Women’s volleyball and ‘big ratings‘ have been synonymous terms this season. And now, thanks to the ongoing NCAA volleyball tournament, the energy has been going off the charts again! But, while we wait to watch the top two between Louisville, Pitt, Nebraska, and Penn State, let’s take a moment to appreciate how the five regional matches this year set a sky-high standard!

ESPN, the live-streaming partner of the NCAA volleyball matches, unveiled the viewership numbers of the 2024 regionals. And it’s safe to say, the figures were meteoric! The overall viewership of NCAA volleyball shot up by 44% year-over-year on ESPN+. Also, the 2024 Regionals have been the most-watched Regional matches ever, with the viewership number having doubled from last season!

To lay down the statistics, these 5 games touched nearly 401,000 average viewers, which was up by a whopping 98%year-over-year. And clearly, the Huskers emerged right at the top! Their regional final against Wisconsin on ABC attracted an average viewership of 798,000, the highest among the 5 NCAA volleyball regionals. In fact, even the Huskers’ regional semifinal against Dayton, which started at a rather absurd hour, drew 617,000 viewers!

Interestingly, this NCAA volleyball regional semi was a late-nighter, where the first serve went up in the air after 9 p.m. and the final ball landed on the ground post 11:30 p.m. No wonder when John Cook sat for the post-match press conference, he said, “It’s like midnight, isn’t it?” While Harper Murray lightened the air with a joke, “Coach’s bedtime was four hours ago.”

But, needless to say, it was late for a usual NCAA volleyball game. So much so that, according to Rebekah Allick, there was a shift in the room, on both sides. The players felt as if the fans seated in the Bob Devenay Center wanted to ‘wrap it up’ and go home. But evidently, the virtual enthusiasts were unfazed by their bedtimes.

They were so hooked on the NCAA volleyball action that despite the late hours, viewership numbers prove they stayed glued to the game. Now that’s a true win-win, right? All of this adds up to how this season has truly been a one-off when it comes to women’s volleyball. The fervor that started with the Big Ten tournament continued right into the NCAA leg and indicated a growing trend.

Is NCAA women’s volleyball changing for good?

Numbers never lie. And in this case, it’s crystal clear that women’s volleyball is crushing it! ESPN has been providing constant updates on how big things are getting for the sport. Right before the NCAA volleyball tournament was flagged off, they reported that the Sunday Selection Show peaked, hitting its best audience ever with 268K viewers tuning in to watch the 64-team bracket reveal.

Moreover, the 2024 regular season has been one thrilling ride too. With the game getting its biggest glow-up yet, ESPN highlighted how NCAA Volleyball had smashed all records, touching its best regular season on their platform. Fans were clearly loving the inter-college rivalries as a record-breaking 635 million total minutes were consumed on ESPN—a 21% jump from 2023.

And it’s not just the NCAA volleyball craze, but a surge in the love for women’s college volleyball in general. To substantiate this, we have more special records from 2024. Remember the September 22 match between the Louisville Cardinals and the Cornhuskers? It was a historic one as 684,000 people tuned in to ESPN to watch the live telecast, setting a new regular-season viewership record on the ESPN network. And then, things got bigger.

In October 2024, the Huskers became the first women’s volleyball team to debut on NBC. There’s a defining upward trend as women’s college volleyball is stepping up and going toe-to-toe with basketball, and there’s no denying it anymore! What do you think? Let us know below.