Off the Block

Category: College

  • Conference tournament men’s volleyball matches to follow tonight

    From coast to coast the men’s volleyball conference tournaments are in full swing tonight.

    Penn State on the East Coast looks to move one win closer to clinching its 13th consecutive EIVA title and a spot in the Final Four. In addition, the two Cinderellas of the West Coast, Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara, play with a chance to advance to the MPSF Tournament championship match.

    The winners of these semifinals matches tonight will play in their conference tournament championship match Saturday.

    Check out the conference tournament matches to follow tonight.
    (more…)

  • Conference tournament men’s volleyball matches to follow tonight

    The men’s volleyball spotlight returns to the Midwest tonight as the MIVA Tournament resumes.

    The MIVA regular season champions Ohio State will play Lewis in the first semifinal match as the Buckeyes attempt to reach their fifth straight conference championship match. In addition, Quincy will look to pull off another upset as it plays the No. 2 seed Loyola in the second semifinals match.

    The winner of these two semifinal matches will play each other in the MIVA championship match Saturday at the home court of the highest remaining seed.

    Check out the conference tournament matches to follow tonight.
    (more…)

  • Volleyball committee chairman says race tight for at-large bid to NCAA Tournament

    Expect discussions to continue for the rest of this week about who should get the lone at-large bid to the men’s volleyball NCAA Tournament.

    NCAA volleyball committee chairman Bob Krimmel said Monday that this has the potential to be one of the closest races he can recall to determine the at-large bid and seeding for the NCAA Tournament.
    (more…)

  • BYU middle attacker Tavana wins Blocker of the Year award

    A nationwide voting committee selected BYU middle attacker Futi Tavana as the inaugural winner of the Off the Block Blocker of the Year.

    The Off the Block Blocker of the Year award is given to the nation’s best front-row defensive men’s volleyball player during the regular season.

    Tavana leads the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and is second in the nation with a 1.50 blocks per game average. The junior also has a nation-best 160 total blocks this season. Tavana was a 2010 All-American after switching positions from outside attacker to middle attacker before the start of that season.
    (more…)

  • Men’s volleyball bracketology

    With conference tournaments underway and the men’s volleyball Final Four weeks away, Off the Block will continue its weekly projected NCAA Tournament bracket.

    The men’s volleyball NCAA Tournament is comprised of four teams. Automatic bids are awarded to the winners of the EIVA, MIVA and MPSF conference tournaments, and the NCAA Men’s Volleyball National Committee chooses one team for an at-large bid.
    (more…)

  • Deeper look at NCAA Tourney selection criteria after conference quarterfinals

    Stanford and BYU losing in the MPSF Tournament quarterfinals on Saturday may appear to open the door for another team to get the at-large bid, but a deeper look at the NCAA selection committee criteria says otherwise.

    Below is the entry from the 2011 NCAA men’s volleyball championship handbook on how the three-person volleyball selection committee determines the at-large team and seeding for the NCAA Tournament.
    (more…)

  • Conference tournament men’s volleyball matches to follow tonight

    The madness of April is officially upon us.

    Nine of the 10 conference tournament quarterfinal matches in the EIVA, MIVA and MPSF will be played tonight with the winners advancing to the semifinals while the losers’ seasons will likely be finished. These postseason matches to also feature eight of the top 10 ranked teams, including No. 2 BYU and No. 3 Stanford who are battling for the lone at-large bid to the Final Four.

    Check out the conference tournament matches to follow tonight.
    (more…)

  • 2011 All-EIVA teams released

    For the fourth consecutive season, a Penn State men’s volleyball player was the named the EIVA Player of the Year.

    Outside attacker Joe Sunder was named the Uvaldo Acosta EIVA Player of the Year on Thursday after leading the conference and being third in the nation with a 4.63 kills per game average.

    Sunder was also one of six Penn State players named an All-EIVA team, which were released along with the player of the year award.
    (more…)

  • Conference tournament men’s volleyball matches to follow tonight

    Consider tonight to be the appetizer for the men’s volleyball postseason.

    IPFW and Lewis open the postseason as the lone conference tournament match scheduled tonight. The rest the EIVA, MIVA, and MPSF Tournament quarterfinal matches will be played Saturday.
    (more…)

  • 2011 All-MIVA teams released

    The MIVA announced its all-conference teams and individual awards Thursday.

    Check out what players and coaches made the 2011 All-MIVA teams.
    (more…)