This week’s NCAA seaside volleyball report takes an in-depth have a look at the colossal Loss of life Volley Invitational, speaking with LSU coach Russell Brock about how the mega-event got here collectively and breaking down every of the eight nationally ranked groups competing earlier than the cameras of VBTV on Friday and Saturday. We end with a fast-paced rundown of the opposite dates on the sixth-week calendar.
Do or die in Loss of life Volley
Baton Rouge, Louisiana — of all locations — is the location this week of what’s probably probably the most stacked regular-season match since faculty seaside volleyball turned an NCAA-championship sport in 2016.
Forty % of the groups within the AVCA coaches high 20 ballot, together with Nos. 1-6, play on Friday and Saturday within the Loss of life Volley Invitational.
Host LSU and Coach Russell Brock have pulled out all of the stops to make this a showcase simply accessible by followers nationwide, truly, worldwide.
The title? A play on iconic LSU Tiger Stadium, the soccer venue known as Loss of life Valley.
The format will match 4 groups from the East (AVCA No. 4 TCU, No. 5 Florida State, No. 10 LSU and No. 17 Florida Atlantic) in opposition to 4 from the West (No. 1 USC, No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 Stanford and No. 6 Cal) in crossover contests. All earned bids to the 2023 NCAA Seashore Volleyball Championship, through which USC defeated UCLA within the remaining, FSU and TCU have been eradicated within the semifinals, and LSU, Stanford and Cal have been quarterfinalists.
“It is a landmark occasion for the East or the South,” Brock mentioned this week, his voice crammed with pleasure. “In California, the faculties there have fairly steadily been capable of invite the Jap groups to come back out and try this East vs. West format. That is one thing we’ve at all times needed to do, so to carry this in our stadium was a plan we hoped we might pull off. We made a critical run at it for this season.
“We’ve been capable of appeal to two or three West Coast to come back right here, as a result of it’s only a enjoyable place to play in a terrific surroundings. Fortunately, we have been capable of generate nice curiosity so we get to kick off the inaugural Loss of life Volley Invitational with an amazing discipline, and we hope to repeat this yearly.”
The entire 16 duals over two days at LSU’s 2,000-seat lighted stadium venue in Baton Rouge will probably be streamed totally free on Volleyball World’s VBTV platform and can embrace full commentary on the featured court docket. This would be the first on-campus collegiate seaside occasion that VBTV has undertaken.
LSU has commissioned Mark Schuermann, the charismatic PA announcer of the professional AVP tour for the final 9 seasons, to be the voice of the Loss of life Volley Invitational.
Getting the favored VBTV streaming service on board transpired when Brock huddled with Volleyball World honcho Finn Taylor through the AVCA Conference held at the side of the NCAA girls’s indoor remaining 4 in Tampa, Florida.
“I knew that Volleyball World was involved in collegiate seaside volleyball as a result of they’d proven the AVCA pairs championship within the fall, type of on the final minute,” Brock mentioned. “I tracked Finn down and on the conference and had a dialog. He was excited in regards to the chance and he was extremely useful in a brief quantity facilitating this as an occasion that may be accessible by means of their (streaming) platform.
“Each match from Courtroom 1 on each days will probably be telecast with their announcers, and the opposite 5 courts will probably be live-streamed with out commentary. Followers can watch any court docket they need on VBTV totally free – you don’t even should be a member.”
Brock advised VBM that the East facet of the sector wasn’t tough to place collectively “as a result of we do lots of home-and-away with them anyway.”
Recruiting the West groups turned simpler when “I might say to the West facet that they have been assured to play these groups, you’re assured to play in our stadium, and it’s going to be a fantastic occasion that you’ll want to be concerned with.
“UCLA and Stanford had been right here earlier than and have been enthusiastic about coming again. USC had been desirous to play right here they usually owed us a house date as a result of we had performed on the market. So we have been capable of get a degree of dedication from these groups, plus Cal.” and a powerhouse lineup was in place.
Click on right here for Volleyball World TV. The Loss of life Volley Invitational is free, however you need to use use Promo Code VOLLEYBALLMAG for a reduction on month-to-month and annual passes.
Loss of life Volley workforce by workforce
The loaded discipline with a “warmth verify” ranking for every:
No. 1 USC (18-2) “sunspot scorching”: The three-time defending NCAA champion Ladies of Troy have received 14 in a row (66-4 in matches) since dropping the goal-medal twin of the season-opening Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Basic in Hawaii to UCLA. That string contains ranked victories over TCU, Cal Poly, Lengthy Seashore State, Hawaii, Florida Worldwide, Washington, Florida Atlantic, Arizona and Grand Canyon. USC’s high pair of Megan Kraft and Delaynie Maple are 19-1. Competing primarily on the 3s, grad transfers Grace Seits and Maddie Kriz are 15-1. Sophomore Madison White is 15-2 on the 3s and 4s with 5 companions, together with 6-0 with freshman Ashley Pater. It’s a protected wager that Coach Dain Blanton’s powerhouse enjoys extra skilled depth than any workforce within the nation.
No. 2 UCLA (15-4) “scorching as a pistol”: The Bruins dispatched Florida State and LSU (each by 4-1 scores) throughout their East Meets West Invitational on iconic Manhattan Seashore, so their most telling crossover this weekend figures to come back in opposition to TCU. UCLA is 1-1 in opposition to archrival USC, 1-2 in opposition to Stanford and 0-1 in opposition to Loyola Marymount. Nevertheless it holds victories over California, Cal Poly, Lengthy Seashore State, Hawaii, Arizona State, Washington (twice), Grand Canyon and Georgia State. Maggie Boyd and Lexy Denaburg are 15-4 on the 1s, Perri Brennan and Devin Newberry 17-2 on the 2s and Ensley Alden and Natalie Myszkowski 16-1 on the 5s (with a 14-match profitable streak). The Bruins determine to be coming in recent after a 13-day break to recharge their batteries.
No. 3 Stanford (14-2) “roiling boil”: Probably the most outstanding feathers within the Cardinal’s cap are a 3-1 mixed report in opposition to USC and UCLA and a 3-2 victory on residence sand in opposition to TCU. Noteworthy are also triumphs over Cal, LMU, Hawaii and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, mitigated by a 3-2 setback to host Arizona State through the Pac-12 South Invitational. Stanford is available in on a six-game roll, however the competitors degree was not as stout as what it can see in Baton Rouge. Prime pair Brooke Rockwell and Xolani (10-6) haven’t been computerized, however Taylor Wilson and Ruby Sorra have gone 13-3 on the 2s and the Cardinal have logged data of 15-1 on the 4s and 14-2 on the 5s utilizing numerous combos. Freshman Claire Hoffman (13-3) and Clara Stowell (12-2) have proved extremely serviceable additions to the lineup.
No. 4 TCU (18-2) “low boil”: The Horned Frogs will get possibilities for redemption in rematches with USC and Stanford, the one groups to beat them. A better have a look at their .900 profitable proportion, nevertheless, exhibits six “W’s” by 3-2 scores and half a dozen with 4-1 counts, so TCU has dodged a bunch of shut calls. The Horned Frogs haven’t taken a sweep of their final seven victories. Nonetheless, TCU has overwhelmed ranked LSU, Arizona State, Washington (twice), Florida Worldwide and Florida Atlantic. Coach Hector Gutierrez discovered a superb alternative for Daniela Alvarez and Tania Moreno, the 2023 AVCA nationwide pair of the 12 months who left the Fort Value faculty every with eligibility remaining to pursue the Olympics, and are solidly positioned to signify their native Spain within the 2024 Paris Video games. Junior Hailey Hamlett and sophomore Anhelina Khmil are 19-1 (shedding solely to USC’s Kraft and Maple in three units) and have been named the AVCA nationwide pair of the week after going 4–0 final weekend in TCU’s Battle on the Fort. Because the preponderance of shut scores signifies, depth has been a difficulty for Gutierrez’s squad and key cog Alex Parkhurst has encountered knee points over the last two weekends.
No. 5 Florida State (19-2) “temperature’s rising”: The Seminoles’ solely blemishes got here through the East Meets West in opposition to UCLA and California, each by 4-1 margins. FSU bounced again final weekend on residence sand with a sweep of the Midseason CCSA Event that included victories over LSU 4-1 and Grand Canyon 3-2. The Seminoles’ resume additionally exhibits “W’s” over LMU, Hawaii, Georgia State, FAU, Stetson and Tampa (twice). Madelyne Anderson didn’t play within the CCSA occasion. Within the All-American’s absence Coach Brooke Niles had Alexis Durish (20-0 on the season) and Anna Lengthy (18-0) climb the ladder from 4s to 3s to 2s to 1s with stellar success. The Seminoles have a bevy of confirmed gamers, resembling Skyler Germann (13-3), Audrey Koenig (16-4), Raelyn White (17-3) and Alli Hansen (16-2), so Niles’ problem is find out how to combine and match them. The entire Loss of life Volley duals loom as extremely important for FSU.
No. 6 Cal (13-5) “simmering”: The Golden Bears rightfully have climbed the charts on the power of victories over FSU, Loyola Marymount, Hawaii, Arizona State and Georgia State. However Cal dropped a 3-2 determination to LSU through the East Meets West, was spanked by Stanford 5-0 and has dropped two to No. 7 Cal Poly (21-2), together with a momentum-sapping 4-1 defeat Tuesday on residence sand, though in equity to the Bears, 4 of the matches went to a few units. Cal’s most constant pair has been junior Ella Driebholz and sophomore Portia Sherman, who’re 14-3 on the 4s and 5s with the losses coming in opposition to UCLA, Stanford and Cal Poly. Sophomores Gia Fisher and Marilu Pally are 12-6 on the 2s and 3s. Robust outcomes this weekend would go a good distance towards solidifying a excessive seeding for the Bears within the NCAA match.
No. 10 LSU (12-5) “lukewarm”: The host Tigers have a ton at stake earlier than their residence followers as a result of, realistically, they’re underdogs in opposition to all 4 opponents. LSU went 2-2 final weekend on the CCSA round-robin, falling 4-1 to FSU and struggling a 3-2 upset to Grand Canyon. The roller-coaster Tigers additionally break up 4 duals within the East Meets West, shedding to UCLA 4-1 and Hawaii 4-1 whereas topping Cal 3-2 and Loyola Marymount 3-2. Different temperature-testing outcomes embrace 4-1 victories over Washington and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, a 3-2 conquer a strong Tulane (17-7) workforce and a 3-2 loss to TCU. The problematic courts for the Bayou Bengals have been the 1s (with a 7-10 report) and the 5s (10-7), whereas their 3s pairs have gone 15-2 and the 3s are 14-3. In the course of the CCSA occasion, senior Ellie Shank (13-2), who had been slotted on the decrease courts, was elevated to the 2s and, within the final day’s duals, to the highest pair.
No. 17 FAU (12-7) “room temperature”: No enormous crimson flags could be present in any of FAU’s losses (USC, TCU, FSU, Convention-USA rival Florida Worldwide, Arizona State, Georgia State and Tampa) and the Sandy Owls from posh Boca Raton have taken care of enterprise in opposition to the groups they need to beat. Their noteworthy victories got here in opposition to Georgia State and South Carolina. FAU earned an computerized bid to the 17-team 2023 NCAA discipline because the champion of the C-USA Event, however the ante acquired steeper this 12 months with the addition of TCU to the league. An upset in opposition to any of the groups on the stacked West facet would increase the Owls’ profile with the NCAA choice committee. Courtney Moon and Marketa Svozilova (10-5) are a strong 1s pair, whereas Mikayla Regulation-Heese and Olivia Strandberg are 12-5 on the 4s and 5s.
Across the nation
No. 16 Grand Canyon (7-9), the one workforce within the AVCA Prime 20 with a sub-.500 report, gained traction final weekend with victories over LSU and South Carolina and can search to construct momentum on Friday and Saturday throughout its Lopes Invitational. Visiting Phoenix will probably be No. 12 Arizona State (14-4), No. 18 Stetson (11-5) and No. 19 Arizona (14-3). GCU’s Krista Rowan and Sophia Hladyniuk went 4-for-4 on the 1s to earn CCSA pair of the week honors
No. 9 LMU (13-8) and the opposite six league groups will contest the West Coast Convention Midseason Tournament on Friday and Saturday in Santa Cruz, California. WCC pair of the week Allie Cataldo and Angie Bour went 2-0 final weekend on the 3s for Saint Mary’s (10-9).
Behind a 6-0 report on the 2s and 3s from Southland Convention pair of the week Hannah Doyle and Stephanie Younger, No. 20 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (19-4) swept its matches within the league’s midseason seeding match in New Orleans. Subsequent up on Friday and Saturday is its Islanders Invitational, which welcomes Texas, UT Martin, Stephen F. Austin and Texas-El Paso. UT Martin (9-5) went 4-0 within the OVC Weekend in Chattanooga, throughout which the host Mocs additionally received their 4 duals.
The rest of the AVCA Prime 20 — Cal Poly, No. 8 Lengthy Seashore State, No. 11 Hawaii, No. 13 Washington, No. 14 Florida Worldwide and No. 15 Georgia State — have the weekend off.
Cal Poly ran the desk in opposition to six opponents within the Large West Problem round-robin final weekend. Sophomores Ella Connor and Izzy Martinez have been 5-0 on the 1s (together with victories over Lengthy Seashore State and Hawaii) and have been tabbed as Large West pair of the week. … As Georgia State plowed by means of 4 duals within the Solar Belt Convention Midseason Event final weekend, all by 5-0 scores, the Sandy Panthers’ feisty Ferary twins went undefeated on the highest court docket with out dropping a set. Angel and Bella picked up the league’s pair of the week award for the second time in 2024.
The Boise State Seashore Basic on Friday and Saturday contains the host Broncos (19-8, going 5-1 within the Southland round-robin), UC Davis and Oregon.
Faculty of Charleston, New Oleans, Mercer, and Alabama-Birmingham will be a part of the host Ospreys within the North Florida Invitational in Jacksonville on Friday and Saturday.
Coastal Carolina (14-6) will look to increase a nine-dual profitable streak in its Chanticleer Problem on Friday and Saturday. The opposition in Conway, South Carolina, contains North-Carolina Wilmington, Erskine, Emmanuel and Catawba.
Utah (12-6) will play host to Texas A&M-Kingsville, Colorado Mesa and Concordia-Irvine in a Friday and Saturday competitors.
Louisiana-Monroe will entertain Central Arkansas, Jap Kentucky, Tarleton State and Hendrix on Friday and Saturday in its ULM Invitational.
Within the Tampa Invite on Friday and Saturday, the host Spartans (13-9 and winners of six in a row) will greet Palm Seashore Atlantic, Saint Leo and Florida Southern.