Off the Block

Tag: UC Santa Barbara

  • Men’s volleyball bracketology: conference championship matches implications

    It’s the weekend of selection Sunday and it remains unclear on who will be the men’s volleyball teams in the Final Four.

    The EIVA, MIVA and MPSF conference championships matches on Saturday will make the four-team field for the NCAA Tournament clearer entering selection Sunday. However with the winner of these conference title matches receiving automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament, there are still numerous scenarios that could effect this year’s bracket.

    Check out the potential implications each conference tournament could have on the bracket if either team wins.
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  • AVCA releases 2011 men’s volleyball All-American teams

    The American Volleyball Coaches Association announced its men’s volleyball Division I-II All-American teams on Thursday.

    USC led all teams with three All-American selections — two First-Team All-Americans and a Second-Team All-American.

    The Trojans became the first team in 16 years to be ranked No. 1 from the preseason through the end of the regular season. All six of its starters also received all-conference accolades last week.

    Along with USC, Penn State and BYU had three All-American selections. The Nittany Lions and Cougars both had a First-Team All-American and two Second-Team All-Americans.

    UC Santa Barbara, Stanford and UC Irvine all had two players named All-Americans.

    A voting committee comprised of nine men’s volleyball coaches selected the All-American teams. The committee included Penn State coach Mark Pavlik, George Mason coach Fred Chao, Loyola coach Shane Davis, USC coach Bill Ferguson, Lewis coach Dan Friend, Stanford coach John Kotsy, UC Santa Barbara coach UC Santa Barbara, St. Francis coach Mike Rumbaugh and Ball State coach Joel Walton.

    Check out the players who received All-American honors this year.
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  • 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.
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  • 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.
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  • 2011 All-MPSF men’s volleyball teams released

    USC’s domination of the MPSF in the regular season continued with the conference awards.

    All six USC starters received All-MPSF accolades and outside attacker Murphy Troy was named the MPSF Player of the Year as the MPSF announced its all-conference awards Thursday.
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  • My men’s volleyball media poll ballot

    Who is No. 1 never came into question this season.

    USC remained No. 1 the final regular season top 10 men’s volleyball media poll released Tuesday to become the first team since UCLA in 1995 to stay in the top spot in the polls from the preseason to end of the regular season.

    Outside of No. 1, four teams moved spots in this week’s media poll. Long Beach State and Ohio State both moved up two spots to No. 6 and No. 7 after picking up wins last week, while UC Santa Barbara dropped three spots to No. 9 follow two losses to close the season.
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  • Initial look at the EIVA, MIVA and MPSF quarterfinal matches

    After four months of the regular season, the NCAA men’s volleyball postseason is final upon us.

    The EIVA, MIVA and MPSF will all begin their conference tournaments Friday and Saturday. Here is the initial look and the historical information you need to know about every conference tournament quarterfinals match before you fill out your bracket.
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  • Top 5 men’s volleyball matches to follow tonight

    It is the final day of the regular season and there is a sense of calmness to the brackets.

    Unlike other seasons when teams were still battling to get into the postseason, all the teams in this year’s conference tournaments are known. However, there are a couple of matches tonight that will determine where teams are seeded and could play a vital role in any potential upsets in the conference tournaments.

    Check out the top five men’s volleyball matches to follow tonight.
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  • My men’s volleyball media poll ballot

    No team dropped out the top 10 media poll this week but there was a significant amount of movement.

    The bottom six teams all moved spots in this week’s poll with Hawai’i and UC Santa Barbara having the biggest leaps. Hawai’i jumped up three spots to No. 5 after winning a home match against No. 1 USC, while UC Santa Barbara climbed four spots to No. 6 following its upset victory against No. 3 Stanford.

    Check out this week’s top 10 men’s volleyball media poll and my ballot with explanations on why ranked each team where I did.
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  • Top 5 men’s volleyball matches to follow tonight

    All the conference regular season titles have been won, but everything else still remains unsettled two weeks away from the postseason tournaments.

    Six of the top 10 nationally ranked teams will play matches tonight that could have a significant implications on the seeding for the conference tournaments. Both No. 3 Stanford and No. 7 Hawai’i play nationally ranked teams as they try to position themselves to have home matches in the first round of the MPSF Tournament. In addition, Ball State looks to break a 10-year old curse and maintain the No. 3 seed for the MIVA Tournament.

    Check out the top five men’s volleyball matches to follow tonight.
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