On May 4, the best teams collegiate men's volleyball has to offer will converge at one spot: Rec Hall. Four teams -- three conference tournament winners from the West, Midwest, East and an at-large from one of the three -- will come to Happy Valley, the site of the 2006 NCAA men's volleyball championship, to vie for the ultimate prize.
Twelve teams -- four from each conference -- are still standing in their respective conference tournaments. Tomorrow, each conference will hold its semifinal matches.
Here's a look at the 12 teams remaining and predictions of the four teams that will move on to the NCAA championship.
Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA)
Contenders: No. 11 Penn State, No. 13 George Mason
Pretenders: Saint Francis (Pa.), Rutgers-Newark
The breakdown: Penn State (18-8, 11-1 EIVA) has owned the EIVA for the past 20 years but has had some weaknesses exposed this season. The Nittany Lions lost their first EIVA match in two seasons on March 25, to the only other legitimate contender from the East Coast -- George Mason.
The Patriots (22-5, 11-1) beat the Lions in Fairfax, Va., earlier in the year, behind the leadership of Shaun Powell, the 2006 Uvaldo Acosta Memorial EIVA Player of the Year. Powell, a senior outside hitter, has torched the Lions both times Penn State and George Mason met. In both performances he tallied 17 kills and hit over .300. In addition to Powell, four other George Mason players were named first-team All-EIVA.
Penn State isn't without star players, though, as five Lions were named first-team All-EIVA as well. Leading the way for Penn State has been the pair of captains Matt Proper and Nate Meerstein. Proper has notched a team-high in kills (381) and is hitting .387, while Meerstein is fifth in the nation in hitting percentage (.468).
The bottom line: If George Mason and Penn State end up meeting in the final, it should be one of the best EIVA championships in recent memory, as both squads are stocked with star-power and have proven themselves worthy.
Though the Lions have had some troubles blocking and passing of late, their offense has come together nicely and should carry them through. It also doesn't hurt that they will be playing in their home gym. Just ask No. 4 Long Beach State how difficult it is to beat Penn State in Rec Hall -- the 49ers lost to the Lions, 3-1, on Feb. 4. Penn State's record in the EIVA tournament since 1986 is 49-3.
Predicted EIVA tournament champion: Penn State
Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA)
Contenders: No. 8 Loyola (Ill.), No. 10 Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne, No. 14 Ball State
Pretenders: No. 15 Ohio State
The breakdown: Five of Loyola's six losses this season came at the hands of California teams on the road, but in conference play, the Ramblers (22-6, 11-1 MIVA) have been nearly unbeatable. They are led by two of the nation's best athletes in senior outside hitter Chris Kozlarek and junior middle hitter James Grunst. Kozlarek is second nationally in aces per game (.556) and 12th nationally in kills per game (4.30). Grunst ranks second in the nation in kills (.500).
IPFW (21-6, 9-3) has had success against MIVA competition all season except against Loyola. The Mastadons have followed C.J. Macias, a sophomore outside hitter who has led them all season. Macias was recently named first-team All-MIVA and ranks second nationally in kills per game (5.53). Macias finished with 559 kills and 50 aces this season.
Ball State (21-6, 8-4) appears to be the weakest of the remaining contenders and is lacking the talent of some of the other schools. Aside from junior opposite hitter Nick Meyer and senior setter Dave Carlson, both of whom were named first-team All-MIVA, the Cardinals appear to be thin in depth.
While Loyola and IPFW are two of the top remaining MIVA teams, Ohio State (20-11, 7-5) is one of the four that has established itself as a true pretender. While the Buckeyes started the season strong, with wins over Penn State and No. 5 UCLA, those wins came in January. Since then, the Buckeyes have dropped seven of their last 12 matches. It doesn't help that they'll be playing Loyola in tomorrow night's MIVA semifinals match, either.
The bottom line: It basically comes down to a coin flip between Loyola and IPFW. Both teams are loaded with talent and both have accumulated solid records against quality MIVA opposition. But giving the Ramblers the edge, and ultimately the MIVA tournament crown, is the fact that they're hosting the tournament. Alumni Gym in Chicago has been a big advantage for the Ramblers, as they haven't lost a home match all season.
Predicted MIVA tournament champion: Loyola (Ill.)
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF)
Contenders: No. 1 University of California-Irvine, No. 2 Long Beach State, No. 3 Pepperdine, No. 5 UCLA
Pretenders: None
The breakdown: As it stands right now, there are four teams still vying for the MPSF conference crown -- No. 1 seed UC-Irvine vs. No. 4 seed Long Beach State and No. 7 seed UCLA vs. No. 3 seed Pepperdine.
Each one is equally qualified to take the MPSF title.
Two of the Final Four teams will come from this conference, though, based on the criteria laid out by the NCAA selection process that takes into account win-loss record and strength of schedule. Given that eight of the top 10 teams represent the MPSF, it's fair to assume that the at-large selection will come from the West Coast.
And if there ever were a clear-cut favorite to take the NCAA championship title home, it would be UC-Irvine (27-3, 20-2 MPSF). The Anteaters reeled off 27 wins this year, including 20 in a stacked MPSF conference. They're also hosting the conference tournament on their home floor, and they feature six players on the All-MPSF team.
Look for junior opposite hitter Matt Webber to dominate on the offensive end as he's done all year (5.43 points per game). Opposing teams would best not sleep on junior outside hitter and MPSF Player of the Year Jayson Jablonsky, or else his 4.18 kills per game will kill opposing team's hopes of a NCAA bid.
Long Beach State (22-9, 14-8) won't roll over for the Aneaters, though. The 49ers, behind the play of outside hitter Robert Tarr, are riding a five-match win streak.
The biggest match may be between Pepperdine (17-7, 15-7) and UCLA, one of the more interesting clashes of the postseason.
The Bruins (20-12, 12-10) are thankful to still be playing this late in April after their record stood at a paltry 12-12 before rattling off 10 straight wins. The Bruins boast Steve Klosterman at outside hitter, who'll have to get around the block of Pepperdine's middle hitter, first-team MPSF selection Andy Hein.
The bottom line: UCLA has won 10 straight matches and Pepperdine has been solid all year, but their futures don't look too bright. The winner of their match will probably run into UC-Irvine in the MPSF finals.
With Hawaii out of the picture, expect the Anteaters' firepower to propel them to the conference title and an NCAA berth.
Hawaii (23-5, 19-3) will probably not be out of the NCAA picture. The Warriors were upset by UCLA in the conference tournament this week, but their overall regular season resume should be enough for the committee to give them another shot as the at-large berth.
Hawaii, one of the few teams to beat UC-Irvine this season, features one of the best setters in the NCAA in junior Brian Beckwith, who ranks second nationally in assists per game (13.53) and directs a fast-paced attack. He regularly looks to junior outside hitter Lauri Hakala, who was a first-team All-MPSF selection.
Predicted MPSF tournament champion: UC-Irvine
Predicted at-large selection from MPSF: Hawaii
NCAA championship prediction:
Despite having home-court advantage before what figures to be a very pro-Penn State crowd, the Lions simply won't be able to overcome the more refined West Coast teams.
All season Penn State hasn't been able to put together all facets of the game -- blocking, passing, hitting -- and sustain a consistent attack. Though it's not certain how the seeds would turn out, with a team like UC-Irvine in the mix, things don't look like they'll turn around for the Lions in the NCAAs.
Behind the play from a cast of the nation's best -- including the MPSF Player of the Year in Jablonsky, Newcomer of the Year Brett Asuka and Coach of the Year John Speraw -- UC-Irvine is a clear favorite this season. The Anteaters have crushed the best teams in the country, often in convincing fashion. They have proven themselves night in and night out in the tough MPSF and are the odds-on favorite to capture this year's NCAA title.
