…first time in 20 years no BIG teams are in the semifinals.
WVB. No BIG teams in semis…
- Thread starter rohrmd9
- Start date
Several years ago under Rose, PSU was almost like the Alabama of volleyball. However, it seems as if that program has declined significantly in recent years. What I’d like to know is how a school like Pitt, that doesn’t play in a great volleyball conference and had no great history in the sport, now has made the Final Four in the last two seasons, and PSU just is a middle of the pack Big 10 team.
It's called coaching. The Pitt coach reportedly turned down the PSU job. That should tell you a lot.
The Big Ten had 5 teams in the Sweet 16 and 2 in the Elite 8--yeah, disappointing no one made the Final Four but it was another solid year.
The SEC had the most teams in the Tournament and didn't get any team to the Elite 8
No other conference had more than 2 in the Sweet 16
This thread is being overly critical IMO
The SEC had the most teams in the Tournament and didn't get any team to the Elite 8
No other conference had more than 2 in the Sweet 16
This thread is being overly critical IMO
It's not criticism. The Big is the best conference in volleyball but that does not mean its teams are guaranteed to go to the final four. The talent is more spread out than it was ten years ago and the talent pool is much deeper. The fact that Pitt is doing well has to do with coaching. PSU wanted the guy and he chose to stay.
Agreed, 4 B10teams (OSU/Minn, Wisc/PSU) had to play each other in the Sweet 16, which didn't help their chances.
No teams from the Pac-12 left either.
KSC did an amazing job in her 1st year, pulling together team of half returners and half freshmen/transfers. I'm excited for the future!
Rumors were that Pitt's coach played PSU in order to get a raise at Pitt. There were a ton of rumors that he was coming to PSU and at the very last minute he did not. If he had, PSU wouldn't have missed a beat as he's considered one of the best in the country. Not that KSC is bad, she's just inexperienced and unproven. She did a great job this year though which will help going forward. PSU lost a ton of transfers and there were concerns before the season that the streak of making the tournament might end. She rebuilt through the portal, got to the sweet 16 and took Wisconsin to 5 sets in Madison.
The Big 10 wasn't helped by the bracket placements, there were a couple of B1G vs. B1G matchups that limited the opportunity to advance. It's the first time in the history of the tournament that there aren't any teams from both the B1G and PAC 12 in the final 4.
You speak the truth. My daughter camped at Pitt when the program was on the rise five years ago. You could see the caliber of players coming in was NCAA tournament quality.
PSU's program can go either way currently. They will be nationallly relevant or a shadow of itself depending on the next two years of recruiting and portal movement.
