Off the Block

Category: Division I-II

  • Off the Block Fan Choice Player of the Year tournament to begin Wednesday

    The Off the Block Fan Choice Player of the Year will begin Wednesday, giving fans from around the nation the opportunity to determine the best college men’s volleyball player during the 2011 season.

    Off the Block has created a six-round 64-player bracket tournament matching up the best men’s volleyball players. Now it’s up to the fans through online voting to determine who should be the winner of each match-up.

    Every round will last one day with the polls closing at 11 p.m. (EST). The player with the most votes when the polls close will advance to the next round.
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  • Q&A with UCLA coach Al Scates about his upcoming retirement

    Fifty years as UCLA’s head coach is long enough for Hall of Famer Al Scates.

    Scates, the winningest coach in NCAA volleyball history, announced Tuesday that he would retire following the 2012 season.

    As the only men’s volleyball head coach in UCLA history, Scates won a college volleyball record 19 NCAA championships and more than 1,200 matches. The Bruins have also had 52 First-Team All-Americnas, 27 Olympians and seven National Player of the Year awards during the head coach’s tenure.

    Off the Block conducted an interview with Scates on Thursday to discuss why he decided to retire, the affect his retirement could have on the upcoming season and who could replace him as the next Bruins’ head coach.
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  • Nittany Lions coach Pavlik says hosting NCAA Tournament success for Penn State

    Penn State did not win the national championship, but off the court the men’s volleyball NCAA Tournament was a success.

    Nittany Lions coach Mark Pavlik said Monday that he was extremely happy with the job the Penn State athletics department did at hosting the four-team NCAA Tournament last week.

    “Everything they could do to positively impact the event they did, and everything they did it was to give the student athletes the best possible experience,” he said. “I really believed the guys walked out of the gym saying this is what the national championship should be. I really tip my hats off to their efforts, working with USA Volleyball and making it a celebration of men’s and boy’s volleyball.”
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  • Hall of Fame UCLA coach Scates will retire at end of 2012 season

    The most successful coach in NCAA men’s volleyball history will retire following the 2012 season.

    The UCLA athletics department announced Tuesday that Hall of Fame coach Al Scates will retire on June 30, 2012 after 50 years with the the Bruins.

    “It is a privilege to coach the fine men that have participated and continue to compete for UCLA volleyball,” Scates said in a statement. “I have enjoyed being a continuous member of UCLA volleyball since I walked onto the team as a junior in 1959. … And I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”
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  • NCAA championship postmatch news conference: Ohio State vs. UC Santa Barbara

    Ohio State for the first time in its 43-year program history is the national champion.

    Ohio State defeated UC Santa Barbara 20-25, 25-20, 25-19, 22-25, 15-9 in the men’s volleyball NCAA championship match on Saturday in University Park, Pa., to become the first Midwest school to win the national title.

    Buckeye setter Steven Kehoe was named the NCAA Tournament MVP as he guided the offense to out-hit the Gauchos .329 to .198. In addition, four Ohio State players finished the match with at least 10 kills, including outside attacker Shawn Sangrey who had a match-high 30 kills.

    Check out the what the players and coaches had to say afterward in the postmatch news conference.
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  • OH-IO: Buckeyes beat Gauchos in 5 games to win 2011 national championship

    For the first time in its program history, Ohio State is the national champions.

    Ohio State defeated UC Santa Barbara 20-25, 25-20, 25-19, 22-25, 15-9 in the men’s volleyball NCAA championship match on Saturday in University Park, Pa., to become the first Midwest school to win the national title.
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  • Live chat: Ohio State vs. UC Santa Barbara championship match

    Off the Block will be providing live coverage to the NCAA Tournament championship match between the No. 3 seed Ohio State and No. 4 seed UC Santa Barbara.

    Ohio State (25-6, 11-1 MIVA) defeated Penn State in the semifinals and is seeking to become the first MIVA team to legally win a NCAA championship. UC Santa Barbara (18-14, 11-11 MPSF) upset top-ranked USC in its semifinals match and if it won tonight would become the first team with more than 12 losses to win the national title.

    The match starts at 7 p.m. (EST). Check out the live chat below for instant updates and to interact with other fans or pose questions for Off the Block to answer.
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  • The men’s volleyball NCAA championship match to follow tonight

    By the end of tonight Ohio State or UC Santa Barbara will be celebrating its first national championship in program history.

    The No. 3 seed Buckeyes will play the No. 4 Gauchos seed in the men’s volleyball NCAA Tournament championship match tonight in University Park, Pa, after both teams pulled upsets in the semifinals. This is fifth time UC Santa Barbara has reached the national championship match while Ohio State will make its third appearance in the 42-year history of the NCAA Tournament.

    The championship match will begin at 7 p.m. and air on ESPN2.

    Here’s what to know about NCAA Tournament championship match that volleyball and non-volleyball fans need to follow tonight.
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  • Players trying out for World University Games team to scrimmage at Penn State

    More than 15 current or recently graduated college men’s volleyball players will participate tonight in an inter-squad scrimmage as part of the World University Games team tryout.

    The U.S. Men’s National Training Team inter-squad scrimmage will begin at 8 p.m. Friday in University Park, Pa., and is part of the week-long volleyball extravaganza in conjunction with the NCAA Tournament being played at Penn State.
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  • Initial look at the men’s volleyball NCAA Tournament championship match

    One match is left in the 2011 season to decide the men’s volleyball national champion.

    Ohio State and UC Santa Barbara will play in the NCAA championship match at 7 p.m. Saturday in University Park, Pa. Here is an initial look and historical information you need to know heading into the championship match.
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