Volleyball Thread

[ChicosBailBonds]

No. The same MPSF school won the title twice. So one MPSF school has won a national title in the past 6 years, which is exactly what I said.

Ok.

Well I read it a lot differently. 

At any rate, congrats to OSU, caught BYU on a bad night for sure, but that's sports.  I'm sure the 20 or so Californians that played in the game tonight will be back here playing during the Summer.  The competitions out here are insane.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

As far as high school national rankings, when you consider that there are probably single digit schools in FL, MO, and OH and then maybe 40? Teams from IL that are considered in these rankings (WI, TX, and NY high school seasons are in the fall so don't get ranked) then it makes complete sense that very few teams outside of CA get ranked...there are probably 60 teams total outside of CA that have varsity boys high school volleyball programs. There are hundreds of teams in CA alone. Once again, just makes the competitiveness of the MIVA recently to be incredible.

Confused by that paragraph Wade. You say Illinois has 40 schools in the national rankings but there are only 60 total men's varsity teams outside Cali? Just looking for some clarification not an argument because I know there are at least 150 teams in Illinois.

[wadesworld]

Confused by that paragraph Wade. You say Illinois has 40 schools in the national rankings but there are only 60 total men's varsity teams outside Cali? Just looking for some clarification not an argument because I know there are at least 150 teams in Illinois.

I meant 40 total teams in the state of IL, not in the national rankings.  Total stab in the dark guess there.  My overall point is that if you take just southern CA alone and combine all the rest of the country (even giving northern CA to "the rest of the country") the number of high school teams in SoCal would still FAR outweigh the number of high school teams in "the rest of the country."

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

I meant 40 total teams in the state of IL, not in the national rankings.  Total stab in the dark guess there.  My overall point is that if you take just southern CA alone and combine all the rest of the country (even giving northern CA to "the rest of the country") the number of high school teams in SoCal would still FAR outweigh the number of high school teams in "the rest of the country."

Oh yea, absolutely. Even in Illinois there are a ton of men's volleyball teams (199 teams in the stste tournament this year) but it's saturated in chicago and chicago suburbs. Once you go south or west of Naperville ish area there's nothing. Also take out all the city schools that absolutely suck and the far suburban schools and you probably have close to 50 teams that would have a legitimate shot to win a regional.

[ChicosBailBonds]

End of the day, there have been 45 NCAA champions.   87% went to MPSF schools. When you factor in the Final Fours, it is closer to 95%

In the last 6 years, 3 to MPSF, 3 elsewhere.  I would call last night a big upset and most of the experts in college volleyball would, too.  UCLA should have beaten OSU, but the didn't.  BYU has owned UCLA all year.  Kudos to OSU, they played well last night, but I honestly felt it was more BYU playing poorly than the other way around.  The first set was fantastic volleyball by both sides.  The last two....eh.

[wadesworld]

End of the day, there have been 45 NCAA champions.   87% went to MPSF schools. When you factor in the Final Fours, it is closer to 95%

In the last 6 years, 3 to MPSF, 3 elsewhere.  I would call last night a big upset and most of the experts in college volleyball would, too.  UCLA should have beaten OSU, but the didn't.  BYU has owned UCLA all year.  Kudos to OSU, they played well last night, but I honestly felt it was more BYU playing poorly than the other way around.  The first set was fantastic volleyball by both sides.  The last two....eh.

You might want to check the last 6 years. OSU, UCI, UCI, Loyola, Loyola, OSU (in order of oldest to newest) are the last 6 national titles. 4 to the MIVA (2 Loyola, 2 OSU = 4 total), 2 to the MPSF (2 UCI = 2 total), 0 elsewhere.

People thought that BYU was better because BYU owned what everyone thought was the best conference in the country, but maybe it wasn't.

Ohio State lost 2 matches all season. They played each of the top 3 teams in the MPSF, 2 on neutral courts and 1 as a true road match. They went 3-0. Both their losses came to MIVA teams. They swept BYU. To claim BYU was better is just flat out ignorant, especially when the 3rd set was 25-17. That's like a high school team beating a team 25-7. Ohio State ended the season on what, a 21 match winning streak or something? And again, 3 of those were against the teams that finished 1-3 in the MPSF. Clearly one team was the best in the country, and for the 3rd straight year that team was from the MIVA.

[ChicosBailBonds]

You might want to check the last 6 years. OSU, UCI, UCI, Loyola, Loyola, OSU (in order of oldest to newest) are the last 6 national titles. 4 to the MIVA (2 Loyola, 2 OSU = 4 total), 2 to the MPSF (2 UCI = 2 total), 0 elsewhere.

People thought that BYU was better because BYU owned what everyone thought was the best conference in the country, but maybe it wasn't.

Ohio State lost 2 matches all season. They played each of the top 3 teams in the MPSF, 2 on neutral courts and 1 as a true road match. They went 3-0. Both their losses came to MIVA teams. They swept BYU. To claim BYU was better is just flat out ignorant, especially when the 3rd set was 25-17. That's like a high school team beating a team 25-7. Ohio State ended the season on what, a 21 match winning streak or something? And again, 3 of those were against the teams that finished 1-3 in the MPSF. Clearly one team was the best in the country, and for the 3rd straight year that team was from the MIVA.

Thank you for the correction.  OSU, with California dominated players, won this year.   Last 22 years, that's 15 for the MPSF, and 5 for everyone else, and two vacancies.  Winning a tournament doesn't always mean you are the best.  MU beat #1 Denver yesterday in LaCrosse.  Those teams play 10 times, Denver wins 8 or 9 of them.  That's the beauty of college sports and one match games. 

OSU's losses this year were to whom?  UCLA was one of them.  I think Ball State the other.  One could argue UCLA screwed the pooch against them in the semis, but OSU won in 5 sets. 

BYU was considered the best team in the country, and there was nothing ignorant about it. 

As for which league was better....really?  I look at the top 8 teams and 7 are from the MPSF.   I look at the RPI, and 5 of the top 6 from the MPSF. 

Maybe we should have a NCAA tournament in the future we don't have 6 teams playing, but actually have 16.  That would be fun.  I wonder which league would dominate?   

[wadesworld]

Thank you for the correction.  OSU, with California dominated players, won this year.   Last 22 years, that's 15 for the MPSF, and 5 for everyone else, and two vacancies.  Winning a tournament doesn't always mean you are the best.  MU beat #1 Denver yesterday in LaCrosse.  Those teams play 10 times, Denver wins 8 or 9 of them.  That's the beauty of college sports and one match games. 

OSU's losses this year were to whom?  UCLA was one of them.  I think Ball State the other.  One could argue UCLA screwed the pooch against them in the semis, but OSU won in 5 sets. 

BYU was considered the best team in the country, and there was nothing ignorant about it. 

As for which league was better....really?  I look at the top 8 teams and 7 are from the MPSF.   I look at the RPI, and 5 of the top 6 from the MPSF. 

Maybe we should have a NCAA tournament in the future we don't have 6 teams playing, but actually have 16.  That would be fun.  I wonder which league would dominate?   

Standard SoCal.  Can't face the fact that someone outside of the epicenter of volleyball in the country is having success.

I've never been arguing that Southern California doesn't produce the best volleyball in the country.  My point has been, and remains, and is true, that it is pretty dang impressive that the MIVA has produced the national champion in men's volleyball in 4 of the last 6 years.  I don't care where the players come from.  I don't give the B1G credit for the NCAA Men's basketball national championship because 4 of Villinova's 5 starters were from Big 10 country.  That would be absolutely absurd.  The coach needs to recruit the players to the school.  That is the entire point.  Just 5 to 10 years ago you would NEVER see top level talent LEAVE the great old Southern California to go play VOLLEYBALL, of all sports, in the Midwest.  And the only top level talent that would be produced in the Midwest would ALWAYS head west to play their college volleyball.  The gap has been drastically closed in a very quick time period. 

Didn't realize that OSU played UCLA in a preseason tournament out in PSU.  Congrats to them on winning what teams take as essentially an exhibition game in January.

No, there was nothing ignorant about thinking BYU was the best team in the country going into the national championship.  But there certainly is in saying that BYU just didn't play well and it really wasn't to OSU's credit that they won the match.  When you get swept, you can't claim, "We're really better, we just played a bad match."  If it's a 5 setter that comes down to the wire and you left some points out there, then sure, maybe you just got unlucky, didn't play well, etc.  But claiming BYU was the better team and just didn't play well would be like Oklahoma claiming they were the better team but just played 40 bad minutes of basketball against a Nova team that got lucky to play them when they did.  That is entirely ignorant.  BYU got completely handled by a better team, plain and simple.

Put almost 50% of the entire NCAA into the NCAA Tournament field?  No thanks.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Let's not forget OSU had five transfers from University of the Pacific after they shut down Men's Volleyball when they switched conferences to the WCC. U of P had to add Men's Soccer to fit the new conference profile, which meant the demise of MVB.  Quite an infusion of top talent for the Buckeyes.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Oh cmon guys, this was like the one friendly thread on scoop. Let's not ruin it.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Standard SoCal.  Can't face the fact that someone outside of the epicenter of volleyball in the country is having success.

No problem with it at all.  Especially as it gives more So. Cal kids a chance to play elsewhere along with developing the game with midwesterners, etc.  The level of play across the country has improved.  I'm all for it.

I'm just not going to hide behind the fairy tale of what the front of the jersey says in most years.

[Macallan 18]

Just 5 to 10 years ago you would NEVER see top level talent LEAVE the great old Southern California to go play VOLLEYBALL, of all sports, in the Midwest.  And the only top level talent that would be produced in the Midwest would ALWAYS head west to play their college volleyball.  The gap has been drastically closed in a very quick time period. 

For those in this thread who follow NCAA volleyball much more closely, what has lead to the gap between MPSF and non-MPSF schools being closed. Sure, some of these non-MPSF schools may have a lot of California transplants, but something has to convince those kids to head East. 

I've been a casual fan of NCAA volleyball since I attended the 2008 Pepperdine vs. Penn State championship @ UCI's Bren Events Center. At the time I thought the Penn State win was a fluke, but watching the non-MPSF teams the last few years, MPSF dominance may be more perception than reality now.

[wadesworld]

For those in this thread who follow NCAA volleyball much more closely, what has lead to the gap between MPSF and non-MPSF schools being closed. Sure, some of these non-MPSF schools may have a lot of California transplants, but something has to convince those kids to head East. 

I've been a casual fan of NCAA volleyball since I attended the 2008 Pepperdine vs. Penn State championship @ UCI's Bren Events Center. At the time I thought the Penn State win was a fluke, but watching the non-MPSF teams the last few years, MPSF dominance may be more perception than reality now.

The sport is growing a lot throughout the country.  In Southern California, for as long as I've been around volleyball the sport has been as big as any major sport.  Even if you don't play competitively, you still might grab a group of friends and go mess around playing beach volleyball like any group of non-competitive football players might toss around the football at any park in America.  Outside of CA, volleyball is a girls sport that you get made fun of for playing if you're a guy until recently.

Coaching outside of CA is getting better.  Midwest clubs, schools, etc. are bringing in high level coaching systems and learning them from some of the top coaches in the country.  Bigger and better athletes are starting to play volleyball more.  The competition is catching up, and what used to be rare top level talent outside of CA always used to head West to play college volleyball.  Now there is more top level talent being produced, and a lot of it is starting to remain outside of the MPSF.  The growing competitiveness as a result has led to CA kids exploring their options more and some of the top level talent from there have actually, for the first time ever, left the state to play volleyball elsewhere.  And recruiting has expanded.  Overseas players are now being recruited to all colleges in the USA, and it's helped to close the talent gap, as there is some real talent coming over to the USA and playing (UCI has had a bunch of big time international talent, the NPOY on OSU is from France, etc.).

"Grow the game" has been the motto of men's volleyball for a while, and it's finally becoming a reality.

[ChicosBailBonds]

For those in this thread who follow NCAA volleyball much more closely, what has lead to the gap between MPSF and non-MPSF schools being closed. Sure, some of these non-MPSF schools may have a lot of California transplants, but something has to convince those kids to head East. 

I've been a casual fan of NCAA volleyball since I attended the 2008 Pepperdine vs. Penn State championship @ UCI's Bren Events Center. At the time I thought the Penn State win was a fluke, but watching the non-MPSF teams the last few years, MPSF dominance may be more perception than reality now.

It's definitely not perception, and that is silly.  The non-MPSF has had a few good teams each year, but  not the top to bottom strenght that the MPSF has.  If you look at the power ratings every year about 80% of the top 10 are MPSF schools.  Often, the schools that slip in from outside have a heavy California presence of players.  Not always...Lewis is an example where that wasn't the case.

As for kids wanting to leave, not surprised.  I have a 17 year old in my house that is applying to one California school and 10 non-California schools.  A LOT of issues in this state that people aren't crazy with, plus a chance to try something new, etc.  So no surprise there.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Just 5 to 10 years ago you would NEVER see top level talent LEAVE the great old Southern California to go play VOLLEYBALL, of all sports, in the Midwest. 

Not exactly true, I can think of several that come to mind.

No, there was nothing ignorant about thinking BYU was the best team in the country going into the national championship.  But there certainly is in saying that BYU just didn't play well and it really wasn't to OSU's credit that they won the match.  When you get swept, you can't claim, "We're really better, we just played a bad match." 


Sure you can and there are examples of it in sports all the time.  Earlier this year, Oklahoma beat Villanova in basketball by 30.  Then the rematch Villanova beat Oklahoma by 40+.   In volleyball, same thing...teams that lost 3-0 and come back to beat the same team later.  Kind of silly to suggest otherwise.

Put almost 50% of the entire NCAA into the NCAA Tournament field?  No thanks.

There are some amazing teams that could do some significant damage and make a run, that are kept out.  Of course, it would be mostly MPSF schools that would make up those spots.   

[wadesworld]

It's definitely not perception, and that is silly.  The non-MPSF has had a few good teams each year, but  not the top to bottom strenght that the MPSF has.  If you look at the power ratings every year about 80% of the top 10 are MPSF schools.  Often, the schools that slip in from outside have a heavy California presence of players.  Not always...Lewis is an example where that wasn't the case.

As for kids wanting to leave, not surprised.  I have a 17 year old in my house that is applying to one California school and 10 non-California schools.  A LOT of issues in this state that people aren't crazy with, plus a chance to try something new, etc.  So no surprise there.

Ohio State started 2 California kids out of 6.  I get it, you love your SoCal, but the facts here don't add up.

The previous 2 champions started 1 kid from SoCal, and he was the worst player in their starting lineup.  Again, you love your SoCal, but you're making up a narrative that simply isn't there.

Funny thing is since the NCAA Tournament went to 6 teams this is the first year that the MPSF got more at large bids than the MIVA.  So once again, you can pretend that the MPSF dominates the MIVA and top to bottom is so much stronger and it's not even comparable, but once again, you'd be making up a narrative that simply isn't true.  The all time great Quincy University, who went 4-12 in the MIVA, took your beloved LBSU, a top 3 finisher in the regular season and tournament in the MPSF, to 5 sets at LBSU.  They also took UCSB, the 5th place finisher and semifinalist in the MPSF Tournament, to 5 sets on the road.  This same Quincy team lost to almighty Division THREE teams in Carthage College and St. Ambrose...TWICE!  And none of those matches even made it to 5 sets!

The almighty MPSF is no longer untouchable, despite what the Southern California people want to tell you.

Would love to hear all these top level players who left Southern California to play in the Midwest or on the East Coast that you have in mind prior to Cody Caldwell leaving SoCal to come to Loyola 5 years ago...and he turned out to be a complimentary player.  Weird, he was supposed to be a volleyball prodigy out in SoCal...and then gets to the Midwest and gets passed up by a bunch of cheeseheads and FIBS.

And sure.  OU was better than Nova and just got unlucky, and BYU was better than OSU and just got unlucky.  Probably just like Hawaii was better than PSU and got unlucky and UCI was better than Loyola and got unlucky last year, and Stanford was better than Loyola 2 years ago but got unlucky.  The Midwest could never ACTUALLY produce better teams than SoCal.  It's just pure luck.  Heck, it even dates back to when this senior group was in high school.  No way a team from little, dirty West Allis, WI could ever actually compete with the big boys of Southern California.  Those 3 National Titles in 3 years for that club were clearly just flukes.  3 lucky tournaments in a 3 year span.  Crazy how lucky that little city is.  Crapshoots all around, ai'na?

If your almighty MPSF teams want their shot, then do their job throughout the regular season, get a good seed in the MPSF Tournament, and finish well in the MPSF Tournament.  Can't do that then don't complain that they didn't let 16 of 35ish total NCAA teams into the field.  There is always a separation between the top teams in the MPSF and the 2nd tier (teams like UCSB this season).  If the top tier teams aren't winning it all, the 2nd tier teams that are crying that half the NCAA field doesn't make the tournament certainly wouldn't.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Ohio State started 2 California kids out of 6.  I get it, you love your SoCal, but the facts here don't add up.

The previous 2 champions started 1 kid from SoCal, and he was the worst player in their starting lineup.  Again, you love your SoCal, but you're making up a narrative that simply isn't there.


I stated Lewis was an exception.  Not true on Ohio State throughout the year. 


Funny thing is since the NCAA Tournament went to 6 teams this is the first year that the MPSF got more at large bids than the MIVA.  So once again, you can pretend that the MPSF dominates the MIVA and top to bottom is so much stronger and it's not even comparable, but once again, you'd be making up a narrative that simply isn't true.  The all time great Quincy University, who went 4-12 in the MIVA, took your beloved LBSU, a top 3 finisher in the regular season and tournament in the MPSF, to 5 sets at LBSU.  They also took UCSB, the 5th place finisher and semifinalist in the MPSF Tournament, to 5 sets on the road.  This same Quincy team lost to almighty Division THREE teams in Carthage College and St. Ambrose...TWICE!  And none of those matches even made it to 5 sets!

I said power rankings.  I also said if we went to 16, the MPSF would dominate most of those positions.  Are you truly arguing against that?  The MIVA has had some very good teams, but top to bottom if you went to 16 teams most of those positions are going to be filled by the Pepperdines, Stanfords, Hawaii, UCSB of the world.  Sure, Lewis, Loyola, PSU or someone like Erksine, Barton, others would slot in. 

Ohio State lost to McMaster this year.  It happens.  That's volleyball.   I don't know why you keep going on about the 3 vs 5 sets thing.  It by no means is the all inclusive measure of a team's ability.  Sure, it can mean how well or poorly they played THAT DAY, but you seem to want to define that way beyond.  I don't get it.

The way the tournament is constructed now with how small it is, a George Mason bid takes away a spot from a very good team.  The tournament is too small, IMHO. 


The almighty MPSF is no longer untouchable, despite what the Southern California people want to tell you.

Would love to hear all these top level players who left Southern California to play in the Midwest or on the East Coast that you have in mind prior to Cody Caldwell leaving SoCal to come to Loyola 5 years ago...and he turned out to be a complimentary player.  Weird, he was supposed to be a volleyball prodigy out in SoCal...and then gets to the Midwest and gets passed up by a bunch of cheeseheads and FIBS.

And sure.  OU was better than Nova and just got unlucky, and BYU was better than OSU and just got unlucky.  Probably just like Hawaii was better than PSU and got unlucky and UCI was better than Loyola and got unlucky last year, and Stanford was better than Loyola 2 years ago but got unlucky.  The Midwest could never ACTUALLY produce better teams than SoCal.  It's just pure luck.  Heck, it even dates back to when this senior group was in high school.  No way a team from little, dirty West Allis, WI could ever actually compete with the big boys of Southern California.  Those 3 National Titles in 3 years for that club were clearly just flukes.  3 lucky tournaments in a 3 year span.  Crazy how lucky that little city is.  Crapshoots all around, ai'na?

If your almighty MPSF teams want their shot, then do their job throughout the regular season, get a good seed in the MPSF Tournament, and finish well in the MPSF Tournament.  Can't do that then don't complain that they didn't let 16 of 35ish total NCAA teams into the field.  There is always a separation between the top teams in the MPSF and the 2nd tier (teams like UCSB this season).  If the top tier teams aren't winning it all, the 2nd tier teams that are crying that half the NCAA field doesn't make the tournament certainly wouldn't.

To each their own.....I expect the US National team will be mostly from the MIVA and EIVA then.....

[wadesworld]

Nice!  Was waiting for you to come up with the whole "US National Team" argument.  Funny thing is...if you look at the starting lineup there are 2 guys from SoCal who start...and one of them is the reason we don't dominate the rest of the world (MB2) and will be replaced shortly, most likely by a Midwest player (Jeff Jendryk, Nick Olson, Conrad Kaminsky, Scott Stadick coming up the wings).

OHs - 1 from SoCal through BYU, 1 from MD through PSU
MB - 1 from Cinci through PSU, 1 from SoCal through UCI
RS - NY through PSU
S - HI through USC
L - HI through Stanford

Only backup who gets significant time - IL through Loyola

2 SoCal guys!  Dominating that USAV lineup!

What's not true of OSU "throughout the year?"  They started 2 SoCal kids.  Not sure what else to tell you.  Lewis isn't who I was referring to.  Lewis didn't win a National title in the last 3 years.  Keep trying.

What power rankings?  Never knew they had power rankings for men's volleyball.  So I guess yes, I'm going against that.

And yes, I go on about 3 vs. 5 sets because it's essentially the difference between a 4 point win in basketball and a 40 point win in basketball.  Teams that are relatively close to each other in terms of ability don't get swept at the college (or professional) level.  And they CERTAINLY don't lose a set 25-17.  You definitely got it right that you don't get it if you don't understand this.

Do you know anything about McMaster University?  Obviously not.  Almighty Pepperdine of the almighty MPSF loses to Canadian college teams in the preseason every year, even when they're winning National Titles.  There are some INSANELY good men's volleyball teams in Canada.  They also happen to be in the middle of their season when they play the teams from the USA, while the USA teams have just started practicing together for the first time.  Which you clearly didn't know, because you're just blindly backing the almighty and beloved SoCal without really understanding how the game truly works at this level.

Still waiting for that long list in your mind of SoCal kids prior to Caldwell heading to Loyola of top level talent that played outside of the MPSF...

[wadesworld]

It is honestly not that hard to understand.  Men's volleyball throughout the country has grown and the gap has closed on the stronghold that the MPSF had on the country.  It's not hard to see in the least bit, and to argue against that is incredibly ignorant.  Go look at the list of NCAA champions.  70s?  All MPSF.  80s?  All MPSF.  90s?  All MPSF.  2000s?  7 MPSF and 1 EIVA (2 vacated).  2010s?  Oh.  4 MIVAs, 3 MPSF?

But it's pure luck that the MPSF (okay, west coast schools, since there was no MPSF for a long time) won like 37 straight titles.  MIVA is just as good, just had some off nights at key times.  Or something like that. 

Oh, but players from CA are on those MIVA teams!  So the MPSF really won the National Titles! 

[Macallan 18]

But it's pure luck that the MPSF (okay, west coast schools, since there was no MPSF for a long time) won like 37 straight titles.

It is all down hill after Al Scates. 

[wadesworld]

It is all down hill after Al Scates. 

And just think what will happen when Marv decides to hang it up! 

[ChicosBailBonds]

I guess I'm also curious where I said OSU was lucky.  I certainly didn't.  OSU is a very good team, I just think most experts believed BYU on most days is better.  That doesn't mean OSU is lucky.

The 3-0 sweep is immaterial in judging the quality of their team for the same reason I gave you the Nova and OU examples.  First game went 32-30.  Teams sometimes don't have it on givens days. 

[wadesworld]

I guess I'm also curious where I said OSU was lucky.  I certainly didn't.  OSU is a very good team, I just think most experts believed BYU on most days is better.  That doesn't mean OSU is lucky.

The 3-0 sweep is immaterial in judging the quality of their team for the same reason I gave you the Nova and OU examples.  First game went 32-30.  Teams sometimes don't have it on givens days.

Believed is the key word.  They believed they were the better team.  I also believed BYU was the better team heading into the Finals.  If you watched the match, there is no doubt whatsoever who the better team was, and it wasn't the Cougars.  Not even close.  Volleyball is all serve and pass.  One team was far, FAR superior in both of those facets, and it wasn't the Cougars.

You said OSU caught BYU on an off day and continue to talk about teams not "having it on given days."  If you know volleyball you saw that this wasn't just BYU not playing well.  This was BYU getting manhandled by a better serving and better passing team.

These two teams played exactly how they did all year long.  OSU was the best serving team in the country and the best passing team in the country.  OSU was the better serving team and the better passing team in the NCAA Tournament, and specifically, Finals.  BYU's weakness all year was their serve reception, while their strengths were transition volleyball (not as important in guys volleyball because guys don't get into the transition game very often) and serving and blocking (the least important aspect in volleyball).

BYU was successful because despite being a poor passing team, they were so much bigger and more athletic than any teams they were facing, so even though other teams could put up a solid triple block, they could throw a high ball to one of their pins and watch the kid go up and blast through the block, and worst case just keep the ball in play and let their giant block go to work.  That's all fine and dandy when you're going up against right side blocks that consist of (generously) 6'4" and 6' blockers on the right pin and 6' and 6'7" (the only above average pin blocker on their team) left pin like UCLA.  Just go up, be bigger, be more athletic, and passing isn't a huge issue.  But when that block all of a sudden becomes 6'4" at the shortest being big and athletic no longer cuts it.  BYU was out of system all night and finally played a team that had enough size and athleticism to keep them from just pounding balls over the top despite poor passing.  That is what it came down to.  It wasn't an off night.  BYU played exactly how they played to take 1st in the MPSF and win the MPSF Tournament.  They just finally ran into a team that could stop their athletes and made them play some volleyball, which they couldn't do.

Sweeps are sweeps.  When you win 3-0 at a competitive (Open division Gold or Silver bracket) high school club level, a college level, or a professional/international level, that is a route.  You can pretend that the scores of each set matter, but when you can't take a set off of a team you got stomped.  I don't care if it's 45-43, 32-30, 29-27.  One team is significantly better than the other when those are your scores at a high level.  When its' 32-30, 25-23, 25-17, one team got stomped.  You can pretend that's not the case, but you'll be wrong in doing so.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Went to USA vs Japan tonight.  USA dominated.

[ChicosBailBonds]

We'll agree to disagree Wade's....each match is different'  Again, I never said lucky anywhere, that was your use of the word....multiple times.  Really strange. 

Second, a team can beat someone 3-0 and come back against same team and lose 3-0 or 3-1.   One team played very well and won, the other team didn't play well and lost.  For that match, that was the case.  Agreed.   Just as one team beat Villanova by 30 in a game, and the next time they met in the same season with the same players, the other team returned the favor.   It happens...in all sports.

Congrats to Ohio State.