Charlie CremeOct 16, 2025, 11:45 AM ETCloseCharlie Creme projects the women’s NCAA tournament bracket for ESPN.com.
Now that conference play has nearly reached the midway point of the season and the RPI and KPI rankings are out, it’s time to look at what the key elements of the bracket might look like when the field of 64 is revealed on Nov. 30 (6 p.m. ET, ESPN). There are 31 automatic bids with 33 at-large teams chosen by the NCAA volleyball committee. Volleyball seeds the top eight teams in each region, and the top four teams in each region serve as first- and second-round hosts. The rest of the bracket is filled out to balance it competitively and geographically. The highest remaining seeds also host regionals, and the 2025 Final Four is in Kansas City, Missouri, on Dec. 18, with the finals on Dec. 21.
Georgia Tech has the sixth-rated schedule, a win over Purdue and a No. 35 RPI. The issue with the Yellow Jackets is their sub-.500 overall record (7-8). They need to string some wins together, and they have that opportunity with Wake Forest, NC State and Cal coming up on the schedule. Auburn could move into the field with an upset of either Kentucky or Tennessee this week, and a UCF vs. Arizona clash on Friday night could have significant bubble ramifications. Oregon’s next three matches are against NCAA tournament-bound teams (Minnesota, Wisconsin, UCLA). The Ducks’ postseason fate will likely be decided in the next nine days.
Welcome to the first installment of Women’s College Volleyball Bracketology.
No. 2 seeds: Kentucky, SMU, Arizona State, Stanford
No. 6 seeds: Kansas State, Cincinnati, Marquette, Baylor
No. 8 seeds: Michigan State, Michigan, Colorado, North Carolina
No. 9 seeds: South Dakota State, Iowa State, Xavier, Florida
No. 10 seeds: West Virginia, Mississippi State, Western Kentucky, San Diego
No. 12 seeds: Ball State, Colgate, Towson, Coastal Carolina
No. 13 seeds: Stephen F. Austin, UC Davis, Utah Tech, Fairfield
No. 14 seeds: Wright State, Jacksonville, ETSU, Cornell
No. 15 seeds: San Diego State, Weber State, Little Rock, Coppin State
No. 16 seeds: UMBC, USC Upstate, St. Francis, Prairie View A&M
First Four Out: Auburn, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Villanova
Big Ten: 11 Big 12: 11 ACC: 6 SEC: 6 Big East: 3 CUSA: 2
CloseCharlie Creme projects the women’s NCAA tournament bracket for ESPN.com.