Louisville and Penn State will compete for a National Title on Sunday

The GIST: It all comes down to this: After battling through the 64-team bracket, No. 1 seeds Louisville and Penn State will play for the national title Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on ABC.

• Last season’s title game saw a 58% increase in viewership from the season prior, and those numbers are likely going to spike once again. Allow us to set the scene.

How they got here: After losing to Pitt twice during the regular season, Louisville got revenge in last night’s semis, advancing to the title game with a four-set victory. This is the Cardinals’ second championship appearance in the last three years after falling to Texas in 2022.

• As for the other semi, Penn State clawed back from dropping the first two sets, rallying in five sets behind 26 kills from Jess Mruzik. The Nittany Lions now have a chance to roar for their eighth national title.

Previewing Sunday’s championship: Louisville is led by graduate student Anna DeBeer, who notched 14 kills and nine digs before suffering a scary injury in the win over Pitt, and senior libero Elena Scott, a newly minted first-team All-American. The Cardinals will be out to avenge their regular-season loss to Penn State when it matters most.

• On the opposite side of the net, AVCA National Freshman of the Year Izzy Starck and aforementioned fifth-year outside hitter Jess Mruzik are the ones to watch for Penn State. Birds vs. Cats — who ya got?