NCAA Seaside
April 24, 2024
Within the penultimate week of the collegiate seashore volleyball season, our report encompasses a conference-by-conference breakdown of the tournaments that can decide the automated qualifiers within the NCAA’s Nationwide Collegiate Seaside Championship, a 17-team, single-elimination event Might 3-5 in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
Equally vital, we dissect the possibilities of the logical contenders for the eight at-large bids.
The bracket will likely be introduced on NCAA.com at 11 a.m. Japanese Sunday, April 28.
Pac-12
4 applications from the final hurrah of the “Convention of Champions” seemingly are locked into bids.
As in each season during which the NCAA has sanctioned a nationwide event, the title seemingly will run by the stacked Pac-12.
USC (29-4) has its sights set on a fourth consecutive NCAA crown. Coach Dain Blanton’s Ladies of Troy enter the Pac 12 event, Wednesday by Friday within the desert on Arizona State’s campus courts, because the No. 1-ranked group within the weekly AVCA coaches ballot and the highest seed among the many 9 gathered in Tempe.
No. 2 UCLA (29-5) is the defending Pac-12 event champion and final season’s nationwide runner-up. The Bruins are seeded second and have cut up 4 duals with archrival USC.
By now each fan of collegiate seashore volleyball ought to be capable to recite this sentence by coronary heart: USC and UCLA are the one applications to win nationwide titles because the sport acquired sanction by the NCAA in 2016.
No. 3 Stanford (28-3) appears the most certainly candidate to finish that pattern. The Cardinal have gone 1-1 in opposition to USC and 2-1 in opposition to UCLA and their solely different setback got here in Tempe in opposition to Arizona State. Stanford’s lineup from the 1s by the 5s has been rock-solid, however Coach Andrew Fuller sometimes has 4 freshmen amongst his 10 starters. That inexperience may present in opposition to the way more battle-tested Trojans and Bruins.
Seeded fourth within the double-elimination (apart from the ultimate) competitors behind Stanford is No. 8 Cal (20-11). The Golden Bears might need double-digit losses, however they got here in opposition to USC, UCLA (twice), Stanford (twice), Cal Poly (twice), Florida State, TCU, LSU and Washington. Cal’s identify will likely be referred to as by the committee when the NCAA choice present streams Sunday (11 a.m. Japanese) on ncaa.com.
9 convention event winners will likely be automated qualifiers. The burning query heading into Choice Sunday is: How lots of the remaining eight at-large bids will likely be consumed by the Pac-12? Final yr, that quantity was three. This time, 4 appears extremely doable and 5 wouldn’t be completely out of the query.
A width of a taking part in card might separate the distinction within the resumes of the following two in line – fifth-seeded Washington (19-13), ranked twelfth, and No. 13 Arizona State (19-7), the six seed taking part in on house sand and acclimatized to abandon situations. Washington and Arizona State cut up through the common season, the Huskies profitable 3-2 at house in Seattle and the Solar Devils taking a 3-2 victory on impartial floor in Fort Value, Texas.
An “uno-dos-adios” exit or a deep run by both group within the Pac-12 event might make or break their possibilities for a bid.
Arizona State has been among the many seashore season’s most compelling storylines as Coach Kristen Rohr moved from Grand Canyon in Phoenix to Tempe. The revamped Solar Devils made a major enchancment from 11-13.
“We’re so enthusiastic about being house in our sand for (the convention event),” Rohr advised VBM. “The group already has executed a lot in our first yr of the brand new period of ASU seashore. We need to present that we’re a high program within the league and end off on a powerful notice seeking to (the NCAA tourney).
“My group and Washington are very evenly matched and went 1-1 in opposition to one another. Having a very good exhibiting at PACs is absolutely vital for us as a group and likewise for postseason championship alternatives,’ she added. “In the event you have a look at the groups beneath us, we’ve had higher wins and have overwhelmed these individuals, so I’d assume we’ve a very good shot (at a bid).”
Finishing the Pac-12 discipline are seventh-seeded Arizona (20-10 and ranked 18th nationally), eight seed Utah (18-14) and ninth-seeded Oregon (5-23). The entire motion from the convention event will air throughout Pac-12 Networks.
Massive West
The Massive West holds three of the primary 11 positions within the AVCA ballot, however will its bubble blow large enough to carry all of them?
No. 5 Cal Poly (27-5) has put collectively a turnaround season for the ages, with a resume that means the Mustangs could possibly be the group to interrupt USC’s and UCLA’s stranglehold on the NCAA title, if Stanford doesn’t.
Listed below are the losses taken by Coach Todd Rogers’ squad: USC 3-2, UCLA 4-1 and 3-2, Lengthy Seaside State 3-2 and Florida State 3-2. The Mustangs have topped TCU, Cal (twice), Lengthy Seaside State, Loyola Marymount, Hawaii, Florida Worldwide, Stetson and Grand Canyon.
Prime-seeded Cal Poly received’t must sweat out a bid through the Massive West event Friday and Saturday at Lengthy Seaside Neighborhood Faculty in Southern California.
Second seed Lengthy Seaside State (25-7), ranked seventh nationally, most likely doesn’t, both, primarily based on a stellar physique of labor that features victories over Cal Poly, Loyola Marymount, Washington, Arizona State, FIU, Georgia State, Stetson and GCU.
Nevertheless, No. 11 Hawaii (20-11), the Massive West’s third seed, may be in a extra precarious place, even with LSU (through the high-profile East Meets West) and Lengthy Seaside State outstanding within the “W” column, and no red-flag defeats.
Coach Evan Silberstein is assured his Rainbow Wahine have what it takes to catch the choice committee’s eye, even when meaning three Massive West squads among the many 17 within the NCAAs.
“We consider our convention is without doubt one of the strongest in NCAA seashore volleyball, evidenced by” the nationwide rankings,” Silberstein advised VBM. “Our season has been all about committing to our course of and progressing as a program from week to week with a transparent eye on the postseason as our time to peak.
“We like what we’ve executed thus far this yr. We all know we are able to play with anybody and now could be our time to exit and show it.“
The league will use a brand new format, with its seven groups cut up into swimming pools of 4 and three. One group will likely be eradicated on the primary day. The highest three from every pool will advance to single-elimination knockout rounds. The second- and third-place finishers will cross over in two quarterfinal duals on Saturday, with the winners advancing to the semifinals in opposition to the highest finishers from every pool.
Cal Poly, fourth-seeded Cal Davis and 5 seed Cal State Northridge are in a single round-robin pool. Lengthy Seaside State, Hawaii, sixth-seeded Cal State Bakersfield and 7 seed Sacramento State are within the different, which is able to see 2 dealing with 7 and three assembly 6, with the winners squaring off for first and second, and the losers for third and fourth.
Coastal Collegiate Sports activities Affiliation
The CCSA may be all the way down to 4 groups, however the league held on to its automated qualifier courtesy of an NCAA waiver. Its event Friday and Saturday at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Alabama, will present a dilemma for the choice committee provided that No. 4 Florida State (27-7), the highest seed, or No. 10 LSU (24-9), seeded third, don’t win the title.
The Seminoles are 0-5 in opposition to Pac-12 powers USC, UCLA and Stanford, however a victory over Cal Poly within the Middle of Effort ought to have sealed the deal on an NCAA bid. FSU underneath Brooke Niles, the CCSA coach of the yr, has performed in each nationwide championship held by the NCAA.
LSU’s fortunes took a dramatic uptick in its landmark Demise Volley Invitational when the Bayou Bengals surprised USC. Since then, LSU is 11-2 and sure has executed sufficient to challenge as an at-large choice. Its 2s tandem of senior Reilly Allred and sophomore Parker Bracken have been honored because the CCSA’s pair of the yr.
No. 17 Grand Canyon (14-17), seeded second, has fallen out of at-large consideration though all of its losses have been to ranked groups. CCSA freshman of the yr Julia Waugh helped fourth-seeded South Carolina (18-14) bounce out and in of the AVCA Prime 20. However the Gamecocks’s greatest victory got here in opposition to Stetson and so they have dropped 5 of their final seven.
The CCSA event will likely be coated by the ESPN+ subscription streaming service.
Convention USA
Sixth-ranked TCU (25-7), in its C-USA debut, seemingly has a spot within the NCAA draw wrapped up. During the last month, the Horned Frogs have overwhelmed Lengthy Seaside State, Hawaii (twice), Cal, Washington and Arizona State, mitigating their losses to USC (3 times), UCLA, Stanford (twice) and Cal Poly.
If the Horned Frogs transfer by the convention event as anticipated, the remaining query is: Have any of the opposite eight applications achieved sufficient to land an at-large berth?
No. 14 Florida Worldwide (20-9) would appear to have a slippery seat on the bubble, significantly since losses to Arizona State and Washington (each by 4-1 counts), to not point out a 3-2 stumble in opposition to Florida Gulf Coast, might issue closely into the committee’s calculations.
A deep run within the C-USA event on Thursday by Saturday on the Sugar Seaside advanced in Youngsville, Louisiana, may work wonders for second-seeded FIU’s odds of returning to the NCAAs. The Panthers can declare a major “W” over Loyola Marymount and are available into the tourney on a roll with victories over UAB, Tulane, South Carolina, Stetson and Florida Atlantic.
Coach Steve Grotowski’s formidable scheduling might need put third seed Florida Atlantic, ranked No. 19 regardless of a 16-17 file, behind the 8-ball. The Sandy Owls ran out of steam, dropping 4 of their final 5, throughout a slate that included setbacks in opposition to USC (twice), UCLA, Stanford, FSU, Cal, TCU, Loyola Marymount, Arizona State and Sunshine State rival FIU (twice).
C-USA enjoys strong depth. Fourth-seeded Alabama-Birmingham is 18-13 and beat Tulane, North Alabama, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Tampa, the back-to-back Division-II nationwide champions. Tulane (5) is 22-12 and took care of enterprise in opposition to the groups it ought to have dealt with. Texas-El Paso (6) checks in at 12-11. Missouri State (7) went 24-5 and have received 9 in a row whereas taking part in a largely off-Broadway schedule.
Debut program Tarleton State is seeded eighth and winless Jacksonville State ninth.
The C-USA occasion will likely be double-elimination till the ultimate. Its duals on Friday and Saturday will likely be streamed stay on ESPN+.
West Coast Convention
Loyola Marymount (24-13) is ranked ninth within the AVCA ballot and sure has executed sufficient whereas taking part in a killer schedule to warrant severe consideration for an at-large bid within the unlikely occasion it fails to advance out of the WCC. The highest-seeded Lions’ resume contains victories over UCLA, Florida State, Hawaii, Washington, Florida Worldwide, Grand Canyon (twice), Georgia State, Stetson, Arizona and Florida Atlantic.
Pepperdine (19-14) is seeded second within the seven-team WCC occasion at Ocean Park Seaside in Santa Monica, California, which will likely be double-elimination till the title twin. The Waves have been 0-2 in opposition to LMU within the common season.
Saint Mary’s (17-14) holds the No. 3 seed, adopted by (so as) Santa Clara, San Francisco, Portland and winless Pacific. The primary three WCC duals on Friday will likely be proven on ESPN+, with the ultimate (scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Japanese) aired on cable ESPNU.
Solar Belt Convention
No. 15 Georgia State (22-12) is the resounding favourite to return to the NCAA Championship out of the Solar Belt within the league’s second yr of sanctioning the game. The Sandy Panthers performed their typical Who’s Who gantlet of foes in such highway occasions because the Tampa Invitational, the East Meets West and the Alki Seaside Invitational in Washington.
Georgia State is the highest seed and the one ranked group among the many eight that can collect at John Hunt Park in Huntsville on Thursday by Sunday to contest the double-elimination (till the ultimate) Solar Belt event. With ranked victories over LSU, Washington, Stetson and Grand Canyon, the Panthers shouldn’t be dismissed as a bottom-half-of-the-draw throwout in the event that they make it to the NCAAs.
Their major threats within the Solar Belt determine to be second-seeded North Carolina-Wilmington (19-10) and third seed Coastal Carolina (24-8), however neither scheduled as powerful as Georgia State. The Seahawks and Chanticleers cut up their two duals within the common season.
The opposite seeds are Faculty of Charleston (4), Mercer (5), Southern Mississippi (6), Louisiana-Monroe (7) and Stephen F. Austin (8) and none have been higher than .500. ESPN+ will stream the entire Solar Belt duals stay.
Atlantic Solar
The simple route within the ASUN event (Wednesday by Saturday) can be to rubber-stamp an automated bid for defending champ Stetson (19-10). The Hatters have been ranked all season, checking in at No. 16 within the newest AVCA ballot, and can get pleasure from home-sand benefit on their campus courts in DeLand, Florida. Stetson once more performed a frightening coast-to-coast schedule and holds victories over ranked opponents Arizona, Georgia State, GCU and FAU.
However wait, the Hatters usually are not the highest seed within the eight-team competitors, which is able to characteristic double-elimination till the title twin. That distinction belongs to North Florida (20-11), which broke into the AVCA ballot tied for twentieth. The Ospreys out of Jacksonville defeated South Carolina in March, and so they put an exclamation level on the common season by knocking off Florida Atlantic 4-1 and Stetson 3-2 in DeLand final weekend.
The Hatters maintain the No. 2 seed, however in a event that might see a number of surprises, strong instances additionally may be made for third-seeded Florida Gulf Coast (14-18) and No. 4 seed North Alabama (21-11).
The Eagles from sunny Fort Myers are battle examined from a difficult slate that noticed them lose to Florida State (twice), TCU (twice), Arizona State, Washington, LSU, FIU, FAU (3 times), Stetson (3 times) and Tampa. Nevertheless, Gulf Coast defeated FIU, Georgia State (in Atlanta), Tampa and Tulane, and cut up duals in opposition to North Florida in Jacksonville, each by 3-2 counts. FGCU boasts the ASUN pair of the yr in Shelby Beisner and Trinity Rosales, and the league freshman of the yr, Emma Soncrant.
North Alabama’s schedule was lighter on ranked foes, however the Lions from Florence landed two of the 5 pairs on the ASUN all-conference first group and Kaleb VanDePerre was its coach of the yr. Their noteworthy victories included Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Alabama-Birmingham, North Carolina-Wilmington and Nebraska.
The TruVolley rankings (primarily based on statistics) has North Florida fifteenth, Stetson nineteenth, FGCU twenty first and North Alabama twenty third.
Rounding out the sphere are Japanese Kentucky (seeded fifth), Jacksonville (6), Central Arkansas (7) and Austin Peay (8). All duals within the ASUN occasion from Stetson’s Cooper Seaside venue will likely be streamed on ESPN+.
Ohio Valley Convention
The six-team OVC event Thursday by Sunday in Morehead, Kentucky, will likely be double-elimination till the ultimate and appears to be a two-horse race.
Two-time defending champion Tennessee-Martin (15-4) is the No. 1 seed with league regular-season co-champion Tennessee-Chattanooga (16-9) seeded second. The Skyhawks and Mocs every went 9-1 within the OVC and cut up their season collection, each prevailing on house sand, with UT Martin profitable 4-1 and Chattanooga 3-2.
TruVolley put the Mocs at No. 32 and the Skyhawks at 47. Probably the most noteworthy victory by Chattanooga came visiting North Alabama by a 3-2 rating, whereas UT Martin misplaced to these Lions 4-1.
Lindenwood (12-8, No. 70 on TruVolley) is the third seed, adopted by host Morehead State, Tennessee Tech and Japanese Illinois. ESPN+ will cowl the OVC occasion.
Southland Convention
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi turned the primary group to qualify for the NCAA Championship when it received the Southland event final weekend on the Third Coast venue in Houston. The Islanders (28-9) shook off a 3-2 loss to Boise State within the winners-bracket semifinals, bouncing again with a 3-1 victory over Houston Christian (13-23) within the semifinal and nipping the Broncos (31-12) within the title twin 3-2.
Elevated from 2s to 1s for the convention event, freshman Cassie Dodd and tremendous senior Chloe Tome clinched the Islanders’ third consecutive league title with a three-set triumph (15-7 within the third) over Marlayna Bullington and Sierra Land, the Southland’s pair of the yr. Dodd, the league’s freshman of the yr, and Tome have been tabbed because the nationwide pair of the week by the AVCA.
One other pivotal victory got here on the 2s when Madison Morrow and Kristen Bobay (who had gone 16-13 on the No. 1 court docket through the season) floor out a three-setter over Emilia Guerra-Acuna and Ava Anderson, profitable the primary set 23-21 and the tiebreaker 16-14.
Typical knowledge may robotically slot the Islanders because the No. 16 seed within the play-in twin in opposition to the OVC champion, however that may be promoting their accomplishments brief. They broke into the AVCA Prime 20 for 3 weeks, dropped out, however are again within the ballot, tied for the twentieth spot. If an unranked darkish horse ought to emerge with an automated bid from the Solar Belt, ASUN or WCC, TAMUCC’s resume might advantage the next seed. The Islanders’ Gayle Stammer picked up her third consecutive Southland coach-of-the-year award.