Pitt, Wisconsin Volleyball Match Becomes Second-Most Watched Regular Season Game Ever

The matchup between No. 6 Wisconsin and No. 4 Pitt eclipsed 594,000 viewers.

Pitt hosted the Opening Spike Classic inside the Petersen Events Center. / Pitt Athletics

Just two weeks into the college volleyball season, the broadcast numbers have already broken records. 

This past Sunday at the Opening Spike Classic inside the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pa., ESPN delivered its second-most-watched NCAA volleyball regular-season game ever.

The matchup between No. 6 Wisconsin and No. 4 Pitt eclipsed 594,000 viewers, while the entire tournament averaged 263,000 viewers across four matches on ESPN and ESPN2.  

This past Sunday, ESPN delivered its 2nd most-watched @NCAAVolleyball regular season game EVER during the '26 Opening Spike Classic

🏐 @BadgerVB vs @Pitt_VB | 594K viewers
🏐 Tournament averaged 263K viewers across 4 matches on ESPN & ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/D96lxpRjpF

— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) September 2, 2026

The host, Pitt. was perfect in the tournament, taking down No. 15 Kansas in four sets and Wisconsin in three sets. The victory over the Badgers was the Panthers’ third over a ranked opponent this season and extended their home win streak to a national best of 53 straight. 

In front of a record number of viewers watching at home, Pitt’s Olivia Babcock had a match-high 19 kills, hit .333, and added nine digs, two aces, and three blocks. Blaire Bayless added 14 kills and seven digs, while Izzy Starck had three double-doubles, finishing with 45 assists and 11 digs. Maaike Heilig put up a team-high five blocks and added a career-best six kills, and Mallorie Meyer led the team with 12 digs. 

As for Wisconsin, freshman Lynney Tarnow led the team with seven kills and a hitting percentage of .462. Grace Lopez made her first start at right side as a Badger and recorded seven kills. 

No. 5 Stanford defeated Kansas in four sets in the final match of the Opening Spike Classic. It marked the first time in history that the two programs met in women’s volleyball, and the Cardinal made it count, as the team hit .239 and held Kansas to a .164 clip. 

Outside hitter Julia Blyashov led the team with 14 kills and 14 digs, while outside hitter Ipar Kurt added 13 kills, five digs and three blocks. Logan Parks collected 41 assists with 10 digs, two kills, aces and blocks, while Spencer Etzler had a match-high 18 digs. 

ESPN aired three of its five most-watched games ever in 2025, and the 2026 season is shaping up to be the same, if not better. The largest regular-season game ever by ESPN was last August when Nebraska took on Kentucky in front of 1.2 million viewers on ABC. 

Both the NCAA Tournament and the regular season delivered records and grew viewership from 2024 to 2025. It became the most-watched women’s college volleyball regular season ever, averaging 190,000 viewers and finishing up 36% year over year. 

The national championship game between Texas A&M and Kentucky saw 1.4 million viewers, making it the second most-watched title matchup. The game peaked at 1.7 million viewers when the Aggies swept the Wildcats.