Our version of March Madness has begun.
It’s now one and done for quite a few conferences. For that matter, other than the ACC, Big East, Big 12, Big Ten and SEC, very few leagues are likely to get more than one team in the 64-team NCAA Tournament.
Look for a breakdown on Tuesday of every conference that starts a tournament this week.
This edition of Volleyball Today also includes a recap of the AVCA Beach Volleyball National Championships in Huntsville, Alabama.
But first a quick look at what happened Sunday, including a reverse sweep by No. 23 USC against visiting No. 11 Oregon in the Big Ten and a big sweep by No. 9 SMU over visiting No. 22 Florida State in the ACC.
Lines of the day: Nia Washington had 32 kills for Ole Miss in a five-set SEC victory over visiting Mississippi State, hitting .388 to go with two assists, two aces and a solo block.
Kentucky’s Brooklyn DeLeye went off for program-record 30 kills in a four-set match as the Wildcats beat visiting Georgia in the SEC. She hit .377 to go with eight digs.
Reverse sweeps: In addition to USC, there was a huge one in the MAAC as Canisius ralled at Siena for a victory that gave the Golden Griffins the No. 4 seed and first-round bye in this week’s conference tourney. Libero Jillian Hanna made her coach father Tom happy with 28 digs, five assists and four aces.
And that’s a wrap on 2024 for Hampton, which finished 0-30 when the Pirates were swept at William & Mary in the CAA. Hampton lost its last 21 in 2023 and will enter 2025 on a 51-match losing streak.
There are two matches Monday, both in the SWAC, when Grambling plays Texas Southern and Southern faces Alabama State.
Later Monday, our VolleyballMag Super 16 Media Poll and then 900 Square Feet, the weekly Zoom with Emily Ehman and yours truly and we’ll be joined by Creighton coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
NCAA volleyball Sunday
Start with the ACC, where there were six matches and all but one resulted in a sweep. No. 1 Pittsburgh swept visiting Miami as Olivia Babcock had 20 kills, hit .531, and had an assist, all of the Panthers five aces, three digs and three blocks. Third-ranked Louisville swept visiting North Carolina as Anna DeBeer had 14 kills with one error in 28 attacks to hit .464 to go with an ace, four digs and four blocks. SMU swept visiting FSU as Naya Shime had…
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