Opening weekend of the 2017 NCAA Division I women's volleyball season did not disappoint. Four hundred and eighty-seven matches were played from Friday to Sunday, marking the start of the best time of year for volleyball fans.

Although there were plenty of big matchups, the most competitive gathering of teams was at the Vert Challenge in Gainesville, Florida, where the home team stole the headlines by upsetting first preseason No. 1 Texas in four sets, then No. 8 Nebraska in five.

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Florida, ranked 12th in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Preseason Poll, showcased its depth, as senior outside hitter Carli Snyder led in the Texas match with 14 kills and sophomore middle Rachael Kramer's 20 kills versus Nebraska, marking a team-high on Saturday. In addition, Snyder hit new career highs with 20 digs versus Texas and 27 versus Nebraska.



Oregon also made a big statement at the Vert Challenge, upsetting the Huskers in four sets on Friday night. The big victory came in Matt Ulmer's first-ever match as the Ducks' head coach. Like Florida, the Ducks showed that they have many players who are ready to help offensively this season, with four players contributing at least 11 kills in the Nebraska match. Lindsey Vander Weide lead with 14.

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For their part, the Huskers played both matches this weekend without starting senior setter Kelly Hunter, who suffered an undisclosed injury during preseason. Redshirt freshman Hunter Atherton earned the start in her place.

Oregon's second match of the season was against Texas, and despite having some good momentum from the Nebraska victory and the Longhorns reeling from their loss to Florida, Texas pulled out the win in four sets. Freshman Lexi Sun led the way with 14 kills.

On the opposite coast, preseason No. 3 Washington hosted Pittsburgh, Saint Mary's, and Creighton, but even home court advantage couldn't slow down the Bluejays, who knocked off the Huskies in four. Juniors Taryn Kloth and Jaali Winters led with 16 kills each, and with only two errors on 36 swings, Kloth hit an impressive .389.

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Other notable performances included UCLA's undefeated start to the season at the Texaco Rainbow Wahine Invitational, where the Bruins took down Marquette, San Diego, and host Hawaii, and Kentucky's five-set victory over Pac-12 up-and-comer Utah.

Preseason No. 17 Michigan State underperformed, losing to Georgia Tech, while No. 20 Missouri was upset by Austin Peay and Northern Iowa. At the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, preseason No. 12 North Carolina had a tough time, falling in straight sets to top-10 opponents Minnesota and Wisconsin.

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