did see some big rallies, it was a sight to see. Digs like you wouldn't believe and just stellar volleyball. Eggleston came to play tonight — no early game jitters or anything even remotely close to yesterday. She was taking out-of-system balls and putting them away like it is was her job. But, guess what, Chaussee was doing pretty similar things across the net. She took very efficient swings and was sending bullets across the net. On top of kills, she was digging balls like a libero in the back court. The Longhorns took the lead mid-way through the set and maintained it. The Cards are fighting back, but the Longhorns are looking sharp. 

HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE VOLLEYBALL?!! 🥰

📺 ESPN2#NCAAWVB #SCtop10 x @TexasVolleyball pic.twitter.com/TlwMcQTyDr

— NCAA Women's Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) December 18, 2022

Louisville ran out to a fast start in the fifth set and rolled to a win, taking down Pitt, 3-2 (25-18, 23-25, 25-22, 22-25, 15-2).

The Cardinals scored the first eight points in the final set and later led 12-1 as Pitt never made a late charge. Louisville hit .750 in the fifth, with Claire Chausse finishing up the match with 25 kills on .429 hitting. Anna DeBeer (15 kills, .195 hitting) and Aiko Jones (12 kills, .310 hitting) also reaching double figures in kills.

Pk Kong went OFF in the fifth set, and totaled 11 total blocks on the match. The Cardinals kept responding to a resilient Pitt team that just wouldn't go away. But, they were able to dominate at the net with 19 total blocks as a team and 10 service aces. 

Louisville is now one win away from its first-ever national championship. The Cardinals face Texas at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Pitt stormed back to take down Louisville 25-22 in the fourth, remain alive and force a fifth. Just like the Cards in the third, the Panthers came from behind at the end of the set and went on a 5-0 run to win it. This match is CRAZY. Courtney Buzzerio is up to 12 kills on the match and Serena Gray, who picked up some vital points at the end of the set, is up to 10 kills on .389 hitting. The Panthers had a great defensive showing in that set, slowing down Anna DeBeer a little more. 

After the big comeback to end the third, Louisville again came out ready to dominate in the fourth. Elena Scott picked up her fourth service ace of the match, Jones notched two in a row and DeBeer sent a bullet across the net for a 4-0 Cardinals run. The Cards took an early 16-10 lead with the run, and they were just riding with the momentum. But then Pitt came back, yet again. No matter what the lead, these teams just kept on responding. The Panthers went on a 4-0 run to tie it up at 17-all. The Cards were the first to 20, but Pitt would NOT go away. A 4-0 run gave the Panthers set point, and then Gray and Buzzerio came up with a HUGE block to end the set. 

We are headed to five! 

DENIED 🚫

📺 @espn #NCAAWVB x @LouisvilleVB pic.twitter.com/wJFnfISuOb

— NCAA Women's Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) December 16, 2022

The Panthers responded! Pitt pulled off a 25-23 win in Set 2 to even up the match 1-1. Rachel Fairbanks leads with seven kills right now followed but Courtney Buzzerio's six kills and Valeria Vasquez-Gomez's five. The Panthers cleaned up a lot of their errors from the first set and seemed to settle in a bit offensively. 

The Cards came out hot again with a 4-1 start with Pitt notched five in a row to take a one-point lead. Four of the five points, though, came off of Louisville attacking errors. The Cards cleaned up the errors a bit, but Fairbanks and Vasquez-Gomez combined for another 3-0 run to give Putt the lead. Pitt looked strong when they were able to stay in system and get quick sets off to their middles, typically Serena Gray. Everyone, on both teams, were taking big swings no matter where they are on the court, and it made for some great defensive plays and great rallies. Elena Scott and Emmy Klika were absolutely laying out for balls. 

The Panthers were the first to 20 after another 3-0 run with two kills from Buzzerio, and then they picked up set point on another Buzzerio kill while up by two. The Cards came out of a timeout and DeBeer sent a rocket over the net, but Serena Gray finished it off for Pitt. 

Just keep rallying 😼

📺 @espn
#NCAAWVB x @Pitt_VB pic.twitter.com/lBsVQeS42R

— NCAA Women's Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) December 16, 2022

The Cards have taken a 1-0 lead on the match after defeating Pitt 25-18 in the first set. Anna DeBeer, Aiko Jones and Claire Chaussee posted three kills apiece in the first. DeBeer hit .375 and Jones hit a strong .429. Pitt's leading scorer, Courtney Buzzerio was held to .000 hitting. 

Louisville came out on FIRE with a 6-0 run to start the match. In the two previous matches against Pitt this season, their one loss was when they came out slow to start the match and had to climb back into it. They clearly did not want to do that tonight. The Cards extended the lead to 7-2 before Pitt finally started to chip away. The Panthers went on a 4-0 scoring run to get things close, and Chiamaka Nwokolo tied things up at nine. Louisville just kept their foot on the gas pedal though, going on run after run. This team is looking really strong early on. 

All over that one 😮‍💨

📺: ESPN
💻: https://t.co/JtaxaBPb8l#GoCards x #NCAAWVB pic.twitter.com/Bk4JUhFLRa

— Louisville Volleyball (@LouisvilleVB) December 16, 2022

Texas pulled out a 25-18 win in Set 3 to take a 2-1 lead on the match. This team has been on fire since dropping the opening set and put on a dazzling defensive performance — the defense is up to 11 blocks on the match. Offensively, they hit another strong .300 clip in the third and they got their star player more involved. Logan Eggleston improved her stat line to 11 kills on .206 hitting after hitting .000 in the first set. Phillips is up to 11 kills as well and Madi Skinner leads with 13 kills on a strong .435 hitting efficiency. San Diego was held to .000 hitting in the third set, struggling with errors often. They are now hitting .069 on the match. 

The Longhorns came out hot in the third set with an 8-3 start. San Diego started to chip away... but then Eggleston started to heat up. She accounted for four kills out of Texas' five points. She started to look more comfortable out there, and Saige Ka'aha'aina-Torres started to send the ball to her go-to a lot more often. Texas' depth allowed them to perform even without their star hitter, and now with her contributing offensively, they are even more lethal. 

Texas' block then came up big when they needed it, stuffing USD twice in a row for a 22-16 lead. Another block gave Texas set point, and then Eggleston went up with Bella Bergmark for another HUGE block, ending on a 3-0 run to take a 2-1 lead on the match. The Longhorns defense came up so big in that set, especially towards the end at crunch time. 

The Longhorns are now just one set away from the championship match and San Diego faces a must-win fourth set. 

Stop it, @volleyzoe, you're spoiling us! 🥰

📺 @espn #NCAAWVB x @TexasVolleyball pic.twitter.com/Pdru1ynHxg

— NCAA Women's Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) December 16, 2022

The Longhorns have evened up the match 1-1 with a big response in the second set on a dominating 25-16 win. Madi Skinner is up to nine kills on .571 hitting and Molly Phillips went off in the second set. She is now up to eight kills on .316 hitting. Logan Eggleston is up to six kills now, but still on a low .080 hitting percentage. The Longhorns responded with a .333 clip in the second set after hitting a low .056 in the first. 

The Toreros started out strong in the second with a 4-0 run to take a 4-2 lead. But,the Longhorns started to storm back, with Phillips going on a roll. With Eggleston finding her way, Saige Ka'aha'aina-Torres started to utilize her other hitters, giving Phillips and O'Neal some more opportunities. A 3-0 run with two back-to-back Phillips kills gave the Longhorns a 17-13 lead, then Texas started to really pull away. O'Neal went OFF with a solo block, cross-court kill and then block assist for three consecutive points. The crowd went wild as the momentum completely shifted to Texas' side of the net. USD picked up two in a row, but Texas then finished off the set with a dominant 4-0 run, finished off by Skinner. The Longhorns picked up a pretty strong win in the second set, still without Eggleston's typical dominance. 

Let's see how the Toreros respond now with the match all even at 1-1. 

𝐖𝐎𝐖. 𝚆𝙾𝚆. 𝗪𝗢𝗪. 🤯

📺 @espn #NCAAWVB #SCtop10 x @USDVolleyball pic.twitter.com/wPPhXDqt9K

— NCAA Women's Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) December 16, 2022

The 2022 DI women's volleyball national semifinals are set, the teams have touched down in Omaha, Nebraska, and all the game action starts this Thursday, Dec. 15. Four teams remain in pursuit of a national title, and for the first time in the entire history of the sport, no Big Ten or Pac-12 teams are competing in the semifinals. No. 1 Texas, No. 2 San Diego, No. 2 Pittsburgh and No. 1 Louisville remain — One Big 12 team, one WCC team, and two ACC teams. Texas, is the only team out of the group that has won a national title before. 

San Diego and Louisville both have a female head coach, and both are in pursuit of making history as the first female volleyball head coach to win a national title. No ACC team has ever won it, and no WCC team has ever won it. We have a lot of firsts that could happen this year. The sport is growing. 

Schedule and how to watch:

• No. 2 San Diego vs. No. 1 Texas, 7 p.m. ET | ESPN
• No. 2 Pittsburgh vs. No. 1 Louisville, 9:30 p.m. ET | ESPN

You can also click or tap here for the interactive bracket.

Now let's preview the semifinal matchups. 🥁 For an in-depth look at each semifinal matchup, click or tap here. 

The national semifinals are SET. Here are the four teams who advanced and how they made it out of their regional final matchups ⬇️

• No. 1 Louisville 3, No. 3 Oregon 2: The Louisville Cardinals are heading back to the national semifinals! Louisville took down Oregon in a five-set thriller to end Oregon's impressive run in the tournament. Anna Debeer led the Cards with 17 kills followed by Claire Chaussee with 13 and Aiko Jone's 12 kills. The Cardinals took the first set despite the fact that their two best hitters, Chaussee and DeBeer were held to .000 hitting. The team still managed to hit .280, and pulled out the win as the Ducks registered eight errors through 16 Louisville points. The next set was point-for-point and edge-of-your-seat type volleyball. But, the Ducks came out victorious to even up the match 1-1. The third set was an Oregon domination. The Ducks came out to an 8-0 start with quite literally ALL of the momentum on their side of the net. The Cards attempted to chip away, but the Ducks flew to a strong 25-13 win in the third set, and were then just one set away from heading to the national semifinals. A 5-1 run in the fourth set put Oregon on top late in the match, but the Cards turned on the jets when they needed it most. Chaussee posted three kills on a 6-2 Louisville run and the Cards successfully forced a fifth set with a 27-25 win in the fourth. The Cards came out strong in the fifth with a 7-3 start, and then ran away with it. | Game highlights
• No. 1 Texas 3, No. 3 Ohio State 1: The top-seeded Longhorns are heading to the national semifinal for the 10th time in the last 15 years, but first time since 2020. The Longhorns are in after a statement four-set win over Ohio State in the regional final. Logan Eggleston did what she has done all season long — leading Texas with 19 kills on a strong .333 hitting percentage. On top of that, she had two service aces, nine digs and four blocks. Madi Skinner followed with 13 kills offensively and Asjia O'Neal added eight blocks. The Longhorns took the first set before Emily Londot and crew outhit Texas in the second set to even up the match 1-1. The Longhorns then responded in a big way, holding the Buckeyes to negative hitting in the third with total domination to win the set 25-13. OSU gave it all they had in the fourth set, and it came down the wire as Londot put them within one, down 22-21. But, Texas went on a 3-0 run, capped off by two back-to-back Eggleston kills to finish it off in four. Everyone in the gym knew the ball was going to her, especially the Buckeyes on the other side of the net, and she still got it done. The Longhorns are heading back to the national semifinals in pursuit of their first title since 2012 and Eggleston will continue her pursuit of the 2022 National Player of the Year. 
• No. 2 Pitt 3, No. 1 Wisconsin 2: Another five-set match! This time, Pittsburgh came out on top with a five-set win over Wisconsin to knock our the defending champs. The Panthers are heading the national semifinals after an incredibly competitive match. Courtney Buzzerio led the Panthers with 18 kills on .213 hitting, followed by Chiamaka Nwokolo and Valeria Vasquez Gomez with 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Serena Gray posted nine kills on a strong .320 hitting efficiency with five blocks. The biggest difference though, came in clutch time. The Badgers were in the midst of a 6-0 run at the end of the fifth set with the entire gym on their side of the net, and the Panthers STILL got it done. The 6-0 run was led by Julia Orzol, who notched three back-to-back-to-back kills. Anna Smrek then followed with a monster kill and Caroline Crawford had an even bigger block to get the Badgers up 13-12 late. Just two away from returning to the national semifinals. The momentum so much with the Badgers, you would have never guessed the Panthers could get it done. But, Buzzerio and Vaquez-Gomez would have said otherwise, and they did. They combined for a 3-0 run to win the fifth set and take down the defending champs, all in one. What a match. 
• No. 2 San Diego 3, No. 1 Stanford 2: The Toreros are heading to the national semifinals! San Diego put together a spectacular season, but fell short of a No. 1 seed in the tournament. The Toreros had the chance to face the No. 1 ranked Cardinal in the regional final to prove themselves, and they did just that. San Diego downed the Stanford Cardinal in a five-set thriller with huge performances from their top players. Katie Lukes posted 20 kills and Breanna Edwards and Grace Frohling posted 18 kills apiece in the win. Leyla Blackwell had a spectacular game with not only 14 kills on .583 hitting, but also seven blocks. The match came down to a point-for-point fifth set, when the Toreros went on a 5-0, dominating run to secure the win. The last two points came from two back-to-back Blackwelll kills. The Toreros made history, advancing to the national semifinals for the first time in program history. 

You can also click or tap here for the interactive bracket.

Here are the matchups and times for Thursday's semifinals: 

• No. 2 San Diego vs. No. 1 Texas, 7 p.m. ET | ESPN
• No. 2 Pittsburgh vs. No. 1 Louisville, 9:30 p.m. ET | ESPN