Washington Coach Jim McLaughlin clarifies Summer Ross comment (Terry Wood)

By Terry Wood

Special to Volleyblog Seattle

Washington volleyball coach Jim McLaughlin wants to clarify one of his comments included in a Seattle Times report regarding the departure of freshman outside hitter Summer Ross. (Summer Ross transfers from Washington volleyball team, December 28)

Ross, an international beach volleyball junior champion, transferred out of UW in December after one indoor season at Washington in order to focus on sand volleyball.

During an interview last week for The Times report, McLaughlin mentioned, "At one point she wanted to come in late to training to allow her to play on the beach, and I said no, unless we redshirt you. You've got to be here for the team. We can't have a kid coming in at the end of August. (UW started fall practice Aug. 7.) We need to train."

Jim McLaughlin
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

Following the report’s publication, McLaughlin says the excused absence Ross was seeking was more precisely a five-day span, Aug. 30-Sept. 4, to play in the FIVB Beach Junior World Championships in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She won that event with partner Tara Roenicke in 2010 in Alanya, Turkey.

The Huskies opened their 2011 season Aug. 26-27 with three matches at the Long Beach State Mizuno Invitational, then played three matches Sept. 2-3 in Spokane, Wash., at the Northwest Challenge, hosted by Gonzaga. The Gonzaga matches conflicted with the world championship dates.

McLaughlin says he understands attempting to play indoor and outdoor is a challenge for any volleyball athlete. Ross, he believes, gave it her best shot. “Summer enrolled early at Washington and trained with us in the spring (2011) quarter,” he says. “She put in a lot of work, and she’s very talented.

“But when the indoor season is on, we need every player to be totally committed to it. She’s a great kid, and we’ll miss her contributions, but she’ll be able to focus full-time on the beach game now, and that’s a good deal for her.”

Terry Wood is a freelance writer who regularly contributes to The Seattle Times.

_______________________

Volleyblog Seattle has made initial efforts to contact Summer Ross and her family for comment.

Summer Ross departure: initial thoughts

She promised to be a sportswriter’s dream: talented, charismatic; an unmistakable one-of-a-kind personality more complicated than she might first seem.

Summer Ross wore jersey #99 because it’s “a big number for a big player.” Somehow, she uttered those words without a hint of arrogance.

During endless August workouts in Hec Ed Pavilion, the gym echoed with excited exclamations: Summer! Summer! Her teammates all but squealed as they marveled at her uncanny ability to keep the ball in play, and to flash a grin that often bordered on goofy.

Summer Ross (right)
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

Ross has a quality that coaches love: the ability to leave behind the previous play—good or bad—and focus entirely on the moment. She never seems to dwell, she never wastes energy gloating.

Some will say she isn’t the offensive force she needs to be to excel in the indoor game. But her full range of skills are a joy to watch: serving, serve-receiving, digging, blocking. Her sand volleyball experience trained her to pursue any ball—and find a way to put somewhere that a teammate can make a play. Some of her defensive saves were flat-out amazing.

If she had stayed in Seattle, it would have been fun to watch her grow. It seemed her skills might be the perfect complement to the fierce power of fellow freshman Krista Vansant.

How much will her departure hurt the Huskies? Keep in mind that USC lost last year’s Freshman of the Year, Falyn Fonoimoana, yet won the Pac-12 and reached the NCAA Final Four. Two seasons ago, UCLA lost two previous Freshmen of the Year--Lauren Cook (who transferred to Nebraska) and Amanda Gil (to Washington)--yet went on to win this year’s National Championship.

Washington can win without her. But those of us in Seattle have all lost a little now that we won’t see Summer each autumn in the gym.

Seattle Times: Summer Ross is leaving UW (Terry Wood)

Summer Ross (99)
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

The Seattle Times' Terry Wood has the exclusive scoop: freshman volleyball star Summer Ross is leaving the University of Washington to transfer to a school (possibly Pepperdine) where she can play sand volleyball.

Summer Ross transfers from Washington volleyball team

Final Four: UCLA defeats Illinois (our LA Times report)

SAN ANTONIO--Here's the link to our report for the LA Times ....

UCLA beats Illinois to win NCAA Women's Volleyball title

Final Four: photos of UCLA's victory

SAN ANTONIO--We've just filed stories for the LA Times, and want to pass along a couple favorite photos from tonight ...

UCLA celebrates its come-from-behind victory in the third set against Illinois
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

UCLA's Zoe Nightingale (13) and Lauren Van Orden (5) block against Illinois
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

UCLA players and coaches celebrate the Bruins' fourth NCAA volleyball title, and 108th overall in school history
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

UCLA wins, 3-1

Heading for the interview room ... Pac-12 quickness prevails.

Final Four: Bruins take a 2-1 lead

SAN ANTONIO--Illinois' powerful outside hitter Colleen Ward finally came alive, leading the Illini on a crucial 4-2 run, and seeming to will her team to a third set win.

But UCLA freshman Zoe Nightingale made the difference, providing great eyework and relentless net play to tap, push, kill and block the ball back against Illinois' much sturdier front line. Lots of enthusiasm, plenty of quickness. Very impressive.

Bruins' coach Mike Sealy took Rachel Kidder out of the back row; Illinois kept serving her, and he wanted to give her a rest. She responded with the set on the line, fighting off two set points, and serving the Bruins' final three points for a thrilling 26-24 win.

Attendance announced at 13,747.

Illinois' Coleen Ward (4) attacks against Lauren Van Orden and Zoe Nightengale (13)
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

Final Four: UCLA/Illinois tied 1-1

SAN ANTONIO--In the semifinals, USC led Illinois late in the third set, but gave up six in a row and lost the set ... and eventually, the match.

Tonight, UCLA was cruising in the second set. But Illinois went on a 7-0 run, and stole the second set 25-23, to tie the match 1-1.

UCLA's Tabi Love is struggling mightily, hitting just .062 on 16 swings. Coach Mike Sealy pulled her twice.

Both teams are hitting poorly, largely because they aren't serving receiving with any consistency, forcing long rallies. In one stretch, Illinois setter Annie Luhrsen became so frustrated that she repeatedly turned and attacked on the second ball--earning several kills.

UCLA's Lauren Van Orden celebrates a point against Illinois
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

Final Four: UCLA wins first set

SAN ANTONIO--UCLA out-served Illinois early, keeping the Illini out-of-system, and allowing the Bruins blockers to get touches or stuffs. That led to a 7-1 run in the middle of the set.

But when UCLA's Tabi Love moved to the front row, the Bruins lost the quickness they get when Rachel Kidder is in front, and the Illini moved ahead 20-18.

With Kidder back in front, setter Lauren Van Orden went her way over and over again, and it paid off, as Kidder had two of the Bruins' final three kills.

Final Four: Keys to the championship match

SAN ANTONIO--As the title match gets underway, we'll see whether UCLA outside Tabi Love has success early on. The Bruins need to establish her power right away to force Illinois middles to move back and forth between Love and UCLA right side Kelly Reeves.

As always, serve and serve-receive will be key, allowing teams to work in system as much as possible. In the semifinals, the Bruins were the better servers, Illinois the better passers.

UCLA's Rachael Kidder
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

Final Four: coach/comedian Mike Sealy of UCLA

SAN ANTONIO--UCLA's young head coach, Mike Sealy, has provided much of the levity this week at the Final Four. A sampling:

• "At the time, our offense was so tragic and just stagnant ..." [referring to a point late in the season when the Bruins briefly switched to a two-setter offense.]
• "The old superstitious baseball kid in me had to find a slump-buster." [on why he cut his flowing hair during the "tragic" point of the season; the Bruins are 5-0 since he was shorn.]
• "She's all unicorns and rainbows ... Even when she doesn't make sense, it is still beautiful." [referring to his often-ebullient hitter Kelly Reeves]
• "We couldn't decide if we are going to chest bump or hug it out." [on his conversation with Illinois head coach Kevin Hambly--whom he faced as a UCLA player when Hambly was at BYU--as they talked about what to do during tonight's pre-match handshake.]

UCLA coach Mike Sealy
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

Final Four: Lessons from the semifinals

SAN ANTONIO—No conference has had as much volleyball success as the Pac-12. But the last time a Pac-12 team won the national title was 2005 … right here in San Antonio … when Washington rolled over favored Nebraska. Since then, Washington, Stanford, Cal, USC and UCLA have all reached the Final Four, but Nebraska won in 2006, and Penn State gave the Big Ten bragging rights the last four years in a row.

USC's Kendall Bateman signals while Illinois' Michelle Bartsch looks through the net
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

Illinois would like to repeat that feat, but they’ll have to get by the Bruins. Thursday night, UCLA thoroughly outplayed Florida State, a team which might have a hard time finishing higher than seventh in the Pac-12 (note to the NCAA Selection Committee: here’s further proof that the 16 teams you seeded included a lot of teams that you overrated—including Florida State.) If Washington hadn’t stumbled at Minnesota, it would not seem much of a stretch to see them beating both Iowa State and Florida State and making it a three-Pac-12 final.

UCLA’s strength was its speed. Outside hitter Rachael Kidder has the quickest arm of any player among the four teams in San Antonio; she often hits around the block instead of trying to tool blockers. Even when sets were poor—particularly when they were too far outside, Kidder found ways to direct sharp-angled kills rather than toss across free balls. On the right side, Kelly Reeves hit line with confidence throughout the first set, forcing FSU’s middle blockers to cover more ground than they could handle. Tabi Love is simply a pounder—she does best when setter Lauren Van Orden receives a perfect pass, and everyone in the building knows Love is simply going to cock her arm and smash. Unlike the other Bruins, Love is not terribly agile, and UCLA can sometimes get stuck in a bad rotation if Love has to hit out of transition, rather than getting time to retreat to her full approach.

Kidder’s quickness allows UCLA to launch faster, lower sets. Illinois, on the other hand, sends up soaring sets, and allows its powerful senior outside hitters Colleen Ward and Michelle Bartsch to swing away. The best way to slow that strategy is to serve tough and keep the Illini on their heels. USC kept it close throughout the match, largely on the strength of libero Natalie Hagglund’s defense and setter Kendall Bateman’s distribution. But it took a long time for All-American outside hitter Alex Jupiter to get into a groove; in the end, her poor passing, erratic serving and spotty defense gave Illinois too many free ball opportunities. Like any great team, the Illini never stopped hitting as hard as they could for as long as they could, which usually spells victory in a clash between two top teams.

Illinois is impressive. But given that their two most dominant players—Ward and Bartsch—are both seniors, those of us who follow the Pac-12 have to wonder: where was this team the past couple of years? With hitters that strong and confident, how did they manage to avoid the Final Four so long?

Saturday’s championship match will likely come down to that most basic of skills: serving and serve-receive. Whichever setter gets the most in-system opportunities will allow her team to prevail.

Final Four: Illinois defeats USC

SAN ANTONIO--It was one of the best Final Four matches of the past ten seasons.

In a heavyweight battle between elite teams from the Pac-12 and the Big-Ten, it all came down to which All-American could soar highest: USC's Alex Jupiter, or Illinois' Colleen Ward.

In the end, it was one of the longest and most exciting points--a rally that seemed to last forever--that allowed Illinois to earn a 15-10 fifth set victory, and a date against another Pac-12 team in the finals.

Illinois will now face UCLA Saturday night for the NCAA Division 1 title.

USC blocks against Illinois
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

Final Four: USC forces a fifth set

SAN ANTONIO--Colleen Ward is the real deal. The Illinois outside hitter is calling for the ball and hitting as hard as she can. USC hasn't stopped her yet.

USC's Kendall Bateman and Natalie Hagglund continue to dazzle. And now that teammate Alex Jupiter has finally been putting the ball away, USC won the fourth set 25-18..

It was an impressive performance, especially after the Trojans collapsed at the end of the third set, giving up the final six points.

Illinois blockers face USC's attack
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

Final Four: USC/Illinois in titanic battle

SAN ANTONIO--Illinois looks like--dare I say this?--a Pac-12 team.

As slow and uncertain as Florida State looked against UCLA, the Illini have the quickness and athleticism we see week in/week out in the Pac-12.

USC's All-American Alex Jupiter is off to a very slow start, committing serve and receive errors, and failing to get her attacks to hit the floor. By contrast, her teammate Lauren Williams is virtually unstoppable, hitting quicks with power and confidence. The Trojans' defense has been stellar, with Natalie Hagglund showing why she's the nation's best libero this season. (Props to outside hitter Sara Shaw for an otherworldly save in the first set at 23-22.

Illinois' defense has been equally sensational. Lots of tall, strong players on this team, and they know how to play the back row. Senior outside hitter Colleen Ward has been unstoppable since halfway through the first set; her arm is as quick as UCLA's Rachel Kidder.

UCLA advances; Bruins coach wins Coach of Year

SAN ANTONIO--The USC/Illinois semifinal is every bit as thrilling as the UCLA/Florida State semi was dull.

With the Trojans and Illini trading amazing plays, USC finally ended the first set with a 27-25 win, courtesy of a block by Spokane's (Mead High School) Alexis Olgard.

UCLA completed a sweep of Florida State, with All-American Rachael Kidder doing most of the damage. Kidder has 21 kills, and hit .462.

UCLA's Rachael Kidder
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

UCLA's second-year coach, Mike Sealy, was named national Coach of the Year by the American Volleyball Coaches' Association. Interestingly, USC's Mick Haley was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year by fellow conference coaches.

Final Four: UCLA dominating FSU

SAN ANTONIO—UCLA wins set two, 25-17.

UCLA’s Rachael Kidder plays with impressive calm. Florida State has a big block when Sareea Freeman is in the lineup, but Kidder hits skillfully around it. UCLA’s short, solid setter, Lauren Van Orden, has had several blocks herself, much to the Seminoles’ frustration.

Neither team is serve-receiving very well, but UCLA’s digs are timelier. The Bruins’ offense is much faster than anything FSU has likely seen all season.

UCLA blocks against Florida State
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

Final Four: UCLA/FSU big differences

UCLA won the first set, 25-16.

The Bruins hit hard every chance they get. FSU is living--and dying--by tips and misdirections.

FSU's middles are good, but UCLA's outsides are absolutely dominant. Tabi Love creams the ball at will. Rachel Kidder is hitting well in the back row, and Kelly Reeves is unstoppable hitting line.

Final Four: Bruins/Seminoles almost underway

SAN ANTONIO—Florida State is in the ACC, where they played the likes of Duke, North Carolina, Wake Forest and the rest. UCLA played a schedule that had them play the likes of USC, Stanford, Washington, Cal and Oregon. Could the difference in schedules make a difference in this semifinal match?

I love the song Teenage Wasteland by The Who … but it was an odd choice as the music to introduce the Florida State roster at the start of the match …

UCLA coach Mike Seeley
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

Final Four: UCLA vs. Florida State pre-match

SAN ANTONIO—We’re less than an hour before the Final Four first serve. It’s raining in Texas; the skies look a lot like Seattle, even if the temperature is several clicks warmer.

UCLA warming up prior to semifinal match with Florida State
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

San Antonio’s Alamodome brings back good memories for Washington Huskies’ volleyball fans. It was here in 2005 that a team led by Courtney Thompson, Sanja Tomasevic and Christal Morrison crushed favored Nebraska, 3-0, in front of a red sea of Cornhusker fans.

Frankly, Nebraska fans are a huge part of most Final Fours. Whether the Huskers advance or not, their loyal followers buy tickets and travel packages far in advance, and have been regular fixtures at recent Final Fours in Tampa, Kansas City and here in San Antonio. Most Husker fans are on the other side of 50; you can spot them a mile away in their bright red Nebraska gear, head to toe.

Florida State is the first Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) team to ever reach the Final Four. Since 1981, the Pac-12 has sent 46 teams to the Final Four, led by Stanford (18 appearances), UCLA (12), USC (10), Washington (3), Cal (2) and Arizona (1).

The Seminoles’ roster includes seven international players, including Turkey (2), Serbia (2), New Zealand, Latvia and Brazil. The 14-player roster has 5 athletes from Florida. The Bruins have two international players (Brazil & Canada) and 12 Californians.

Kudos to the New York Times, for an extensive preview of the Final Four, focusing particular on Florida State's blocking.

All-American selections snub Pac-12 & Vansant

SAN ANTONIO—As we reported yesterday, Washington’s Bianca Rowland was named a second team All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). Rowland’s AVCA citation reads:

Bianca Rowland, a 6’0 middle blocker for the University of Washington, is a senior from Lynwood, Wash. Rowland averaged a career-best 1.50 blocks per set on the season, second in the Pac-12, and her .345 attack percentage ranked fifth in the conference. She wound up third in career blocks at UW with 492, and second in career attack percentage at.387. After making AVCA All-American honorable mention the past two seasons, this is her first time appearing on an All-American team.

Bianca Rowland
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

It bears mentioning that few, if any, D1 middle blockers were more efficient in the second half of the season. When the Huskies switched to a two-setter offense before the Bay Area road trip, Rowland’s offense soared, repeatedly hitting above .400, and often much higher.

Overall, the Pac-12 got just middling respect from the AVCA voters. Three USC players—outside hitter Alex Jupiter, setter Kendall Bateman and libero Natalie Hagglund—joined UCLA’s Rachel Kidder on the 14-member First Team. Jupiter was the Pac-12 player of the year, and should be among the leading 3 candidates for national player of the year.

Rowland was joined by just one other Pac-12 player on the Second Team, Cal’s talented outside hitter Tarah Murrey. USC’s Lauren Williams and Oregon’s Alaina Bergsma were named to the Third Team, for a total of 8 Pac-12 players of the 42 First, Second and Third Team All-Americans.

Pac-12 players earning honorable mention include WSU’s Meagan Ganzer, Oregon’s Lauren Plum, Stanford’s Rachel Williams and Carly Wopat.

From where we sit, the Pac-12 was given short shrift this year. I would have put Murrey on the First Team, Lauren Williams on the Second Team, and Ganzer (whose WSU coach, Jennifer Greeny is on the All-American selection committee) and Wopat on the Third Team. California—last year’s Final Four runner-up—has a lot to complain about: Correy Johnson should have made Honorable Mention, and I’d put libero Robin Rostratter on the Third Team.

Nebraska’s three honorable mentions were a bit much, particularly Lauren Cook, given her off-court troubles this season. I also question putting Texas’ Bailey Webster on the First Team and teammate Haley Eckerman on the second. Eckerman was named national Freshman of the Year.

Krista Vansant (16) and Bianca Rowland (15)
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

The real head-scratcher, however, is how Pac-12 Freshman of the Year—and Pacific Region Freshman of the Year—Krista Vansant was completely left off the list. C’mon, committee, really? There are four other freshmen (Texas’ Eckerman, North Carolina’s Chaniel Nelson, Marquette’s Chelsea Heier, Tenessee’s Mary Pollmiller) more deserving than the best freshman in the west?  

Bianca Rowland named 2nd team All-American

SAN ANTONIO-- Volleyblog Seattle has learned that Washington senior Bianca Rowland has been named a Second Team All American by the American Volleyball Coaches' Association. Last season, Rowland was an honorable mention All-American.

We hope to talk with Bianca here in San Antonio this week.

Final Four: The Pac-12 proves its worth

Notes on the road to San Antonio …

TROJANS TRIUMPH

Mick Haley was right. USC’s head man was the most outspoken critic in the loud chorus of those denouncing the NCAA Selection Committee’s Pac-12 snub. Haley’s Trojan’s—ranked number one in both the coaches’ and media polls—was deemed just seventh-best by the NCAA committee. USC travelled to Honolulu and won two 5-set thrillers, first over Hawaii on the Rainbow Wahines’ raucous home court, then somehow found enough in the tank to hold off up-and-coming Pepperdine. The Trojans’ reward is a five-time-zone trip to San Antonio, where they’ll face another power, third-seed Illinois. Don’t bet the house against USC this season.

BRUINS BREAK THROUGH

UCLA was another team ranked higher by the coaches and media than by the committee. All the Bruins did was travel east to knock off two storied programs. First, UCLA ended four-time defending champion Penn State’s incredible 26-match tournament win streak, dating back to a 2006 loss to Washington in Seattle. The Bruins then handled Texas—the committee’s overall number one seed. UCLA caught a break when Florida State upset powerhouse Purdue, then got past overrated Iowa State to reach Thursday’s semis. A UCLA/USC Final? It could happen.

NOT-SO-BIG TEN AND TWELVE

Many grumbled when it seemed the selection committee rated the Pac-12 lower than the 12 teams in the Big Ten and the nine teams (Oklahoma State doesn’t offer volleyball) in the Big 12. Perhaps Texas (ranked #1), Nebraska (#2) and Iowa State (#4) were all so overrated in a not-so-subtle effort to give them easier draws on the road to San Antonio, where the fans from those three teams would have packed the Alamodome. But both conferences came up short, except for #3 Illinois, which might be the third or fourth best team in the Big Ten. Last Friday, of course, was when the smug grin was wiped off the Big Ten’s face: after getting a ridiculous nine teams into the tournament, seven advanced to the Sweet Sixteen … where six promptly lost in the space of a few hours. More proof, in my opinion, that California, Washington and Oregon all should have been among the 16 seeded teams (and Stanford didn’t belong.) Over the past two seasons, only 2 of the 8 teams the committee has picked to reach the Final Four have actually made it.

HOME COURT DISADVANTAGE

All four regional sites—Minneapolis, Honolulu, Lexington and Gainesville—got lucky: the home teams—Minnesota, Hawaii, Kentucky and Florida—all reached the Sweet Sixteen. Only Florida made it to the Elite 8, and none advanced to the Final Four.

Rowland & Vansant win All-Region Honors

Two University of Washington players—senior middle blocker Bianca Rowland and freshman outside hitter Krista Vansant—were among the All-Region athletes honored today by the American Volleyball Coaches Association(AVCA). This is Rowland’s third year on the All-Region Team.

AVCA divides the nation’s conferences into eight Regions; the Pac-12 is part of the Pacific Region. Only those athletes named to an All-Region team are eligible for the final All-American team, to be honored next week at the Final Four in San Antonio.

2011 AVCA Division 1 All-Pacific Region

Kendall Bateman**	University of Southern California	S	Sr.
Alaina Bergsma	University of Oregon	OH	Jr.
Chloe Ferrari	University of San Diego	MB	So.
Meagan Ganzer	Washington State University	OH	Sr.
Natalie Hagglund	University of Southern California	L	So.
Jennifer Hamson	Brigham Young University	OPP	So.
Kim Hill	Pepperdine University	OPP	Sr.
Alex Jupiter**	University of Southern California	OH	Sr.
Rachael Kidder	UCLA	OH	Jr.
Tarah Murrey**	University of California	OH	Sr.
Bianca Rowland***	University of Washington	MB	Sr.
Lauren Williams**	University of Southern California	MB	Sr.
Rachel Williams	Stanford University	OH	So.
Carly Wopat	Stanford University	MB	So.

***three-time selection
**two-time selection

Region Freshman of the Year: Krista Vansant, Washington, OH

Honorable Mention: Amanda Arterburn (Northern Colo., L, Sr.), Katie Fuller (USC, Opp., Jr.), Shannon Hawari (California, MB, Jr.), Cursty Jackson (Arizona, MB, Sr.), Lauren Plum (Oregon, S, So.), Kellie Woolever (Pepperdine, S, So.)

Region Coach of the Year: Mick Haley, USC

see: Complete List of All-Region selections

Washington's Bianca Rowland (15)
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

Washington's Krista Vansant (16)
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

Sweet 16: Who got it right?

Teeth were gnashing at this time last week, as prognosticators wailed about the NCAA Selection Committee’s 16 seeds. Lots of folks figured they could do a better job; many at least figured the AVCA Coaches’ poll would have been a better guide.

Turns out, everyone’s top 16 picks were a mess after the first two rounds.

NCAA Selection Committee		AVCA Coaches’ Poll		VBM Media Poll		Volleyblog Seattle
1	Texas	1	USC	1	USC	1	USC
2	Nebraska	2	Nebraska	2	Nebraska	2	Purdue
3	Illinois	3	Hawaii	3	Texas	3	Penn State
4	Iowa State	4	UCLA	4	Hawaii	4	UCLA
5	Purdue	5	Texas	5	UCLA	5	Texas
6	Northern Iowa	6	Stanford	6	Stanford	6	Nebraska
7	USC	7	Illinois	7	Purdue	7	Illinois
8	Penn State	8	Purdue	8	Illinois	8	Washington
9	UCLA	9	Penn State	9	Penn State	9	Stanford
10	Hawaii	10	California	10	California	10	California
11	Stanford	11	Washington	11	Northern Iowa	11	Oregon
12	Florida St	12	Northern Iowa	12	Washington	12	Hawaii
13	Minnesota	13	Oregon	13	Oregon	13	Northern Iowa
14	Tennessee	14	Iowa State	14	Iowa State	14	Pepperdine
15	Pepperdine	15	Tennessee	15	Tennessee	15	Iowa State
16	Texas A&M	16	Kentucky	16	Pepperdine	16	Tennessee

On its face, the NCAA selection committee appeared to do the best, picking 11 of the Sweet 16. The AVCA Coaches Poll and the Volleyball Magazine Media Poll both got just 9 of the 16, mostly because the Pac-12 fell flat.

Big caveat here: The most recent coaches’ poll was published a full week before the end of the season. AVCA—apparently not wanting to second-guess the NCAA—chose not to report a season-ending poll. Coaches, therefore, had no chance to weigh in on final-weekend losses by Nebraska, Stanford, Oregon and Iowa State.

Second big caveat: the Selection Committee has a huge advantage in this comparison, since it got to pair its highest seeds against the weakest competition. If coaches or media had been permitted to seed, then at least a few teams (like California, Oregon and Washington) would have faced different, possibly easier, opponents the first weekend and therefore might have advanced.

Notice that everyone left Ohio State, Michigan, Florida and Kansas State out of their top 16, and all four advanced (the first three in the same Gainesville bracket.)

Everyone has six of their top eight teams still in contention. At most, however, the coaches and media will have only two in the Final Four, since the committee put USC and Hawai’i in the same region.

Finally, Volleyblog Seattle has all five of its top picks still in the running, and 6 of its top 7 (the others have 5 of 7.) At most, though, only three of our top four can get to San Antonio, since the committee put both UCLA and Penn State in the Lexington region.

LEXINGTON				GAINESVILLE
Kentucky (28-5)	SEC		Big Ten	Ohio St (21-14)
#1 Texas (24-4)	Big-12		Big Ten	#3 Illinois (29-4)
#9 UCLA (26-6)	Pac-12		Big Ten	Michigan (22-12)
#8 Penn St (25-7)	Big Ten		SEC	Florida (26-5)
#12 Florida St (26-7)	ACC		WAC	#10 Hawai’i (31-1)
#5 Purdue (29-4)	Big Ten		Pac-12	#7 USC (27-4)
#13 Minnesota (20-11)	Big Ten		WCC	#15 Pepperdine (23-6)
#4 Iowa St (24-5)	Big 12		Big 12	Kansas St (20-10)
MINNEAPOLIS				HONOLULU

[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]