College volleyball may be having more than just a moment

As Nebraska's game in a football stadium and last week's Final Four showed, there's clearly an audience for the sport. So how far can it go?

About two weeks ago, NCAA president Charlie Baker spoke publicly for the first time about his plan for a potential new model of college sports infrastructure that would provide schools with the opportunity to opt into a subdivision in which they can pay at least half of their athletes $30,000 or more per year through a trust fund.

While not as radical as the head of a stubborn and stodgy organization introducing a pay-for-play arrangement, there was something else the former Massachusetts governor said at the Sports Business Journal Intercollegiate Athletic Forum in Las Vegas that was noteworthy.

During a Q-and-A session covering various subjects across the world of college athletics, Baker was asked to name the hottest college sport right now. It didn’t take him long to conjure up an answer.

“Women’s volleyball,” he said.

Though it’s notable coming from Baker, it’s not especially novel. He’s simply the latest to notice what so many others have.

Women’s college volleyball has exploded in popularity in recent years – or, at the very least, showcased just how popular it is to a previously unwitting public. Last week’s Final Four and national championship match, in which Texas won its second-consecutive NCAA title, saw record crowds gather in Tampa’s Amalie Arena and record audiences watch the action on television, with the championship airing on a major network (ABC).

It was an emphatic punctuation to a banner season for the sport, one that drew large crowds and commanded large television followings for programs in various corners of the country, a series of developments that have painted a rosy picture about the future of the sport and its growth within the college athletics ecosystem.

It’s easy to understand why it’s enjoying that ascent – and for reasons that go well beyond what unabashedly horny men in Facebook comments might suggest. 

It’s a fast-paced sport with constant scoring and few of the lulls in action that might turn away a casual viewer. Even if you don’t have a rooting interest in a particular match, it’s gripping. The athleticism of its participants is obvious and mesmerizing, with players leaping at the net and diving to the floor to keep a point alive. It’s accessible, too. There’s nuance and strategy to the sport, of course, but the rules are only so complicated.

Given the jump in enthusiasm and interest in the sport, it’s tempting to say women’s college volleyball is having a moment. Such a reading, though, implies that this surge is temporary. If the build-up to this point is any indication, it might be something more lasting.

The sport has showcased itself well on the biggest and brightest stage

Last Thursday, 19,598 fans got together in Tampa to watch the two national semifinal matches – Nebraska’s sweep of Pitt and Texas’ victory against Wisconsin – setting an attendance record for a college volleyball match in an indoor venue.

That mark lasted all of three days. On Sunday, 19,727 fans watched as Texas swept Nebraska, setting a new record and offering yet another glimpse at the popularity of the sport tens of thousands had traveled to Florida to watch.

While it set a new benchmark, this year’s attendance wasn’t some far-flung outlier. Excluding the 2020 championship, which took place in the spring of 2021 in front of a limited live audience in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, every championship match since 2015 has had a crowd of more than 16,000.

Television numbers offer an equally bullish outlook.