As Team USA’s women’s volleyball team made waves at Paris 2024 Olympics, reaching finals, the sport’s popularity began to soar. Despite falling short of gold against Italy, the team’s performance signaled a significant shift. Now, as the 2024-25 NCAA volleyball season gets underway, the sport is making headlines once again.
In a recent showcase of this rising trend, last-night’s matchup between #5 Nebraska and #2 Stanford drew impressive viewership numbers. The game peaked at 325,000 viewers at 7 pm CT on BTN, while a game between Louisville and Kentucky reached 318,000 peak viewers on ESPN at 6 pm CT. Additionally, Texas vs. Baylor attracted 296,000 viewers at 8 pm on ESPN, according to Avid on X.
James Santelli highlighted the impact of these numbers, noting that “Men’s college basketball averages 299K viewers on ESPN2 and 248K viewers on BTN,” in contrast to the volleyball viewership. He emphasized the growing popularity of women’s volleyball, particularly given its competition from other sports.
The rise of volleyball extends beyond basketball. Last week, baseball in the same time slot only attracted 222,000 viewers, as noted by Avid. This suggests that volleyball is not only competing but surpassing other sports in viewership during prime time.
The trend is not a mere flash in the pan. The season opener for the 2024-25 NCAA volleyball season, featuring last year’s champions Nebraska Huskers against #9 Kentucky on August 27, set an ESPN record with an average viewership of 344,000 and a peak of over 400,000. Maintaining such high viewership throughout the season will be a true test of the sport’s growing popularity.
Last season set a high bar for NCAA women’s volleyball. The 2023-24 season saw a record 19,727 fans attend the finals at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. More impressively, the final-game on ABC drew 1.7 million viewers, marking a 115% increase from the previous year’s 786,000 viewers.
The surge in women’s sports viewership is part of a broader trend. Caitlin Clark’s electrifying performance in the NCAA women’s March Madness final between South Carolina and Iowa Hawkeyes drew 18.8 million viewers, becoming the most-watched basketball game in the past five years. While NCAA women’s volleyball has yet to reach such numbers, its growth trajectory is clear and impressive.
As NCAA women’s volleyball continues to gain momentum, it is poised to set new records and solidify its place as a major player in the sports entertainment landscape.
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