NCAA Division I Volleyball - Beginning of November

While I may not have been able to watch as much volleyball as I would have liked recently, there has been plenty volleying all around the country.  For most if not all conferences, November brings the back half of conference play which means a lot of teams meeting for the second time.

These rematches are fun to watch because you can make predictions based on the last matchup and still be surprised!!

An example of this already is #4 Florida vs #6 Kentucky

               It was just the middle of October that Kentucky went down to Gainesville and handed Florida (Ranked #1 at the time) its first loss of the season.  But Florida was able to start November with a sweep over Kentucky to sit at the top of the SEC

NCAA Selection Committee

Although the release of the top 10 is referred to as the NCAA Selection Committee rankings, the factors that go into these rankings are numerous including:

• Strength of schedule
• Rating Percentage Index (RPI)
• Head-to-head competition
• Results versus common opponents
• Significant wins and losses
• Locations of contests
• Additional input by the regional advisory committees

This is very similar if not identical to the factors that determine all at-large bids, although these ranking have no bearing on the final bracket

NCAA National Championship Bracket

Mark your calendar, the selection show will be on Sunday, November 26 at 6pm PT on ESPNU.

64 teams overall = 32 automatic qualifications from conference winners + 32 at-large bids selected by the Division I Women’s Volleyball Committee

How important are these rankings? Some teams will be happy just to make it to the big dance, but for others, a better ranking means home court advantage for an extra weekend or two. 

For the first time last year, the NCAA Regionals were held at non-predetermined campus sites.  Which meant that the top-4 seeds, if they survive the first and second rounds, hosted the Regionals the following weekend. Of course, a top-4 ranking and hosting does not a champion make… just ask the 2016 National Champion Stanford who entered the tournament ranked 6th overall.  This format will be utilized again this year and will hopefully bring good crowds to all NCAA tournament games.

Cheers to more volleyball, almost time to get out your bracket! Wait you didn't think that was just for basketball did you?