(Photo: ASU Athletics)
Throughout the season, WCSN has given weekly updates to the ranked teams within the wildly competitive Pac-12, but with the regular season complete and the NCAA Tournament field filled out, none of those rankings necessarily matter any more.
An NCAA-best 10 Pac-12 teams are being sent to the NCAA Tournament as California and Washington State were the only teams left out of the 64-team field.
That in itself is an accomplishment, and a unique one at that. At any given point throughout the season, seven to nine teams represented the Pac-12 in the AVCA’s Top 25 polls, and there is no question that it is the strongest, deepest volleyball conference in the country.
As a conference, the Pac-12 has captured 14 of the 33 NCAA volleyball championships all time, as well as 12 of the last 23 titles.
With that being said, here are the match-ups facing each Pac-12 team in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, with the number in front of each team denoting its seeding in the field (all times are according to MT and are subject to change):
1 Stanford v. CSU Bakersfield
The Cardinal nearly completed the perfect, 30-0 season before dropping their match against No. 5 Washington last weekend. Nevertheless, Stanford enters the tournament as the No. 1 overall seed as they host CSU Bakersfield who earned the automatic bid for coming out on top of the Western Athletic Conference. Stanford is led by the efforts of junior setter Madi Bugg, who earned Pac-12 Setter of the Year honors for the second-straight season. They are also paced by the middle blocking efforts of junior Inky Ajanaku and redshirt freshman Merete Lutz. Stanford and CSU Bakersfield will square off on Friday at 8 p.m.
3 Washington v. New Hampshire
The Huskies rounded out their season on a high note, knocking off No. 1 Stanford and giving the Cardinal the first loss of their season. Now, given the No. 3 overall seed in the tournament, Washington host New Hampshire, champions of American East Conference. Washington is coming off a program-best 29 regular season wins, and they are led by Pac-12 Libero of the Year in junior Cassie Strickland and Pac-12 Player of the Year in senior outside hitter Krista Vansant. After appearing in the Final Four last season, the Huskies ultimately lost to eventual-champion Penn State. First serve will be on Friday at 8 p.m.
10 Oregon v. Santa Clara
Despite losing to Oregon State in their regular season finale, the Ducks come into the NCAA Tournament riding a wave of high-level play, lead by All Pac-12 performers in junior outside hitter Martenne Bettendorf and senior outside hitter Liz Brenner. Freshman outside hitter Frankie Shebby was also recognized on the Pac-12 All-Freshman team. They will be hosting a Santa Clara team that ranks third in the nation in aces (1.83). Led by WCC All-Freshman team performer Nikki Hess, Santa Clara finished third in their conference. The game begins on Thursday at 8 p.m.
11 Arizona v. Yale
Picked to finish ninth in the preseason coaches’ poll, Arizona repeatedly surprised people by their steady, scrappy play to finish third in the Pac-12. Senior outside hitter Madi Kingdon and sophomore setter Penina Snuka earned All Pac-12 honors, and they will look to lead the Wildcats against five-time defending Ivy League champions, the Yale Bulldogs. Senior outside hitter Mollie Rogers leads the Bulldog offense, averaging 4.30 kills per set. She’ll have her hands full trying to score points for her team as Arizona led the Pac-12 in total digs. The match will begin following the conclusion of the BYU-Seton Hall match, at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.
12 UCLA v. LIU Brooklyn
After UCLA’s thrilling regular season finale that saw the Bruins defeat the USC Women of Troy in five sets, they will be continuing their season in a rare rematch from the non-conference season against LIU Brooklyn. The Bruins came out victorious in three sets in their first matchup, but following its win in the Northeast conference championship, LIU Brooklyn certainly looks to ride that momentum to a potential upset. The season has been a special one for UCLA senior outside hitter Karsta Lowe, who leads the nation with 5.93 kills per set and a whopping 23 games with at least 20 kills. Her production landed her on the All-Pac-12 team for the second consecutive season, and she will look to continue her high-quality play when the Bruins square off against the Blackbirds on Friday at 9 p.m.
Arizona State v. Texas A&M
For the first time in nearly two decades, Arizona State will be heading to their third-straight NCAA Tournament. Led by three-time All-Pac-12 junior outside hitter Macey Gardner, the Sun Devils ended the season 9-11 in the conference. A season highlighted by wins over then-No. 9 USC and then-No. 10 Oregon, ASU hits the road to take on a strong Texas A&M team that has taken down the likes of USC and Kentucky. The Aggies are riding a six-game winning streak, led by the efforts of junior outside hitter Shelby Sullivan who comes into the game averaging 2.86 kills per set. First serve will be on Thursday at 3:30 p.m.
Colorado v. Northern Colorado
Colorado comes into their second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance riding a strong fourth-place finish in the Pac-12. Senior outside hitter and All Pac-12 selection Taylor Simpson has paced the Buffalo offense, ranking 15th in the nation with 4.56 kills per set. She is aided by junior outside hitter and fellow All Pac-12 honoree Alexis Austin, who is second on the team with 3.20 kills per set. They face a Northern Colorado team with sophomore setter Ashley Guthrie running the offense, dishing out 10.66 assists per game. Her main target is junior outside hitter Kendra Cunningham who started in all 32 of the team’s matches, averaging 3.16 kills per set. The match takes place on Friday at 4:30 p.m.
Oregon State v. Creighton
After going the entire 2013 Pac-12 season without a win, the Oregon State Beavers completely flipped the script to finish 9-11 in the conference, making head coach Taras Liskevych the easy choice for Pac-12 Coach of the Year. However, the players he coached were just as important, most notably Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Mary-Kate Marshall. The outside hitter broke the record books during her first year in Corvallis, has her 486 kills with the kills by a freshman in OSU history, eighth-most in a single season overall and ranked seventh in the Pac-12 in kills per set with 4.23 per contest. The Beavers take on a Creighton team led by sophomore outside hitter and All-Big East performer Jess Bird. After Bird returned from injury, Creighton won 19 of their last 21 matches. The teams clash in Topeka, Kansas on Friday at 2 p.m.
USC v. Coastal Carolina
Coming into the season with the highest of expectations, the Women of Troy struggled through inconsistent play despite their high-level talent. Dropping out of the AVCA top-25 for the final two weeks of the regular season, USC squeaked into the tournament for their 24th consecutive appearance. Struggles aside, the team remains dangerously talented, headlined by junior outside hitter Samantha Bricio. The three-time All Pac-12 selection leads the nation with 78 services aces, and with 206 career aces, she also tops the USC all-time list. Her 4.27 kills per set rank fourth in the conference, and USC will need every bit of that as they face Coastal Carolina, who holds their opponents to a nation-low .130. In their first tournament since 2009, the Chanticleers will look to upset USC when the teams play on Friday at 2:30 p.m. in Chapel Hill, NC.
Utah v. Kansas State
The Utes have won seven of their last eight matches to finish 9-11 in conference and are now headed to their second-straight NCAA Tournament. Senior right side hitter Shelby Dalton was named to the All Pac-12 team, the first in Utah history, after averaging 2.80 kills per set. They are also led by All Pac-12 Freshman team selection Adora Anae, who averaged 2.36 kills in her first season as a Utah outside hitter. Facing a Kansas State team that finished fifth in the Big 12, Utah will look to get past a Wildcat block that second in the conference in blocks per set with 2.90. Kansas State’s efforts at the net are led redshirt senior middle blocker Natali Jones, who averaged a conference-high 1.18 blocks per set. The teams clash on Friday in Lincoln, Nebraska at 3:30 p.m.
You can reach Zac Pacleb on Twitter @ZacPacleb or via email at zacpacleb@gmail.com
