Women’s volleyball Sweet 16 begins tomorrow

The GIST: After a whirlwind few days of volleyball last week, the field of 64 is already down to 16. That’s pretty sweet, but advancing to the next round would be elite. Here’s what to expect in tomorrow’s first four matchups. Let’s hit it.

No. 7 Missouri vs. No. 3 Kentucky, 1 p.m. ET: After a major second-round upset of No. 2 SMU, Mizzou will be looking to keep the magic going. That said, this is an SEC rematch of two previous meetings, with Kentucky coming out on top in both. Could the third time be the charm for the Tigers?

No. 4 Oregon vs. No. 1 Pitt, 3:30 p.m. ET: The Ducks and Panthers opened the season against each other way back on August 30th, with Pitt sweeping in a three-set victory. Since then, the No. 1 overall seed Panthers have lost just one match. Unreal, but perhaps the Ducks can quack up a stunner…

No. 6 Florida vs. No. 2 Stanford, 7 p.m. ET: The Gators took down No. 2 Kansas in five sets during the second round thanks to 33 kills (!!!) from Player of the Year finalist Kennedy Martin. Meanwhile, Stanford is led by senior and ACC Setter of the Year Kami Miner. That’s a whole lot of star power.

No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 1 Louisville, 9:30 p.m. ET: It wasn’t an easy second round for the Cardinals, who survived a five-set scare against No. 8 Northern Iowa, but senior libero Elena Scott kept them alive with 26 digs. The player to watch on Purdue? Second-round standout, junior outside hitter Eva Hudson. Bump, set, slay.