2022 NIVC Tournament

[Critter's Pa]

You are looking at South Dakota State whose RPI with Bonuses is 170. (I use that RPI because the NCAA Committee uses that one. At least, that is my understanding.) South Dakota has an RPI of 40, easily the best of the teams in the NIVC. Their Pablo rank is 65, just a tick behind Drake at 64.

South Dakota (no state, The Coyotes) with the RPI of 40 is in the NCAA tournament with the automatic bid after beating Omaha in the Summit League championship. They play Houston in the first round.

South Dakota State (RPI 170, The Jackrabbits) is in the NIVC. They finished 5th in the Summit League. North Dakota State, which finished 3rd in the Summit League, is also in the NIVC. There is also a North Dakota (no state) that is in the Summit League.

Edited. I see I left off the "State" when I mentioned South Dakota on my previous post.

[flyingMoose]

Edited. I see I left off the "State" when I mentioned South Dakota on my previous post.

My bad. I did not go back and look at the NIVC bracket. I did wonder what bizarre set of circumstances left out an RPI 40 team from the NCAA. I should have taken the time to investigate.

That makes the Lady Jacks easily the worst RPI in the tournament.

[jimshocker]

After qualifying for the NCAA Tournament 11 times in 15 years, is the NIVC the goal?

Since 2017 and a coach of the year bonus that year, WSU has fallen short of the NCAA more than any other stretch in the Lamb era.

Is this ok?

All Americans and HOF players on the early rosters. Do we have an HOF possibility since 2017? When WSU volleyball should have been at its peak momentum?

The coaches that recruited those players…multiple coaches…gone.

Transfers out and not in.

Please check RPI. Also a steady climb up and then fall off over the last 5 years.

The conference changed and so did the competition. WSU did not level up.

Soon the big girl teams will leave the conference and WSU can return to glory.

Will the RPI go back up? Will recruiting improve (without) the successful recruiters of years past.

After so much success. Really strange we feel the NIVC is an accomplishment.

[WuDrWu]

After qualifying for the NCAA Tournament 11 times in 15 years, is the NIVC the goal?

Since 2017 and a coach of the year bonus that year, WSU has fallen short of the NCAA more than any other stretch in the Lamb era.

Is this ok?

All Americans and HOF players on the early rosters. Do we have an HOF possibility since 2017? When WSU volleyball should have been at its peak momentum?

The coaches that recruited those players…multiple coaches…gone.

Transfers out and not in.

Please check RPI. Also a steady climb up and then fall off over the last 5 years.

The conference changed and so did the competition. WSU did not level up.

Soon the big girl teams will leave the conference and WSU can return to glory.

Will the RPI go back up? Will recruiting improve (without) the successful recruiters of years past.

After so much success. Really strange we feel the NIVC is an accomplishment.

[JayPak]

Good luck in the tournament. Bracket looks wide open, but Drake will be a handful.

[flyingMoose]

Good luck in the tournament. Bracket looks wide open, but Drake will be a handful.

Thanks! My notion also re Drake. Lost in five to UNI in the MVC Championship? I think so.

According to Pablo, Massey, and RPI, the Shockers and Drake may be the two best teams in this thing. Others are close though - Omaha, UTRGV, and maybe Wake.

[JayPak]

Shockers at their best are better IMO than those teams, except for Drake which I would consider a tossup.

[flyingMoose]

Shockers at their best are better IMO than those teams, except for Drake which I would consider a tossup.

Agreed.

[jimshocker]

Shockers at their best are better IMO than those teams, except for Drake which I would consider a tossup.

Some clarification.

What you are saying is that WSU should be expected to win this event. Based on being the top ranked team AND playing at home?

If they don’t win??? Then would it constitute a disappointing end to the season?

If they do win are we going to celebrate it as some sort of achievement of which we can build on next season?

It would seem based on prior comments, “playing at their level” relative to past transfers being successful elsewhere, that winning this event only means WSU is the best of “their level”. Which currently and for every season since 2017 is not at the NCAA tournament level?

[SubGod22]

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[WstateU]

Jim, Jim, Jim, what we gonna do about Jim...

[jimshocker]

Jim, Jim, Jim, what we gonna do about Jim...

Why not just answer my questions or view the volleyball program with some coherent observations?

Or make this a personal deal with me.

That won’t get WSU back to the NCAA tournament.

Lamb set the standard for WSU volleyball with 11 NCAA appearances in 15 years. Since winning COY, hosting a regional, going undefeated, and being compensated very well for the 2017 season, what’s happened over the last 5 years that didn’t happen in the first 15?

Just answer the question?

[WuDrWu]

In the opposite bracket, host Ohio beat Valpo and Xavier beat Central Michigan. Those 2 will face off tonight at 5pm

UT Martin beat host Troy and will face Southern Miss, who beat Alabama State, also at 5 tonight.

[1972Shocker]

WICHITA STATE (18-12, 13-6 American)

Sunday, Dec. 4 (1:00 p.m. CT) Weber State (17-11, 11-5 Big Sky) vs. Drake (26-7, 16-2 MVC)
Wichita, Kansas (Charles Koch Arena)
Live Stats // Watch

Sunday, Dec. 4 (3:30 p.m. CT) vs. Grand Canyon (17-10, 10-4 WAC)
Wichita, Kansas (Charles Koch Arena)
Live Stats // Watch

https://goshockers.com/news/2022/12/2/volleyball-preview-nivc-rounds-1-2.aspx

SCOUTING THE LOPES:

• Grand Canyon enters the postseason with an overall record of 17-10, going 10-4 in the WAC to finish in a tie for third. Regular season champ UTRGV is also in the NIVC field.
• This is the first postseason appearance at the Division 1 level for the Lopes.
• Three Grand Canyon players were tabbed First Team All-Conference: Kansas City grad transfer Melanie Brecka, veteran setter Klaire Mitchell, and star freshman Tatum Parrott.
• Mitchell is a two-time setter of the year in the WAC, and finished the regular season second on the circuit with 10.16 assists per set. Parrott was the Lopes top scorer, ranking fourth in the league with 3.33 kills per set.
• Former Shocker Megan Taflinger began the season at outside hitter but transitioned to libero in late October. She spent three seasons in Wichita, recording 730 kills wearing the Black and Yellow.
• The Lopes had a string of 21 consecutive set victories from October 22 through November 17. That streak was snapped in the WAC quarterfinals, where GCU was downed by eventual conference champion Stephen F. Austin in four sets.
• Head coach Tim Nollan is in his seventh season at the helm of the Lopes following a nine-year stint as an assistant and associate head coach at USC. After a 14-39 start in his first two seasons in Phoenix, Nollan has posted an 82-44 mark since.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS:

• Drake enters the postseason with the most regular season victories in the NIVC field, boasting a sterling 26-7 overall record. The Bulldogs finished second in the Missouri Valley Conference at 16-2, and had their 12-match winning streak snapped with a five-set loss to Northern Iowa in the MVC Tournament Championship. It was the first title game appearance for the Bulldogs since 1996.
• Drake is just one win shy of a new program record for victories in a season. The Bulldogs also won 26 matches in 1996.
• Senior outside hitter Haley Bush was named 2022 MVC Player of the Year, the second such honor of her career. Bush leads the Bulldogs with 4.25 kills per set.
• Freshman setter Addison Beagle became the first MVC Freshman of the Year in program history, leading all freshman nationally with 1,301 total assists.
• Head coach Darrin McBroom is in his tenth season in Des Moines. The 2020 MVC Coach of the Year, McBroom won 322 matches at the NJCAA level with MCC-Longview and Iowa Western.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS:

• Weber State finished the regular season at 17-11 overall and 11-5 in the Big Sky, tying for second place with fellow NIVC participant Portland State. Former Shocker opponent Northern Colorado claimed the Big Sky regular season and tournament titles.
• The Wildcats are no strangers to the postseason or the NIVC. Last season they advanced to the quarterfinals of the event, downing CSU Bakersfield and Portland State before dropping a five-set heartbreaker to UTEP.
• The year prior, Weber State picked up the first NCAA tournament win in program history with a four-set victory against Bowling Green.
• The Wildcats boast an elite defensive unit that led the Big Sky in opponent hitting percentage (.164) and digs per set (16.2), while finishing second in blocks per set (2.64).
• Four-time Big Sky All-Conference First Team selection Dani Richins supplies the offensive firepower. She leads the Wildcats with 3.24 kills per set.
• Head coach Jeremiah Larsen is in his eighth season in Ogden. He has led Weber State to three conference titles after arriving from Utah State.

[flyingMoose]

Friday Matches

Round 2

Xavier 3-1 Ohio

Southern Miss 3-0 UT Martin


Round 1

Boston College 3-0 Buffalo
St. John's 3-0 Binghamton

Wake Forest 3-2 Coppin State
Davidson 3-2 North Dakota State

UTRGV 3-1 Houston Christian
South Dakota State 3-2 Louisiana

Santa Clara 3-1 Portland State What a battle! -25, -23, 26-, -21
Pacific 3-1 Omaha