Charlie CremeDec 22, 2025, 05:31 PM ETCloseCharlie Creme projects the women’s NCAA tournament bracket for ESPN.com.
Nebraska’s dominance this season looked like a forgone conclusion. Then one afternoon in Lincoln, Texas A&M shocked the world and turned the run to the national championship into a wide-open affair.
That’s what 2026 should be from the outset. So many great players like Pitt’s Olivia Babcock, Nebraska’s Harper Murray and Kentucky’s Brooklyn DeLeye are back and will be on teams with a chance at a title.
The transfer portal has yet to take hold in full. Many rosters could get a shake up in the coming weeks. This top 10 is based on what we know now and is a little peek into how the run to next season’s final four in San Antonio could shake out.
The freshman class, led by Cari Spears and Abby Vander Wal, was instrumental in getting the Longhorns back to a No. 1 NCAA tournament seed. The Longhorns’ recruiting class for 2026 looks just as good with top-rated outside hitter, Henley Anderson, and top setter, Genevieve Harris. They will all still be led by Torrey Stafford, the 12th-best point producer in the country and one of the best all-around players.
Stanford tied for the ACC championship and did it with 14 freshmen and sophomores on the roster. Top hitter Elia Rubin will be tough to say goodbye to, but the Cardinal will have the depth and talent to win their first national title since 2019.
The invincibility of 2025 Nebraska won’t be there with the losses of Rebekah Allick and Taylor Landfair. But Bergen Reilly, Murray and Andi Jackson form a core capable of the national championship that eluded the Huskers following their stunning loss to Texas A&M in the regional finals.
The good news is that Pittsburgh has reached five straight final fours and still has Babcock for one more season. The bad news — the Panthers again failed to advance to a national championship game and will lose all-ACC setter Brooke Mosher.
With the graduation of Eva Hudson, who was so vital to the Wildcats’ run to the final four, and the jump that Texas is expected to take, Kentucky’s streak of nine straight SEC titles could be in jeopardy. But top hitter DeLeye is back for her senior year and she’ll be joined by Lizzie Carr, Asia Thigpen and Kennedy Washington, Kentucky’s third-, fourth- and fifth-best scorers from this season.
While setter Averi Carlson and top hitter Malaya Jones have used up their eligibility, the sophomore trio of Jadyn Livings, Favor Anyanwu and Natalia Newsome are expected back. Full, healthy seasons from Livings and Newsome would be a big boost. So will the addition of Big 12 Freshman of the Year Suli Davis, who has already announced her transfer to SMU from BYU.
Purdue, the surprise team of the season, was picked seventh in the Big Ten in the preseason yet reached the Elite Eight. Ravaged by transfers (Hudson and Carr were Boilermakers in 2024) and graduation and with a roster with just two seniors, Purdue leaned into its underdog role. That won’t be the case in 2026 if Purdue can keep a well-balanced team led by Kenna Wollard and Grace Heaney intact.
The losses of program mainstay Logan Lednicky and setter Maddie Waak make repeating this season’s magic seem unlikely. However, the star power of Kyndal Stowers is obvious, which might be good enough to make the SEC a three-team race.
With the ACC Freshman of the Year in Kalyssa Blackshear, the conference leader in blocks in Cara Cresse, the ACC’s second-leading setter in Nayelis Cabello and their top two hitters — Payton Petersen and Chloe Chicoine — all back, the Cardinals will be in position to shake off the disappointment of a fourth-place ACC finish and a loss in the regional semifinals of the NCAA tournament, their earliest exit since 2020.
CloseCharlie Creme projects the women’s NCAA tournament bracket for ESPN.com.