Realignment shifts Stanford, other top powers in women’s college volleyball as popularity surges

By STEVE MEGARGEE | Associated Press

Perhaps no sport will be impacted more by the most recent round of conference realignment than women’s volleyball.

Five of the last nine schools to win national championships switched conferences during the offseason. Those five schools (Texas, Stanford, UCLA, Washington and Southern California) have combined to claim 12 of the last 23 titles.

All that movement has resulted in a different kind of offseason as teams eye new conference rivals.