The first weekend of 2026 college volleyball has drawn to a close, and there was plenty of talent—and a handful of head-scratchers—on display. While the AVCA First Serve event isn’t technically over just yet, as Pitt will face Xavier and Texas will face Marquette tonight, there have been enough glimpses of top teams for me to put together some of the great and not-so-great things we witnessed this weekend.
Highlight: The Izzy Starck and Olivia Babcock connection
Izzy Starck is back and looking better than ever now that she’s sporting the blue and gold. In Pitt’s opening match, she racked up 41 assists, set the team to a .297 efficiency, and ended with a team-high 13 digs. And as expected, her connection with Olivia Babcock is already a thing of beauty; she set the reigning National Player of the Year to 27 kills on a .339 efficiency.
Lowlight: Whatever the hell that was from Texas
The preseason number two team started their season out with a whimper instead of a bang, losing in four sets to Arizona State and offering few bright spots while doing it. The Longhorns’ strategy this season appears to be all about bombing serves and making the most of their many pin hitters through a unique spin on the 6-2. Personally, I’m not convinced that either will last long into the season.
Highlight: New setters showing out
On display this weekend were plenty of talented newcomers to the role of starting setter. SMU’s Hannah Beauford and Arizona State’s Elle Mottola were the most impressive young players leading their respective offenses, and each won match MVP for their efforts. In her first two sets of college volleyball, Mottola set the Sun Devils to a .346 efficiency. Things took a turn from there once Texas’s block and defense woke up, but there’s a lot to be excited about from Mottola, who also contributed four kills, one ace, and four block assists. Beauford, meanwhile, set a beautiful offense the whole way through her match of the weekend, leading her team to a .301 efficiency in their decisive sweep over Texas A&M while notching three kills and two block assists herself.
Lowlight: Louisville’s passing vs. Wisconsin
For a program that put up some truly excellent passing numbers last year, Louisville’s passing completely broke down in the face of Wisconsin’s service pressure. Not only were the Cardinals aced eight times, but the team passed (by my scoring, on a 3-pt scale) a 1.93, with only Payton Petersen (wearing the libero jersey) putting together a good performance.
Highlight: Outside hitter production
We were treated to some great performances by outside hitters across various teams:
- Though Louisville split their matches 1-1, Chloe Chicoine’s season is off to a great start offensively, with her putting together 31.5 points (4.5 per set) on a .358 efficiency.
- Wisconsin freshman Audrey Flanagan got off to a rough start against Kentucky, but looked excellent against Louisville, against whom she had a match-high 13 kills hitting .286.
- Brooklyn DeLeye was on fire during Kentucky’s opening match, recording 12 kills on a .323 efficiency. Her backrow attack, in particular, looks much improved over last year, likely due to no longer having a tear in her meniscus. She and her team didn’t fare as well against Pitt, but she added another 13 kills and notched three straight aces to help secure the second set of the match for the Wildcats.
- Finally, Pitt’s Blaire Bayless was impressive, especially in terms of her passing improvements. With 10 kills and eight digs against Kentucky, she seems to be well on her way to filling the void that was left by Torrey Stafford after Pitt’s 2024 season.
Lowlight: Texas A&M’s uninspiring start
Listen, it’s a rough situation to be in for the reigning national champions. Not only are there more eyeballs on the team than ever, but they’re without their only returning starter and (likely) top scorer, Kyndal Stowers, due to a back injury. Jamie Morrison has been forced to field a completely new Aggie squad against teams with a lot more experience and synergy on their sides. There are plenty of bright spots on the team, but Texas A&M needs to get back on track fast if they want to avoid being the latest in the line of teams following up a championship season with a big flop.
