All four No. 1 seeds advance to volleyball Final Four

The GIST: They’re No. 1 seeds for a reason. Pitt, Louisville, Nebraska, and Penn State — the top four teams in the volleyball national tournament field — are your final four squads standing.

• Only two can advance to Sunday’s championship game — here’s what you need to know to rally before tomorrow’s semis.

🐈‍⬛ Pitt vs. 🐦 Louisville — 6:30 p.m. ET — ESPN: What a year it’s been for Pitt, who are making their fourth straight Final Four appearance after losing just once this season. They’ll face a familiar ACC foe in Louisville, who’ll be hoping the third time’s the charm as they look to avenge two regular-season losses to the Panthers.

• Louisville freshman setter Nayelis Cabello has, well, set her team up for success, posting 29 assists in a quarter-final win over No. 2 seed Stanford and earning top freshman in the region honors.

• As for Pitt, three players were named AVCA Player of the Year semifinalists. Sophomore right-side hitter and ACC Player of the Year Olivia Babcock, senior setter Rachel Fairbanks, and sophomore outside hitter Torrey Stafford make up Pitt’s triple threat. So stacked.

🐈 Penn State vs. 🌽 Nebraska — 30 minutes after game one — ESPN: In another conference clash, Big Ten foes Nebraska and Penn State meet for a Big Ten championship game rematch after the Nittany Lions won in four sets to claim part of the conference title.

• Penn State is playing in its 14th program semifinals after surviving No. 2 seed Creighton in the quarter-finals thanks to a 41-assist performance from freshman setter Izzy Starck. Junior libero Gillian Grimes was also key to the victory, turning in a match-high 17 digs.

• Last year’s runner-up, Nebraska is looking to return to the promised land after last hoisting the trophy in 2017. They boast AVCA Player of the Year finalist Lexi Rodriguez, who’s just nine digs away from breaking the school record. Nothing like chasing history and hardware.