The biggest week in the volleyball calendar has arrived once again. 

On Thursday, the four remaining NCAA Division I women’s volleyball teams will face off in the national semifinals.

The four finalists — Penn State, Stanford, Nebraska, and Florida — are some of the most decorated programs in women’s college volleyball, with plenty of history between them.

Semifinal #1: No. 1 Penn State vs No. 5 Nebraska

By seeding, a Nebraska victory in the first of the two national semifinals would be a pretty big upset. But the Huskers are the only team to defeat Penn State in the 2017 season, and they’ve only lost one set in the 2017 tournament.

The Penn State Argument

National Championships: 7

Final Four Appearances: 13

The Nittany Lions should be feeling some good vibes when they land at Kansas City International Airport. Penn State won the 2010 national championship, its fourth in a row, in KC, and although Nebraska leads the all-time series 20-10, Penn State has won the last two Final Four matchups.

With Nebraska knocking Penn State out of the tournament last year in the most dramatic fashion possible — coming back from down 0-2 and staving off two Penn State match points before winning in five sets — and the Huskers handing the Nittany Lions their only loss of the entire 2017 season, Penn State is going to be fired up for its chance at redemption.

This year’s seniors were freshmen in 2014, the last time Penn State won it all. Middle blocker Haleigh Washington and outside hitter Ali Frantti were starters on that team, with Frantti earning the national freshman of the year honor. 

Where Megan Courtney was the go-to hitter for the 2014 national championship squad, this year it’s Simone Lee, the 2017 Big Ten Player of the Year and candidate for national player of the year, who is leading the team with 448 kills, hitting .321. 

The Nittany Lions boast the most efficient offense in the country, averaging .345 on the season. Defensively, Penn State is no slouch either, as they’ve held opponents to a .168 percentage.

Taking off to Kansas City pic.twitter.com/aPkluHTnCW

— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) December 12, 2017

The Nebraska Argument

National Championships: 4

Final Four Appearances: 14

It’s been all Nebraska the last two times the Huskers and Nittany Lions have met. Earlier this year, Nebraska swept Penn State in Happy Valley — Penn State's first straight-set loss at home in 14 years.

And almost exactly a year ago, Nebraska let Penn State get as close as it could possibly get to advancing to the regional final before demoralizing the Nittany Lions with a five-set comeback.

As previously mentioned, the Huskers lead the all-time series 20-10, and they have a 7-3 advantage in the postseason. Their win over Kentucky in the regional final marks the third consecutive season that they’ve made it to the Final Four. Penn State, on the other hand, is playing in the final week of competition for the first time since that 2014 national championship season.

Nebraska graduated four starters after the 2016 season — Kadie and Amber Rolfzen, Justine Wong-Orantes, and Andie Malloy — but their replacements — freshman opposite Jazz Sweet, senior outside hitter Annika Albrecht, junior libero Kenzie Maloney, and redshirt freshman middle Lauren Stivrins — have been nothing short of extraordinary, helping Nebraska go 19-1 in the Big Ten. 

In particular, Albrecht and Maloney’s combined 734 digs and Sweet and Stivrins’ combined 187 total blocks have helped Nebraska be one of the toughest defensive teams in the country, ranking ninth in opponent hitting percentage. 

The #Huskers are headed to KC!

Here's an all-access look at how they clinched their 3rd straight Final Four appearance.#WithEachOtherForEachOther pic.twitter.com/Ici2Ywabao

— Husker Volleyball (@Huskervball) December 10, 2017

Semifinal #2: No. 2 Florida vs No. 3 Stanford

In this classic East Coast vs West Coast battle, Florida will be looking to prove itself against one of the most decorated women’s volleyball programs of all time, while Stanford has its eye on a repeat national championship.

The Florida Argument

National Championships: 0

Final Four Appearances: 8

The Gators came up big in the first week of the season, defeating Nebraska and Texas, and for the most part they maintained that level of play throughout the remainder of the regular season, losing only one match, to Kentucky on October 15.

Another senior-laden team, the Gators are led by middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan, opposite Shainah Joseph, libero Caroline Knope, and outside hitter Carli Snyder. 

Florida is the only finalist that hasn’t won a national title, and although no female coach has ever won a Division I women’s volleyball championship, Florida’s Mary Wise is the one who has come the closest, leading her 2003 team to the final when the Gators lost to USC.

Over the weekend, in the regional final versus USC, the Gators rallied back after going down 1-2 and facing Trojan match point at 24-23 in the fourth. In the fourth, they were once again forced to dig their way out of a hole after USC took a 9-5 lead.

Alhassan is the best blocker in the country; as a group, the Gators are the fifth-most impenetrable blocking team with 3.01 blocks per set. Their .286 team hitting percentage ranks them 12th nationally. 

COMEBACK COMPLETE! WE'RE GOING TO KANSAS CITY!!! pic.twitter.com/IXefwOJ8JB

— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) December 10, 2017

The Stanford Argument

National Championships: 7

Final Four Appearances: 21

A quick glance at those stats above tells you a lot about Stanford volleyball. One of the most consistently successful programs in history, the Cardinal also enter the 2017 Final Four as the reigning national champions. 

Hitting .322, they have the third-best offensive average in the country. With 3.10 blocks per set, they’re fourth nationally. And with three starters above 6-foot-6, they’ll be the tallest team in Kansas City this weekend.

Last week, Stanford faced Texas in the regional finals in a rematch of last year’s national championship bout. With a .304 team hitting percentage, eight blocks, and five aces, the Cardinal swept the Longhorns to keep Texas out of the Final Four for the first time since 2011.

Kathryn Plummer, last year’s national freshman of the year and the 2017 Pac-12 Player of the Year and ESPNW Player of the Year, leads the Cardinal with 539 kills — the most kills and highest hitting percentage of any pin hitter in the Final Four.

Relive Saturday's magic  #GoStanford pic.twitter.com/XW5BRyiPVP

— Stanford Women's Volleyball (@StanfordWVB) December 11, 2017