NCAA | A coach who should know makes his Final Four volleyball picks

Kevin Hambly’s Illinois team played all four of this year’s finalists. So who does he think will win this week in Seattle?

• #12 Wisconsin vs. #1 Texas | December 19 | 4:30 PM |Key Arena (NCAA Semifinal)
• #2 Penn State vs. #3 Washington | December 19 | 6:30 PM |Key Arena (NCAA Semifinal)

Actor Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden in "Fight Club"

In the movie, Fight Club, Brad Pitt’s character Tyler Durden asks, “How much can you know yourself if you've never been in a fight?”

That line grabbed Kevin Hambly’s attention. The Illinois head coach admits he had it in mind when he set out to schedule nonconference opponents for 2013.

“I wanted to take on something different,” Hambly told Volleyblog Seattle, “something to really test us.”

And man, what a test. Nine of his ten nonconference opponents qualified for this year’s NCAA Tournament [see chart]. Nine of his opposing teams joined the Illini in last Friday's Sweet 16. Six of Saturday's Elite Eight teams were Illinois opponents.

And, you guessed it, all four finalists—Washington, Texas, Wisconsin and Penn State—were on Hambly’s 2013 schedule.

Two seasons after his own team advanced to the final weekend before losing to UCLA in the championship match, we wondered how Hambly might handicap the Final Four. And, really, who better to ask?

SEMIFINAL #1: Texas (27-2) vs. Wisconsin (27-9)

Texas def. Illinois 3-2 (25-23, 23-25, 25-13, 24-26, 15-11) Sept 14 in Champaign Illinois def. Wisconsin 3-1 (25-22, 28-26, 10-25, 25-22) Oct 27 in Madison

“Texas was the most athletic, most physical team we faced this season,” Hambly says. “We match up well with Texas, though, ‘cause we’re physical, too.”

Illinois coach Kevin Hambly
-Illinois Athletics

Hambly acknowledges that Texas coach Jerritt Elliott was trying out new personnel during that early-season match. The Longhorns dabbled with a two-setter offense, which Elliott later jettisoned. “They were trying to discover themselves,” Hambly says, which may have made the score closer than it might have been later in the season.

“[Wisconsin] is a very, very good defensive team,” says Hambly, who figures his team caught the Badgers on an off night. “When they pass well, their setter, (Lauren) Carlini, can get their hitters in good situations to score, no question about that. As long as they’re passing okay, Carlini does a great job of getting in rhythm. But they’re not super-physical, and they don’t hit real hard like some of the other teams we played.”

HIS PICK? TEXAS. “I can see them just crushing balls over the block, and Wisconsin just scrapping and fighting, extending rallies. Wisconsin’s gonna have a tough time.”

SEMIFINAL #2: Penn State (32-2) vs. Washington (30-2)

Washington def. Illinois 3-1 (25-21, 22-25, 25-19, 25-13) Sept 13 in Champaign Penn St def. Illinois 3-2 (19-25, 25-22, 24-26, 25-15, 15-12) Oct 18 in Champaign Penn St def. Illinois 3-1 (25-20, 25-17, 23-25, 25-16) Nov 23 in University Park

“Washington was the best serve-and-pass team we played, by a lot,” Hambly says. “They were incredible that way.”

And, in his opinion, the Huskies have the best player Illinois faced all season, Pac-12 Player of the Year Krista Vansant. High praise, considering he also saw Big-12 Player of the Year Haley Eckerman of Texas and Big Ten Player of the Year Kelsey Robinson of Nebraska.

“Vansant is great player,” he says. “We couldn’t touch her.” The Washington junior recorded 19 kills and just 1 error on 39 swings against Illinois, adding 11 digs and an ace. “She’s special. She can play the whole game. She was the best that we’ve seen.”

“The best TEAM we played this season,” says Hambly, “was Penn State the second time around.” Illinois came close to beating the Nittany Lions at home in October, taking a 2-1 lead and losing 15-12 in the fifth set.

But November's rematch in University Park was a different story. Penn State held Illinois to a paltry .120 hitting percentage as Deja McClendon and Ariel Scott each recorded 18 kills.

HIS PICK? PENN STATE. “If it was all neutral court, I would probably say Penn State without question. But it’s Washington there at home; I don’t know what that’s gonna mean.”

“I wouldn’t put money on it; I don’t feel confident in that. I’m only about 20% confident in Penn State.”

AND HIS PICK FOR THE FINALS? “That’s really hard. I guess I’d say Penn State,” Hambly says. “Just because with their physicality, they can match Texas. They can match the speed. They’re passing great right now.”

“Penn State has an advantage, a little bit, because (head coach) Russ (Rose) has done it more than anyone. He just knows how to get his team ready and keep ‘em loose.”

“I just think it’s going to be a really, really interesting Final Four. We’re all in for a treat in Seattle.”

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MURDERER’S ROW

in 2013, Illinois played 24 of its 33 matches against teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament

Aug 30	W	3-0	Florida St		Oct 11	L	3-1	@ Purdue
Aug 31	W	3-2	Kentucky		Oct 18	L	3-2	Penn State
Sep 7	L	3-1	San Diego		Oct 27	W	3-1	@ Wisconsin
Sep 8	W	3-0	Iowa St		Oct 30	L	3-0	@ Nebraska
Sep 13	W	3-2	Arizona St		Nov 6	W	3-2	Michigan
Sep 13	L	3-1	Washington		Nov 9	W	3-1	Michigan St
Sep 14	L	3-2	Texas		Nov 16	W	3-0	Purdue
Sep 20	L	3-0	@ No Carolina		Nov 23	L	3-1	@ Penn State
Sep 21	L	3-1	@ Duke		Nov 30	L	3-0	Minnesota
Sep 28	L	3-0	Nebraska		Dec 6	W	3-0	Morehead St
Oct 4	L	3-0	@ Michigan St		Dec 7	W	3-1	Marquette
Oct 5	W	3-2	@ Michigan		Dec 13	L	3-0	Purdue

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And Hambly’s decision to schedule so many heavyweights in one season?

“I liked what I discovered about our team. But I won’t schedule that tough again.”

See also:

Familiar two at Final Four

Still looking for NCAA Volleyball Championship tickets? Better hurry.

Replay of Washington volleyball’s electrifying Elite 8 win available online

Washington volleyball reaches Final Four with heart-stopping victory over USC

NOTES

• Hambly will be in Seattle this week. He is the current President of the American Volleyball Coaches Association, which always holds its annual convention in conjunction with the Women’s Division 1 Final Four. The conference attracts college, high school and club coaches from around the nation. It gets underway Wednesday at the Washington State Convention Center in downtown Seattle.