Off the Block

Category: Division I-II

  • Three Hawai’i matches to be nationally televised in upcoming season

    Three Hawai’i home matches at the beginning of the 2012 season will be nationally televised.

    The Hawai’i athletics department announced Tuesday that its men’s volleyball team’s matches against UC San Diego and UCLA in January will air live on Fox College Sports.

    Hawai’i will open its season with a two-match series against UC San Diego on Jan. 5-6 with both matches being televised. In addition, Hawai’i will play UCLA to conclude its home non-conference tournament, the Outrigger Invitational, on Jan. 14.
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  • Stanford releases 2012 schedule: 5 things to know about this schedule

    A rematch against Long Beach State and non-conference matches against the top MIVA and EIVA teams highlights the 2012 Stanford regular season schedule that the team released Tuesday.

    The Cardinal ended the 2011 regular season No. 3 in the national rankings but was upset in the MPSF Tournament quarterfinals and missed the Final Four. Stanford has six returning starters, including All-American outside attacker Brad Lawson.

    Check out the five things to take away from Stanford’s schedule for the 2012 season.
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  • Coker College to add men’s volleyball starting in 2013

    The Conference Carolinas will add another men’s volleyball team for the 2013 season.

    Coker College announced Monday that it would add men’s volleyball as an intercollegiate sport that will compete in the Conference Carolinas beginning in the 2012-13 school year.

    “As an emerging sport in Conference Carolinas and across the country, men’s volleyball is an excellent fit for Coker,” Coker College President Robert Wyatt said in statement.
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  • MIVA waiting for more info before talking extra scholarship benefits

    The MIVA will wait for further clarification from the NCAA before discussing any common practices for its teams to provide an additional $2,000 to full-ride scholarship athletes.

    MIVA commissioner Chris Schneider said Monday that there is so much uncertainty on the practical applications of the NCAA’s new scholarship policy that the league will not formally discuss it until there is more information.
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  • Report: Several teams with biggest budgets struggled in 2011 season

    More money does not necessarily mean more success for college men’s volleyball teams.

    Of the 10 schools with the highest operating budgets for the 2011 season, four failed to finish in the top 10 of the national rankings and only two reached the Final Four, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s latest Equity in Athletics report.
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  • Harvard releases 2012 schedule: 5 things to know about this schedule

    A three-match West Coast road trip and a home match against Penn State highlights the 2012 Harvard regular season schedule that the team released Friday.

    Harvard finished last season tied for last place in the EIVA Hay Division and did not qualify for the EIVA Tournament. The Crimson have all seven starters returning for the upcoming season.

    Check out the five things to take away from Harvard’s schedule for the 2012 season.
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  • USA defeats Canada, ends Pan Am Games in 5th place

    For the second consecutive day, the United States won a match in five games and finished the Pan American Games outside of the bottom three.

    The U.S. Men’s Volleyball Pan American Games Team overcame two match points to defeat Canada 22-25, 25-15, 25-19, 21-25, 19-17 on Saturday in Guadalajara, Mexico to end the international tournament in fifth place.

    Outside attacker Evan Patak, the lone member of the U.S. Men’s National Team to participate in the eight-team tournament, had a team-high 19 kills in the victory.
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  • Argentina knocks USA out of medal contention at Pan Am Games

    Add another four years United States’ gold medal drought at the Pan American Games.

    The U.S. Men’s Volleyball Pan American Games lost to Argentina 25-17, 19-25, 25-18, 25-17, 15-11 in the quarterfinals on Thursday in Guadalajara, Mexico, to be eliminated from medal contention at the international tournament.

    The United States has not won a Pan American Games gold medal in men’s volleyball since 1988. It is also the first time since 1999 that the United States will not advance to at least the tournament’s semifinals.
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  • MPSF to discuss new NCAA scholarship policies in January

    The MPSF will look towards its five charter conferences for direction before discussing any common practices among its members on providing full-ride scholarship athletes an additional $2,000.

    MPSF commissioner Al Beaird informed Off the Block via email Thursday that the federated conference will discuss the new NCAA scholarship policy at its Administrative Committee meeting on Jan. 24, 2012.

    The NCAA Division I Board of Directors voted earlier Thursday to allow schools to give full-scholarship student athletes up to an additional $2,000 for cost-of-living expenses. The NCAA will not require schools to add the benefit, but it did inform conferences to consider common application of this new rule within their membership.
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  • NCAA to begin phasing-in new APR requirements for postseason

    The NCAA increased academic requirements that could make some Division I-II men’s volleyball teams ineligible for the postseason starting in 2013.

    The NCAA Division I Board of Directors voted Tuesday to phase-in the increased Academic Progress Rate postseason eligibility benchmark from 900 to 930 during the next five years.

    “These changes demonstrate a remarkable resolve by presidents,” NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a statement. “They represent a return to and a focus on values that are at the core of what intercollegiate athletics are all about. They also represent a clear signal to the world about what we care about and what we stand for.”
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