The 2023 NCAA championship for women’s volleyball is here. The University of Texas played the University of Nebraska December 17th. The gym had a record-breaking number of 19,727 in attendance, the most fans present at an NCAA indoor volleyball game. Texas brought home the trophy and glory, while Nebraska had to go home being second, and extremely close to a championship. It isn’t easy to lose something that is personal to every single player on either team.
Regardless of opposing teams and competition, each individual player did their best and each player deserved to play on the court. The most outstanding player (announced by NCAA volleyball) was Madisen Skinner, a 6’2” outside hitter for Texas Volleyball. Skinner led the match in aces and helped bring in the win. This is the second year in a row that Texas has secured the national championship, and this is the also the second year that Nebraska has lost the championship, previously losing to Wisconsin and taking second place just a couple years prior to this game, that was meant to be their comeback.
The previous championship winners of the past four years have been: Texas, Wisconsin, Kentucky, and Stanford.
The 2023 NCAA Championship game was ended in just 3 games. Which means that Texas ultimately swept Nebraska, not allowing them to win a single game. The scores were: 25-22, 25-14, 25-11. Nebraska came close to winning the first set, but it seems that the initial loss took a toll on their excitement and they fell behind in points the next two sets. Nebraska has to deal with the disappointment of being so close to a championship and losing, again. Fans are hoping that this loss will motivate the team and drive them even more, rather than destroying their spirits.
This win for Texas adds a fourth trophy for their women’s volleyball program. There is no doubt that with how strict the program is, and a drive to continue their national championship streak, they are already back to training and preparing for the next season. While Texas is celebrating their win, Nebraska is waiting to strike for a comeback and prepare to secure the trophy and finally bring home a trophy after years of hard work and disappointment.
