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Pac-12 volleyball sends league-record 10 teams to NCAA Tournament

Nov 30, 2014
StanfordPhoto.com

SAN FRANCISCO - A league-record 10 Pac-12 volleyball teams will represent the league in the 2014 NCAA Division I Volleyball Tournament, the NCAA announced today. The Pac-12’s 10 selections were the most of any conference in the country. STANFORD received the No. 1 overall seed, while WASHINGTON earned the No. 3 seed. OREGON, ARIZONA and UCLA were given the 10th, 11th and 12th overall seedings, respectively. ARIZONA STATE, COLORADO, OREGON STATE, USC and UTAH also earned berths into the tournament. 

Pac-12 Conference members have captured 14 of 33 NCAA titles awarded, including 12 of the last 23. In 25 of 33 Championships, a Pac-12 team has finished no lower than second. Overall, Pac-12 teams own a combined 399-212 (.653) mark in NCAA play. For a detailed history of Pac-12 teams in the NCAA Tournament, see pages 2-3. 

Stanford picked up the top seed in the NCAA Tournament after winning its 16th Pac-12 Championship on Friday. The Cardinal finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in the AVCA Coaches poll with an overall record of 29-1 and a 19-1 mark in league play. Stanford is one of two teams to have earned a berth to all 34 championships. The Cardinal will host first- and second-round play, facing off against CSU Bakersfield in its first-round match. 

Washington was the runner-up to this year’s Pac-12 title, finishing 29-2 and 18-2 in Pac-12 play. The Huskies were the lone team in the nation to hand Stanford a loss, beating the Cardinal at home in Seattle. UW will face off against New Hampshire in its first-round match. 

Oregon will make its 12th-overall NCAA appearance, hosting Santa Clara at Matthew Knight Arena beginning Thursday. The Ducks tied for fourth in the Pac-12 with an 11-9 Conference record, going 21-9 overall. Arizona, which finished just above Oregon at third in the Pac-12 with a 12-8 league record and 23-9 overall, will host Yale in its first-round match. 

UCLA will host LIU Brooklyn as the 12th-seeded team in the NCAA Tournament, facing the Blackbirds for the second time this season. After missing out on the tournament for the first time in program history last year, the Bruins return to the NCAA Championship for its 32nd-overall appearance with an overall mark of 20-11 and 11-9 in Pac-12 play. 

Arizona State (19-13, 9-11 Pac-12) travels to Austin and will play Texas A&M in its first-round matchup. Colorado (19-13, 11-9 Pac-12) makes its 18th NCAA Tournament appearance and will remain in its home state as it travels to Fort Collins to play Northern Colorado in the opening round. Oregon State (19-12, 9-11 Pac-12) heads to Kansas and will play Creighton in the first round. USC (15-15, 8-12 Pac-12) travels the farthest of any league team, heading to Chapel Hill, N.C. for its first-round match against Coastal Carolina. Utah (19-12, 9-11 Pac-12) will head to Lincoln, Neb. and play Kansas State on Friday. 

First and second-round matches will be played at 16 campus sites.  Teams winning both matches will move on to regional play December 12 and 13. The pre-determined regional sites are Ames, Iowa, Louisville, Kentucky, Minneapolis, Minnesota and Seattle. All regional semifinal games will be shown on ESPN3. Regional final games will air on ESPNU.

The regional winners will advance to the semifinals and final hosted by the Big 12 Conference and the Oklahoma City All Sports Association at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City on December 18 and 20. Both national semifinal games as well as the championship game will be broadcast by ESPN2. All regional and championship site game times can be found on the attached championship bracket or online at www.ncaa.com/wvb