Q&A with NCAA Division I volleyball chair Danielle Josetti of Marquette

The 2024 Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship is December 19-22 in the KFC Yum! Center,  in Louisville. Kentucky. The first semifinal is at 6:30 p.m. Eastern on ESPN with first serve for the second 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first match (also on ESPN). The national championship is at 3 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, December 22 on ABC.
For information on tickets, please visit www.ncaa.com/volleyball.

By Cassie Langdon for  the NCAA

It’s the most wonderful time of the year …

… it’s time for NCAA Division I women’s volleyball committee to select the 64 teams who will make the field for the 2024 Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship. The championship bracket will be announced Sunday, December 1. 

This year’s championship will take place in Louisville Dec. 19-22 and showcase the last four teams standing. 

But to get to those four teams, the 64 teams vying for the title must be selected, either through an automatic qualifier spot from their conference or an at-large selection. That’s where the committee comes in. 

Ten individuals make up the committee, led this year by Danielle Josetti, the committee chair and Executive Associate Athletic Director, Compliance, Marketing & Sales at Marquette University. 

Josetti and the rest of the committee will look beyond a team’s wins and losses; they will consider the whole picture and use a number of criteria to select and seed teams. This includes: 

• Strength of schedule;
• Rating Percentage Index (RPI);
• Head-to-head competition;
• Results versus common opponents; 
• KPI;
• Significant wins/losses and location of those contests.

Additionally, the Division I Women’s Volleyball Committee takes input given by the regional advisory committees under their consideration. 

Josetti shared more about the selections process and how the committee does its difficult work. 

In one sentence, how would you describe the 2024 volleyball season?

This season has been so exciting, but also somewhat unpredictable.

About how many games do you watch a week?

I probably watch 10-15 matches a week right now, but among the full committee, I don’t know the exact number, but it’s very high. 

How often does the committee meet to discuss everything going on the Division I volleyball world?

We have been meeting consistently every other week since the season began, and meeting with our regional advisory committees that frequently as well. The RACs are made up of head coaches from every conference so we meet with them and get their insight into their conferences, as well as their perspective on the national landscape. The weekend we put out our mid-season Top 16, we met for four hours to kick off that weekend on Friday and concluded discussions Sunday morning shortly before the Pitt/Stanford game aired.

How hard it is it narrow down to a Top-16? 

Narrowing it down to a Top-16 is incredibly challenging, especially this year. The level of parity in the sport is higher than ever, and many teams are playing great volleyball, so it’s tough to separate them. Often, when you start evaluating one team, you feel they should rank higher than another, but as you dig into the metrics and apply the selection criteria, the results can be unexpectedly different. At times, the team sheets look so similar so we’re splitting hairs in choosing one team over the other.

What teams have impressed the committee the most so far?

Several teams have stood out to the committee so far, but the two that immediately come to mind are Pitt and Nebraska. They are both playing at an elite level. They are fun to watch and interestingly enough, they each only have one loss, both coming at the hands of the same team. Creighton has also been playing exceptionally well and has shown remarkable consistency throughout the season. Louisville, Penn St., Stanford and Arizona St. have also made strong impressions. Wisconsin is hitting their stride at the right time, so they’re a force heading into the home stretch of the season. And Texas has played a tough schedule and they have the tools and resolve to be back in Louisville in December as well!

Does a Top-16 reveals play any part when it comes to selections for the tournament? 

It doesn’t directly impact the initial selection process, but we will evaluate why a team may have moved up or down to make sure we’re evaluating and analyzing appropriately. For example, a team ranked in the Top-16 in October could win every game after that ranking is published, yet still slide down a few seed positions come selections weekend. This could happen if their RPI, KPI, or the quality of their wins against teams in the top 10, 25, or 50 changes between the mid-season rankings and selection weekend. The Top-16 is a real-time snapshot of where the committee believes teams would stand if the tournament were to start immediately. There have been a lot of great games played since then and we still have a lot of volleyball ahead of us in the next few weeks so there there’s plenty of time for teams to improve their position and potentially move past others before the final selections are made.

What are some common misconceptions that public doesn’t understand about rankings and selections?

There are a few elements about seedings, at-large bids and the selections process as a whole that people may not be aware of. Prior to being on the committee myself, these are all misconceptions I had as well. First, many believe that the RPI is the sole determining factor, but that’s not the case. While the RPI is an important metric, it’s just one piece of the puzzle. We introduced the KPI last season, but we also focus on top wins (like top 10, 25, and 50), and strength of schedule, all of which are considered when making selections. Another source of confusion comes when a seed doesn’t reflect the AVCA rankings. While we have tremendous respect for the people that determine those rankings, they aren’t part of the criteria we’re able to use when determining seeds or at-large bids. 

People also often think we do all the work on selections weekend in Indianapolis, but in reality, we’re preparing for months ahead of time. From day one of the season, we’re watching games, ranking teams, and having ongoing discussions. We meet regularly—either weekly or biweekly—to stay on top of everything. And we also work closely with the RACs, who provide valuable insight and regional rankings so we’re including evaluations from coaches when making our decisions. This feedback plays a key role in our deliberations, but it’s something the public might not be aware that we have access to. It’s a thorough process, and every decision is made with a lot of thought and input from various data sets and sources.

How have you seen the sport of volleyball grow over the last couple of years? 

Volleyball has seen tremendous growth in recent years, and it’s been exciting to watch. Fox, ABC and NBC have aired regular season games for the first time ever this season. ESPN has bumped multiple games from its streaming platform to the linear channels. It’s been awesome for fans to have access to so many great games. Dozens of schools have shattered attendance records, and it’s been incredible to see matches moved to larger venues—many of which are still selling out. Volleyball is such a dynamic, fan-friendly sport, and if we continue to make it accessible to viewers, I believe the interest will keep skyrocketing. ESPN has been a great partner in working with us to get more matches on their networks during first and second rounds and regionals, and we’re thrilled that our championship match will once again be on ABC.

How do you explain selections weekend to those who ask you what it is like? 

It’s hard to put selections weekend into words because it’s a whirlwind of emotions and energy. It’s both exciting and exhausting. We’re evaluating nearly 100 teams from matches that were played back in August, while also keeping an eye on the games being played in real time that weekend. The intensity is high, and we experience every emotion – from excitement to stress – throughout the process. We’re in a room surrounded by monitors and screens, analyzing data, discussing teams, and making decisions that can shape the course of the tournament. We have former student-athletes and coaches in the room so we understand how disappointing it is not to be included in the tournament or not get the seed a team was hoping for, and we don’t take the responsibility lightly. We do work diligently to put the teams in that we believe are most deserving while honoring the integrity of the process. 

What should people expect from this year’s tournament?

This year’s tournament is shaping up to be full of excitement. Expect the unexpected—it’s truly anyone’s year. It could be a tournament full of surprises and, without a doubt, a lot of fun.

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