CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) - The third round of the 2025 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship kicks off this Thursday, December 11, as four Atlantic Coast Conference remain standing in the tournament. All four of the third-round matches featuring ACC teams will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
 
No. 1-seeded Pitt swept Michigan in the second round to advance to its sixth consecutive regional semifinal. The Panthers will host the Pittsburgh Regional, taking on Minnesota at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 11.
 
No. 2-seeded SMU will also head to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to play in its first-ever regional semifinal appearance, as the Mustangs face off against No. 3-seeded Purdue approximately 30 minutes following the conclusion of the Pitt-Minnesota match. The winners of both matches will play in the Regional Final on Saturday, December 13.
 
No. 2 seed Stanford will take on No. 3 seed Wisconsin on Friday, December 12, in the Cardinal’s 22nd NCAA regional semifinal appearance since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1998. The Cardinal will hit the court at 2:30 p.m. ET in Austin, Texas, at the Austin Regional.
 
No. 2 seed Louisville will travel to Lincoln, Nebraska, to take on No. 3 seed Texas A&M in the Cardinals’ 11th regional semifinal appearance. The match will take place at 6 p.m. ET on Friday.
 
In the final AVCA/Taraflex Poll of the regular season (December 1), Pitt led the ACC in the No. 4 spot with Stanford (No. 5), SMU (No. 7), Louisville (No. 9), Miami (No. 13) and North Carolina (No. 19) filling out the rest of the Top 25. The ACC has the most teams of any conference in the top 10.
 
Noting ACC Volleyball

• Pitt and Stanford earned a share of the 2025 ACC Volleyball Championship title, with Stanford earning the AQ to the national tournament after a head-to-head win against Pitt.
• Pitt right side hitter Olivia Babcock was named the ACC Player of the Year, while Panthers’ teammate Bre Kelley was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. SMU’s Averi Carlson was tabbed the ACC Setter of the Year, while Louisville’s Kalyssa Blackshear was named ACC Freshman of the Year. Stanford head coach Kevin Hambly was named the ACC Coach of the Year.
• The ACC had the most teams in the final regular season NCAA DI Volleyball RPI Top 10, headlined by Pitt (No. 5), Stanford (No. 7), SMU (No. 8), and Louisville (No. 9).
• At the end of the regular season, Miami’s Flormarie Heredia Colon led the nation in kills with 719, kills per set with 6.25, total points with 815.0 and points per set with 7.09.
• Duke’s Jolene Nagel announced her retirement after 27 seasons leading the Blue Devils’ volleyball program.
• SMU earned its highest ranking in program history at No. 7 in the AVCA DI Volleyball Top 25 poll released on Monday, October 20.
• Miami’s Heredia Colon, Pitt’s Olivia Babcock and Stanford’s Elia Rubin were named as semifinalists for the AVCA Division I Player of the Year.
• Florida State’s Chris Poole ranks first among active NCAA Division I coaches with 955 victories in 39 seasons. Duke’s Jolene Nagel ranks fifth on that list with 717 career wins.
• Pitt head coach Dan Fisher reached his 400th career win on September 10, in the Panthers’ win over No. 3 Kentucky. 
• Stanford’s Kevin Hambly reached his 400th career win on Friday, November 14, in an upset win over No. 3 Pitt.
• Virginia Tech’s Marci Byers reached her 300th career win on Friday, November 28, in a win over Syracuse.
• SMU’s Sam Erger reached her 100th career win on Saturday, December 6.
• SMU’s Malaya Jones was named the AVCA Division I National Player of the Week on Tuesday, September 2.
• Pitt’s Olivia Babcock was named the AVCA Division I National Player of the Week on Tuesday, October 21.
• Miami’s Flormarie Heredia Colon was named the AVCA Division I National Player of the Week on Tuesday, November 11.
• SMU’s Malaya Jones was named the AVCA Division I National Player of the Week for the second time this season on Tuesday, December 2.
• The ACC finished non-conference play with an overall record of 129-55 (.701), headlined by 10 wins against AVCA Top 25 teams and the inaugural ESPN Events “Showdown at the Net” title, after winning nine of the 16 matches against the SEC.

 
Weekly Schedule (All Times Eastern)
Thursday, December 11
Pittsburgh Regional | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
#17 Minnesota at #4 Pitt | 7 p.m. | ESPN2
#7 SMU vs. #12 Purdue | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN2
 
Friday, December 12
Austin Regional | Austin, Texas
#5 Stanford vs. #10 Wisconsin | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN2
Lincoln Regional | Lincoln, Nebraska
#9 Louisville vs. #6 Texas A&M | 7 p.m. | ESPN2