BYU freshman Suli Davis reacts after a big point during match against Central Michigan Aug. 29, 2025, at the Smith Fieldhouse in Provo. | Rebeca Fuentes, BYU PhotoBrandon JuddMon, December 1, 2025 at 6:08 AM UTC·4 min readThe state of Utah will be well-represented in this year’s NCAA women’s volleyball tournament.
Four schools from the state — BYU, Utah, Utah State and Utah Valley — made the field this year, as the bracket was released Sunday.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHere’s a look at when each local school will be playing.
BYU (22-8, 10-8 Big 12)
First-round matchup: No. 5 BYU vs. Cal Poly
When: Thursday, 6 p.m. MST
Location: Galen Center, Los Angeles
Round 2 matchup: Winner will face the winner of No. 4 USC vs. Princeton
The Cougars are making their 14th straight NCAA tournament appearance and 38th overall (including 11 under coach Heather Olmstead) after finishing sixth in the 15-team Big 12. BYU
The Cougars will be battle tested for what lies ahead: the Big 12 had a nation’s-best 10 teams make the NCAA field.
BYU won its final four matches of the regular season, including wins over then-ranked teams in Kansas (No. 13) and Colorado (No. 23).
The Cougars last reached the Round of 16 in the 2021 season. In 2022 and 2023, BYU advanced to the second round before losing, while the Cougars were eliminated in the first round last season.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCal Poly (25-7) won the Big West tournament championship, beating top seed UC Davis in the title match, to earn an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. In nonconference play, the Mustangs swept fellow Big 12 school Utah, 3-0.
Utah (15-14, 7-11 Big 12)
First-round matchup: Utah vs. No. 6 Northern Iowa
When: Thursday, 3:30 p.m. MST
Location: D.J. Sokol Arena, Omaha, Nebraska
Round 2 matchup: Winner will face the winner of No. 3 Creighton vs. Northern Colorado
The Utes were one of the last four teams to make the tournament field in earning their 20th NCAA tournament appearance.
Utah won four of its last five matches during the regular season, and that included back-to-back wins over No. 23 BYU and No. 13 Kansas.
Utah hosted a regional last year and won its first round match against College of Charleston before losing in the second round to Marquette.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNorthern Iowa (25-5) is one of the hottest teams in the country heading into the NCAA tournament, having won its last 21 matches.
The Panthers, who are making their 27th NCAA tournament appearance, went 16-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season play and won the conference’s tournament as well.
Utah State (23-7, 18-0 Mountain West)
First-round matchup: Utah State vs. No. 7 Tennessee
When: Thursday, 4:30 p.m. MST
Location: Desert Financial Arena, Tempe, Arizona
Round 2 matchup: Winner will face the winner of No. 2 Arizona State vs. Coppin State
This will be the third NCAA tournament appearance for Utah State in the past four seasons and seventh overall.
It’s been more than two months since the Aggies last lost in a 3-0 sweep against BYU in mid-September. Since then, Utah State has won 21 straight matches, including a sweep of Colorado State in the Mountain West tournament final to secure an automatic NCAA spot.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Aggies lost in the NCAA tournament’s first round in both their 2022 and 2023 appearances.
Utah State is 2-6 all-time in the NCAA tournament, with wins over Missouri (2000) and BYU (2001) in the first two years they made the NCAAs.
The 3-2 win over the Cougars in 2001 was the last time Utah State wasn’t swept in an NCAA tournament match.
Tennessee (20-7, 10-5 SEC) is making its fifth straight NCAA tournament appearance after finishing fourth in the SEC this season. The Volunteers advanced to the Round of 16 two years ago and will be playing Utah State for the first time in school history.
Utah Valley (16-10, 10-2 WAC)
First-round matchup: Utah Valley vs. No. 2 Stanford
When: Friday, 8 p.m. MST
Location: Maples Pavilion, Stanford, California
Round 2 matchup: Winner will face the winner of No. 7 South Dakota State vs. Arizona
The Wolverines earned their third NCAA tournament appearance by beating Utah Tech in the WAC tournament championship match last week.
After Utah Valley went 4-8 in nonconference play — that included losses to all three other Utah schools in the NCAA tournament field — the Wolverines went 10-2 in WAC regular-season play before earning the league’s automatic bid to the NCAAs by winning the conference tournament.
UVU is 0-2 all-time in NCAA tournament appearances, with losses to Utah and Texas State.
Stanford (27-4, 18-2 ACC) provides a formidable challenge. The Cardinal won a share of the ACC championship and are on a four-match winning streak entering the NCAAs, including a win over No. 7 Louisville in their most recent contest.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementStanford has won nine NCAA women’s volleyball championships and is seeking its first national championship since 2019.
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