Final Four volleyball team capsules

STANFORD

32-1 overall, 20-0 Pac-12

• NCAA tournament seed: 1

• Final Four appearances: 22

• NCAA championships: seven (2016, 2004, 2001, 1997, 1996, 1994, 1992)

• The Cardinal has the most experience of any Final Four participant. It is tied with Penn State for the most NCAA titles in history and is first in Final Four appearances (22), tournament victories (123) and title matches (15). Stanford has 17 victories this season over top-25 opponents, the most of any team. Its current 30-match win streak started Sept. 1, following its only defeat of the season, a 3-2 loss at BYU. Pac-12 Player of the Year Kathryn Plummer leads the team with 514 kills, while Pac-12 Setter of the Year Jenna Gray has 848 assists and conference Libero of the Year Morgan Hentz has 325 digs.

• NCAA tournament seed: 3

• Final Four appearances: 4

• NCAA championships: none

• Picked to finish fifth in the Big Ten, the Illini were the league runners-up behind the Gophers. Three players were named to All-America teams Wednesday, with setter Jordyn Poulter and outside hitter Jacqueline Quade making the first team and middle blocker Ali Bastianelli making the third. Poulter, the Big-Ten Co-Setter of the Year with the Gophers' Samantha Seliger-Swenson, has 1,475 assists and 317 digs. Quade leads the team with 4.19 kills per set, while Bastianelli is hitting .352 and has a team-high 1.40 blocks per set. The Illini have won their past 17 matches and split with Nebraska during the regular season.

• NCAA tournament seed: 4

• Final Four appearances: 3

• NCAA championships: none

• The Cougars spent much of the season ranked No. 1 and did not lose until Nov. 20, when they were swept by Loyola Marymount. The 27-game winning streak was the best start to a season in program history. Coach Heather Olmstead, in her fourth season, has the highest winning percentage in Division I history (.908, 118-12). BYU is outstanding on both offense and defense; it leads the nation in hitting percentage (.315) and is second in opponent hitting percentage (.139). Outside hitter Roni Jones-Perry leads the team with 4.88 kills per set, fourth best in the country, and middle blocker Heather Gneiting ranks eighth in the nation in blocks per set (1.53).

• NCAA tournament seed: 7

• Final Four appearances: 15

• NCAA championships: five (2017, 2015, 2006, 2000, 1995)

• The Huskers already have made program history by advancing to the Final Four for the fourth consecutive year. Coach John Cook reiterated Wednesday that he believes his team is the most improved in the country since the beginning of the season, thanks to the leadership of seniors Mikaela Foecke and Kenzie Maloney. The pair is 20-1 in NCAA tournament matches during their career and won titles in 2015 and 2017. Nebraska, on a 12-match winning streak, has the nation's top defense, holding opponents to a .136 hitting percentage. Foecke leads the team with 3.80 kills per set, while Maloney has a team-high 4.06 digs per set.

RACHEL BLOUNT