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10 Best Volleyball Colleges (For Women and Men)

Going to college is always a tough decision. There are lots of factors to consider. If you’re into volleyball, it’d be a good idea to choose a college that has a strong volleyball team, so you can join it and become a college volleyball star.

What are the best volleyball colleges?

Best volleyball colleges for women:

1. Stanford University
2. University of Wisconsin-Madison
3. Baylor University
4. University of Nebraska–Lincoln
5. Pennsylvania State University
6. University of Minnesota
7. Michigan State University
8. University of Florida
9. Purdue University
10. Brigham Young University

Best volleyball colleges for men:

1. California State University Long Beach
2. Ohio State University
3. Loyola University Chicago
4. University of California
5. Standford University
6. Pennsylvania State University
7. Brigham Young University
8. University of California
9. University of Southern California
10. Pepperdine University

Best volleyball colleges for women

1. Stanford University

Lately, Stanford seems to be in great form. The women’s team has won the last 2 championships at the Division 1. The coach Kevin Hambly does a great job and currently, he has many talented players. Stanford offers over 350 athletic scholarships and approximately 900 students participate in intercollegiate sports.

2. University of Wisconsin-Madison

The Wisconsin Badgers is the third-best team in the history of NCAA. Their leading player is Sydney Hilley with 11,92 assists per set. The current coach is Kelly Sheffield who’s been here for 7 years. The tuition in-state costs $10,533 and tuition out-state $34,783. Wisconsin Athletics sponsors 12 varsity sports and over 450 female student-athletes.

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3. Baylor University

The women’s volleyball program at Baylor University began in 1978. Ryan McGuyre has been the coach since 2015. They’re in the Big 12 conference. The volleyball team is called the Lady Bears. In 2019, Baylor University won the Big 12 conference with a record of 15-1. Students get athletic scholarships.

4. University of Nebraska–Lincoln

The Nebraska women’s volleyball team was founded in 1975 and is one of the most decorated teams in all of women’s volleyball, with more wins than any other program and five NCAA national championships http://opelz-blog.de/bokstaven-a/index.html , one of only three programs not on the west coast to have won a title. The Cornhuskers volleyball program is one of the most popular spectator attractions in Nebraska, as four of the largest crowds to ever watch a volleyball match were in the state.

5. Pennsylvania State University

Penn State Nittany Lions is one of the best college volleyball teams ever. They have great players, but even better head coach Russ Rose. He recently wrapped up his 41st season as head coach of arguably the nation’s most elite women’s volleyball program. His record-setting seven NCAA national titles and 17 Big Ten championships speak directly to the confidence and character he’s passed along throughout his career. 

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6. University of Minnesota

The program began its first season in 1972 under head coach Dee Jilek. Its current head coach is Hugh McCutcheon, who took over the team after the 2012 Olympics. University of Minnesota every year does well in their conference, taking the best positions.

7. Michigan State University

The Michigan State Spartans team was founded in 1973. They have played 3 times in the regional final and one in the semifinal. The head coach is Cathy George, 13th time in a row. The college offers great scholarships for athletes. The tuition is $14,448 and out of state is $26,674.

8. University of Florida

The Florida Gators is a quite popular and talented team. The Gators compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Almost every year they are on the podium of the conference standing. They have dozens of individual awards and in-team competition is quite hard.

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9. Purdue University

Purdue Boilermakers debuted in 1975. They don’t do as well as Florida, but they offer an attractive scholarship. The Boilermakers have made many appearances in the NCAA Tournament and got to the regional finals two times, in 2010 and 2013.

10. Brigham Young University

 The current coach is Heather Olmstead who is in her 5th season. BYU has only had six head coaches since its first season in 1969. Since the BYU Women’s Volleyball team has started in 1969 it has made 32 of 39 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament appearances as of the 2019 Tournament.

Best volleyball colleges for men

1. California State University Long Beach

The Long Beach State Beach men’s volleyball team is the NCAA Division I. Alan Knipe is the current head coach of 14 years, though he’s been with the program since 2001. In 2018 and 2019 Long Beach State won the Big West Conference. The most notable players are used to play in this university are David Lee, Brett Winslow, and Paul Lotman.

2. Ohio State University

The team is coached by Pete Hanson, who is in his 36th season as head coach. The Buckeyes are a charter member of the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA), which they have been competing in since their founding in 1968. The team has won 27 regular season MIVA titles, 17 tournament titles, and three NCAA Men’s Volleyball Tournament titles. They currently host their home matches at the Covelli Center on campus. On average, 34% of all student-athletes receive athletic scholarships.

3. Loyola University Chicago

The Ramblers are coached by Mark Hulse, who completed his fourth season. In 2014 and 2015 Loyola won the Men’s National Collegiate Volleyball Championship.

4. University of California

Irvine has won the NCAA Men’s National Collegiate Volleyball Championship four times and appeared in the tournament an additional three. In this school appeared notable volleyball stars including Kevin Tille, David Smith, or Carson Clark.

5. Standford University

They won their last championship in 2010, but there is less competition than in the women’s team. The head coach is John Kosty who took over in 2007. Jaylen Jasper is probably the best player. I think Stanford has one of the most attractive volleyball programs in the USA.

6. Pennsylvania State University

Mark Pavlik has been the head coach since 1995 after serving as an assistant coach for five years. He has led the team to every EIVA conference championship since 1995 with the exception of 1998. Under his guidance, Penn State finished as NCAA runners-up in 1995 and 2006 before winning it all in 2008. He also led the team to an NCAA record of 15 straight (1999–2013) NCAA Final Four appearances.

7. Brigham Young University

Do you know Taylor Sander? He was part of this team. BYU Cougars are quite successful. The current coach is Shawn Olmstead who is in his 5th season. They were NCAA Tournament champion in 1999, 2001, and 2004.

8. University of California

UCLA Bruins is one of the most famous volleyball team with great players. Karch Kiraly- one of the best volleyball players of all time used to play in this team. In the last time, they aren’t really successful, but they have great scholarships and atmosphere.

9. University of Southern California

The team participates as a member of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. The program has won the NCAA Men’s Volleyball Championship four times and placed second seven times. Home games are played at Galen Center on the USC campus in Los Angeles, California

10. Pepperdine University

Volleyball isn’t the most popular sport in Pepperdine. But Pepperdine Waves are doing quite well and they have a couple of good appearances in the last years.

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