Off the Block

Category: Division I-II

  • Men’s volleyball NCAA Tournament semifinal matches to follow tonight

    After more than four months and 400 matches, determining the two teams in the national championship will come down to one night and two matches.

    The No. 1 seed USC will try to reach its second national championship match in three years as it plays the No. 4 seed UC Santa Barbara in the opening NCAA semifinals match at 7 p.m. Thursday in University Park, Pa. In addition, the No. 2 seed Penn State, which is hosting the NCAA Tournament, and the No. 3 seed Ohio State will renew one of the oldest men’s volleyball rivals in the other NCAA semifinals match at 9 p.m. Thursday.

    Check the NCAA Tournament matches to follow tonight.
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  • USC outside attacker Troy named AVCA National Player of the Year

    The top-ranked team in the nation now official has the best player in the nation.

    USC outside attacker Murphy Troy on Thursday was named the 2011 American Volleyball Coaches Association Men’s National Player of the Year.
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  • Q&A with USC at the men’s volleyball NCAA Tournament

    USC coach Bill Ferguson and senior co-captains Murphy Troy and Riley McKibbin held a news conference Wednesday to discuss their upcoming NCAA Tournament match.

    The No. 1 seed USC will play the No. 4 seed UC Santa Barbara in the NCAA Tournament semifinals at 7 p.m. Thursday in University Park, Pa.

    The Trojans became the first team in 16 years to be ranked No. 1 from the preseason to the end of the regular season. This national semifinals match will also be a rematch of the MPSF championship match, which UC Santa Barbara won in five games Saturday.

    View an abridged version of the news conference below. (more…)

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

    UC Santa Barbara coach Rick McLaughlin along with outside attacker Jeff Menzel, libero Andy McGuire and middle attacker Scott Slaughter conducted a news conference Wednesday heading into their NCAA Tournament match.

    The No. 4 seed UC Santa Barbara will play the No. 1 seed USC in the NCAA Tournament semifinals at 7 p.m. Thursday in University Park, Pa.

    The Gauchos (17-14, 11-11 MPSF) defeated three top-five ranked teams in the conference tournament to become first No. 7 seed to ever in the MPSF Tournament and advance to the Final Four.

    View an abridged version of the news conference below. (more…)

  • Q&A with Penn State at the men’s volleyball NCAA Tournament

    Penn State coach Mark Pavlik along with outside attacker Joe Sunder, setter Edgardo Goas and libero Dennis Del Valle conducted a news conference Wednesday heading into their NCAA Tournament match.

    The No. 2 seed Penn State will play the No. 3 seed Ohio State in the NCAA Tournament semifinals at 9 p.m. Thursday. The Final Four is this year is also being held on the Nittany Lions’ home year.

    View an abridged version of the news conference below. (more…)

  • Q&A with Ohio State at the men’s volleyball NCAA Tournament

    Ohio State men’s volleyball coach Pete Hanson, along with setter Steven Kehoe and middle attacker Kevin Heine held a news conference Wednesday to discuss its upcoming NCAA Tournament match.

    The No. 3 seed Ohio State will play the No. 2 seed Penn State in the NCAA Tournament semifinals at 9 p.m. Thursday in University Park, Pa.

    The Buckeyes (24-6, 11-1 MIVA) reached their four consecutive NCAA Tournament after winning the MIVA championship, but have failed advance beyond the semifinals during that stretch.

    View an abridged version of the news conference below. (more…)

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

    Almost 24 hours away from the men’s volleyball Final Four and the anticipation is continuing to grow.

    The four-team NCAA Tournament will be played at Penn State with the No. 1 seed USC playing the No. 4 seed UC Santa Barbara in the opening semifinals at 7 p.m. Thursday. In addition, the host school and No. 2 seed Penn State will play the No. 3 seed Ohio State in the second semifinals match at 9 p.m. 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.
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  • Trend continues of non-traditional powerhouses reaching Final Four

    Parity is alive more than ever in college men’s volleyball.

    For the fifth consecutive season, the men’s volleyball NCAA Tournament is comprised of four teams that combined have less than one-fifth of the total amount of national championships in the sport’s history.
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  • UC Santa Barbara coach McLaughlin says fine with No. 4 seed, wants to play USC

    One person not complaining about the seeding for the men’s volleyball NCAA Tournament is UC Santa Barbara coach Rick McLaughlin.

    McLaughlin said Monday on The Net Live podcast that despite some fans wanting UC Santa Barbara to be seeded higher he prefers the No. 4 seed because he wants to play to the No. 1 seed USC in the semifinals.
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  • NCAA volleyball chairman discusses tournament seeding

    UC Santa Barbara being the No. 4 seed was a simple matter of the numbers for NCAA men’s volleyball committee chairman Bob Krimmel.

    The NCAA released its four-team men’s volleyball championship tournament bracket Sunday pitting UC Santa Barbara against the No. 1 seed USC in the semifinals at 7 p.m. Thursday. It’s one of the few times in the tournament’s 41-year history that two West Coast schools will play each other in the opening round.
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