Category: Division I-II

  • Q&A with UC Irvine at the men’s volleyball NCAA Tournament

    UC Irvine coach John Speraw and several Anteater players participated in the men’s volleyball NCAA Tournament media day on Wednesday.

    The No. 1 seed UC Irvine will play the No. 4 seed Penn State in the semifinals on Thursday. Check out the transcript from UC Irvine’s news conference.
    (more…)

  • Top 5 storylines to follow during the men’s volleyball NCAA Tournament

    Almost 24 hours away from the start of the men’s volleyball Final Four and the anticipation continues to grow.

    The four-team NCAA Tournament will be played at USC with the No. 1 seed UC Irvine playing the No. 4 seed Penn State in the opening semifinals at 6 p.m. (PST) Thursday. In addition, the host school and No. 2 seed USC will play the No. 3 seed Lewis in the second semifinals match at 8 p.m. (PST) Thursday.

    The winners of these two matches will play in the national championship on Saturday. Check out the top five storylines to follow during the NCAA Tournament.
    (more…)

  • NCAA Tournament brackets open for Off the Block bracket challenge

    Volleyball fans can now fill out their NCAA Tournament brackets and win a chance to potentially see the United States clinch an Olympic berth.

    The Kill on Two/Off the Block NCAA Men’s Volleyball Postseason Bracket Challenge is a new contest that gives fans the opportunity to predict who will win matches in the MPSF, MIVA and EIVA conference tournaments and the four-team NCAA Tournament.
    (more…)

  • Initial look at NCAA Tournament semifinals matches

    After four months of regular season matches and conference tournaments, the men’s volleyball NCAA Tournament is here.

    The NCAA announced the four-team tournament field and semifinals pairings Sunday afternoon. Here is an initial look and historical information you need to know heading into the NCAA Tournament semifinals on Thursday at USC.
    (more…)

  • USC earns at-large bid, NCAA Tournament field announced

    The MPSF regular season champions USC are in the NCAA Tournament as the lone at-large.

    The NCAA selection committee announced Sunday afternoon that the Trojans after losing in the conference tournament semifinals would receive the only at-large bid to the four-team tournament.
    (more…)

  • The final men’s volleyball bracketology

    Selection Sunday is upon us, and Off the Block is releasing its final projections of the NCAA Tournament bracket following the three conference championships matches on Saturday.

    Lewis, Penn State and UC Irvine clinched the three automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament, while lone at-large bid remains a tight race between three teams.
    (more…)

  • Deeper look at men’s volleyball NCAA Tournament selection criteria

    Three of the four tickets to the NCAA Tournament have been punched but the one at-large spot remains increasingly tight heading into Selection Sunday.

    With Selection Sunday here, Penn State, Lewis and UC Irvine received the three automatic bids. However, a closer look at the criteria used by the selection committee shows that BYU, Stanford and USC all still have case for the lone at-large bid.
    (more…)

  • UC Irvine makes another comeback, clinches spot in NCAA Tourney

    The Anteaters for the second time in the last three days overcame a two-game deficit and have now secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

    UC Irvine rallied to defeat Stanford 20-25, 25-27, 25-21, 25-21, 15-12 in the MPSF Tournament championship match on Saturday in Los Angeles to earn the conference’s automatic bid to the Final Four.
    (more…)

  • Lewis’ blocking upends Ohio State to clinch NCAA Tourney berth

    Lewis big blocks lifted the program from the NCAA death bed and back to the NCAA Tournament.

    Lewis had a season-high 20 blocks as it rallied to defeat Ohio State 20-25, 25-17, 22-25, 27-25, 15-10 in the MIVA Tournament championship match on Saturday in Columbus, Ohio. The victory clinches the Flyers first appearance in the Final Four since the program received the men’s volleyball version of the NCAA death penalty less than 10 years ago.
    (more…)

  • Penn State beats George Mason to punch ticket to NCAA Tournament

    The East Coast dynasty survived a scare but lives on at Penn State.

    Penn State clinched a spot in the NCAA Tournament and won its record 14th consecutive EIVA Tournament title as it defeated George Mason 25-16, 25-21, 20-25, 25-22 in the EIVA championship match Saturday in University Park, Pa.
    (more…)