2017 Women's Vball (B1G enough for its own thread)

[Brutus Buckeye]

I seem to recall a Big Ten Tourney as well, but in googling around and perusing the record book, I can't seem to find any evidence to support that recollection. 

It looks like it was initially a single round robin. Then a double round robin (H & A) that went from full to partial as the Conference expanded.

Now that they are up to 14 teams, might as well go back to a single round robin, with a Conference Tourney. 
Maybe play a second game against a fixed rival or three for 14 or 16 total Conference games before the Tourney. 

[FearlessF]

There is no 'tiebreaker' in VB, so even though N won at Penn State, a shared 19-1 record, would mean a shared title.

well, that's BS

[MarqHusker]

I seem to recall a Big Ten Tourney as well, but in googling around and perusing the record book, I can't seem to find any evidence to support that recollection.

It looks like it was initially a single round robin. Then a double round robin (H & A) that went from full to partial as the Conference expanded.

Now that they are up to 14 teams, might as well go back to a single round robin, with a Conference Tourney.
Maybe play a second game against a fixed rival or three for 14 or 16 total Conference games before the Tourney.

If they had one, it hasn't been for a very long time.   Some smaller ones have them, others do not.   It seems to be a pure function of the scheduling, and # of teams/matches.    The sport is very cost conscious, so that's the chief reason it was always voted down in a lot of leagues.   Plus, who is hosting it, who gets those rights, how many teams.   Do they reduce the conf schedule?  
The 20 match schedule of course is still unbalanced, many of the same challenges as the hoops league.

[FearlessF]

I think they should hold one in Omaha each season, the conference could make a few bucks

fine tune the top teams for the NCAA tourney

[ELA]

If they had one, it hasn't been for a very long time.   Some smaller ones have them, others do not.   It seems to be a pure function of the scheduling, and # of teams/matches.    The sport is very cost conscious, so that's the chief reason it was always voted down in a lot of leagues.   Plus, who is hosting it, who gets those rights, how many teams.   Do they reduce the conf schedule?  
The 20 match schedule of course is still unbalanced, many of the same challenges as the hoops league.

Yeah, I could have sworn they had one until like 5-6 years ago, but I looked back, and at least going back to 2001-02 they didn't.

[Brutus Buckeye]

Of the D1 Conferences that have Ohio teams, the American and Big Ten don't currently have a Tourney, while the Big East, Mac, Horizon and A10 all do. (Dayton is the 2 seed in the A10, btw)

The D2 and D3 Conferences that have Ohio teams all have Conference Tourneys.
D2: G-Mac, Gliac, Mountain East, and Siac (hbcu)
D3: OAC, North Coast, Heartland, UAA, and Allegheny Mtn

The D2 regular season ended last weekend, the Conference Tourneys take place this weekend, while D3 is already down to the Elite 8 in Grand Rapids MI.

-Findlay and Lake Erie were the regular season champs of each of their respective GMac Divisions.

-Wittenberg made it out of the Otterbein regional, as expected, and will be Ohio's lone representation in the NCAA D3 Elite 8, in Grand Rapids MI.

-Lourdes and Owens made the National Bracket in NAIA and NJCAA D2 respectively. 

[MarqHusker]

I tried to flip through the Minnnesota/UW media guide, it seems like even longer, as in early 80s.

The Big 8 used to have one, (4 team tournament, oSu doesn't have vball), and it moved around to a wide variety of cities (Salinas, KS???)  until the last six years and stayed in Omaha.

[Brutus Buckeye]

Yeah, Varsity Big Ten VB officially became a thing in 1981. 

Probably existed solely as a club sport before that. 

[MarqHusker]

Some surprises tonight.

Michigan sweeps Michigan State in Ann Arbor.  (I think that clinches a bid for Michigan)
Iowa knocks off Ohio State. Buckeyes decimated by injuries this year, though I'm sure they'll find a way to beat Nebraska somehow again this Friday, Nebraska owns Penn St (six in a row), but can't beat tOSU lately (1-3).
Purdue sweeps Rutgers
Penn State sweeps IU.

[FearlessF]

Yeah, Varsity Big Ten VB officially became a thing in 1981.

Probably existed solely as a club sport before that.

The tradition that Cook continues to build began in 1978,
when Kanouse and Shandi Pettine were the first Nebraska
volleyball players to be recruited with full scholarships. By 1981,
Pettit could award 12 scholarships.
“We had a full complement,” he said. “And that put us ahead
of some schools.”
Those first Nebraska teams included primarily in-state
athletes. But Kanouse was from Indiana and Pettine was from
Colorado, evidence not only of Pettit’s interest in expanding the
Huskers’ recruiting base, but also of the respect his program was
earning beyond the state’s borders.

Head Coach: Pat Sullivan (1975-1976)
1975
Record: 34-8
AIAW Regional Finalist

1976
Record: 49-13
Big Eight Regular-Season & Tournament Champions
AIAW National Participant

[ELA]

I think that's the first real egg MSU has laid all year.  Ugh

[Brutus Buckeye]

Iowa knocks off Ohio State. Buckeyes decimated by injuries this year, though I'm sure they'll find a way to beat Nebraska somehow again this Friday, Nebraska can't beat tOSU lately (1-3).

Yeah, the whole Junior class has suffered season ending injuries, including the starting setter.
Unless Nebraska is hitting everything either out of bounds or into the net, I don't think you have much to worry about.

[Brutus Buckeye]

I kind of want to go to the OSU-Nebraska game, but there's not really a good way to go about doing it. 

For one thing, the game starts at 6, while I don't get out of work until 5:30. 

Under normal circumstances I could still make it down there, but there's a FB game the next day. So traffic and parking will be a nightmare. In fact they are recommending that fans park at the Schott and then hoof it over the bridge to St John. 

As if that wasn't bad enough, Nebraska fans typically travel well, which results in a really long line at the ticket office that goes out the front door and wraps halfway around the building. 

Not to mention that the game will be an absolute bloodbath. 

[FearlessF]

excuses