2018 #NCAAVB tourney predictions
A Q&A collaboration between three volleyball addicts:
Myself, @DawgoneCrazy (primary interest: Washington and the Pac-12)
@cheesetrader1 (Wisconsin and the Big Ten)
@vballfreak808 (Hawaii and the West Coast in general: Pac-12, WCC, Big West)
Toughest pod?
Cheese: Orlando is clearly brutal. Pullman isn't easy either, particularly if you're a hitter: Washington State, Tennessee, and Colorado State all have really good blocking.
808: The Stanford subregional is tougher than people may expect, with LMU and Duke each taking down a top 10 opponent this season. Stanford is the top seed but scrappy teams have caused trouble for the Cardinal before.
Dawg: Besides Orlando, Lexington really stands out to me. Kentucky has lost just once since opening weekend, and had a really long stretch without dropping a set in SEC play. Purdue hasn't lost a single match to a team outside of the top 20 all year, but that will be put to the test right off the bat with ETSU, who holds upset wins against Washington State and Duke.
Easiest pod?
808: Penn State has the easiest subregional in the sense of competition. Yale and Syracuse have put their names out there this season but a potential second round match-up with Penn State in Rec Hall does not bode well for either ones' chances of advancing.
Dawg: The Pennsylvania subregionals aren't too strong. State College has a proper 1 in Penn State, but 2-seed Syracuse and 4-seed Howard are close to the weakest in the field, with 3-seed Yale not a whole lot better. Pittsburgh-Michigan at the top in the Steel City is fine, but Navy should not be a 3 seed, and Iona should not pose any threat to Pitt.
Most intriguing early matchups?
Cheese: Cincinnati/Marquette and Purdue/Kentucky. The offensive weapons in Cincy-Marquette could lead to some absurd numbers, between UC's do-everything Jordan Thompson and MU's depth after star Allie Barber.
808: Hawaii vs Baylor should be good, as both teams have played well against tough competition: Hawaii split their series with Cal Poly and took Oregon to the brink, while Baylor seems like a much better team against good opponents, highlighted by a takedown of Wisconsin. Cal Poly vs San Diego: Two of the toughest California schools that aren’t in the Pac-12 facing off and have a good set of hitters to watch out for. LMU vs Duke: Both have a few losses but showed sparks of excellence in taking down top ten opponents which makes this a toss up.
Dawg: Not to spoil Cheese's pick, but I'm not sure Cincinnati's going to get far enough to face Marquette. The first-round matchup in Milwaukee pits the best volume hitter in the country - the aforementioned Jordan Thompson - against a tremendous back line for Illinois State, led by one of the country's best liberos, Courtney Pence. The entire Orlando region should be a blast: Florida, Florida State, and FGCU are all among the best on their seed lines, and with all four teams from the Sunshine State and a first-time host in UCF, there will be a ton of excitement in the arena.
Players to watch that people may not already know about?
Cheese: There's lots of well-known players in the Big Ten, but a few lesser known players could make a big difference for their team in the tournament. The underclass back line for Illinois is really good, led by Soph. L Megan O'Brien and Fr. DS Taylor Kuper. Wisconsin OH Madison Duello had a career-high 24 kills in the big win at Penn State to finish the regular season and looks to carry that into the tournament. And Michigan OH Paige Jones has really emerged as a strong option to take pressure off of Carly Skodjt.
808: Someone to look out for is Tennessee MB Erica Treiber. Her Tennessee team has caught fire recently and a big part of that was due to Treiber’s impressive offensive and defensive game. With the match-ups she has coming up, it will be a huge test with top blocking teams like Colorado State and Washington State going up against her. Check her to be an impact player on a potential Sweet 16 team.
Dawg: Utah OH Dani Drews has gone from a solid player to a dominant one over the last few weeks to help the Utes secure an at-large bid. In particular, her ability to hit out of the back row is on par with the best in the Pac-12. If you're looking for a star on a deep sleeper, look to High Point MB Molly Livingston, who had a big match to help HPU shockingly take set 1 at Wisconsin early this season in a homecoming for the Sun Prairie, WI native. Now she returns home again to face #14 Marquette.
Toughest route to the Final Four for a seeded team?
Cheese: Kentucky. Wildcats would likely have to get through three Big Ten powers in a row to get there, with Purdue in their pod and Nebraska-Minnesota likely awaiting them in the regional if they get there. Most 9-16 paths are tough, but UK seems to stand out.
Dawg: USC. Cal Poly is the victim of a bad conference which hurts their RPI, but in my eyes they're easily a top-16 team in terms of strength. Trojans would have to beat Cal Poly just to get to the Sweet 16, where they would likely have to beat Wisconsin in an essential road game and Illinois in an actual road game.
Potential surprises? Can be an upset, one team dominating what looks like an even match on paper, or a heavy underdog putting up a good fight.
Cheese: Texas State and Denver give a big scare in round 2 to Texas and BYU, respectively. Washington knocks out host Creighton for a Sweet 16 spot, as does Michigan at Pittsburgh, Cal Poly at USC, and Tennessee at Wazzu. Biggest one: Hawaii goes from the bubble to the Sweet 16, beating Jekyll-and-Hyde Oregon on one of their bad days to win the Eugene pod.
808: Cincinnati is a potential surprise team. Although they finished 2nd in the AAC, they are a threatening at-large team and can upset Marquette to advance to the regionals behind OH Jordan Thompson and S Jade Tinglehoff.
Dawg: Stephen F. Austin has no business being a 4 seed, and that's going to show in the first round against the Longhorns. They're probably not going to pull what would be a legendary upset, but SFA should be able to keep this match competitive and perhaps win a set. I like Cal Poly to at least make the Sweet 16 by beating USC, and then take Wisconsin to the brink in the regional semis.
Final Four and Champion?
Cheese: Stanford, BYU, Wisconsin, Minnesota. Stanford over Wisconsin in the final, led by the elite D from Morgan Hentz
808: Stanford, BYU, Wisconsin, Minnesota. Minnesota over Stanford in the final.
Dawg: Stanford, Texas, Illinois, Minnesota. The bottom-left corner of the bracket could send any of several teams to the Final Four and I wouldn't be too surprised, though. Stanford over Minnesota in the final.
Myself, @DawgoneCrazy (primary interest: Washington and the Pac-12)
@cheesetrader1 (Wisconsin and the Big Ten)
@vballfreak808 (Hawaii and the West Coast in general: Pac-12, WCC, Big West)
Toughest pod?
Cheese: Orlando is clearly brutal. Pullman isn't easy either, particularly if you're a hitter: Washington State, Tennessee, and Colorado State all have really good blocking.
808: The Stanford subregional is tougher than people may expect, with LMU and Duke each taking down a top 10 opponent this season. Stanford is the top seed but scrappy teams have caused trouble for the Cardinal before.
Dawg: Besides Orlando, Lexington really stands out to me. Kentucky has lost just once since opening weekend, and had a really long stretch without dropping a set in SEC play. Purdue hasn't lost a single match to a team outside of the top 20 all year, but that will be put to the test right off the bat with ETSU, who holds upset wins against Washington State and Duke.
Easiest pod?
808: Penn State has the easiest subregional in the sense of competition. Yale and Syracuse have put their names out there this season but a potential second round match-up with Penn State in Rec Hall does not bode well for either ones' chances of advancing.
Dawg: The Pennsylvania subregionals aren't too strong. State College has a proper 1 in Penn State, but 2-seed Syracuse and 4-seed Howard are close to the weakest in the field, with 3-seed Yale not a whole lot better. Pittsburgh-Michigan at the top in the Steel City is fine, but Navy should not be a 3 seed, and Iona should not pose any threat to Pitt.
Most intriguing early matchups?
Cheese: Cincinnati/Marquette and Purdue/Kentucky. The offensive weapons in Cincy-Marquette could lead to some absurd numbers, between UC's do-everything Jordan Thompson and MU's depth after star Allie Barber.
808: Hawaii vs Baylor should be good, as both teams have played well against tough competition: Hawaii split their series with Cal Poly and took Oregon to the brink, while Baylor seems like a much better team against good opponents, highlighted by a takedown of Wisconsin. Cal Poly vs San Diego: Two of the toughest California schools that aren’t in the Pac-12 facing off and have a good set of hitters to watch out for. LMU vs Duke: Both have a few losses but showed sparks of excellence in taking down top ten opponents which makes this a toss up.
Dawg: Not to spoil Cheese's pick, but I'm not sure Cincinnati's going to get far enough to face Marquette. The first-round matchup in Milwaukee pits the best volume hitter in the country - the aforementioned Jordan Thompson - against a tremendous back line for Illinois State, led by one of the country's best liberos, Courtney Pence. The entire Orlando region should be a blast: Florida, Florida State, and FGCU are all among the best on their seed lines, and with all four teams from the Sunshine State and a first-time host in UCF, there will be a ton of excitement in the arena.
Players to watch that people may not already know about?
Cheese: There's lots of well-known players in the Big Ten, but a few lesser known players could make a big difference for their team in the tournament. The underclass back line for Illinois is really good, led by Soph. L Megan O'Brien and Fr. DS Taylor Kuper. Wisconsin OH Madison Duello had a career-high 24 kills in the big win at Penn State to finish the regular season and looks to carry that into the tournament. And Michigan OH Paige Jones has really emerged as a strong option to take pressure off of Carly Skodjt.
808: Someone to look out for is Tennessee MB Erica Treiber. Her Tennessee team has caught fire recently and a big part of that was due to Treiber’s impressive offensive and defensive game. With the match-ups she has coming up, it will be a huge test with top blocking teams like Colorado State and Washington State going up against her. Check her to be an impact player on a potential Sweet 16 team.
Dawg: Utah OH Dani Drews has gone from a solid player to a dominant one over the last few weeks to help the Utes secure an at-large bid. In particular, her ability to hit out of the back row is on par with the best in the Pac-12. If you're looking for a star on a deep sleeper, look to High Point MB Molly Livingston, who had a big match to help HPU shockingly take set 1 at Wisconsin early this season in a homecoming for the Sun Prairie, WI native. Now she returns home again to face #14 Marquette.
Toughest route to the Final Four for a seeded team?
Cheese: Kentucky. Wildcats would likely have to get through three Big Ten powers in a row to get there, with Purdue in their pod and Nebraska-Minnesota likely awaiting them in the regional if they get there. Most 9-16 paths are tough, but UK seems to stand out.
Dawg: USC. Cal Poly is the victim of a bad conference which hurts their RPI, but in my eyes they're easily a top-16 team in terms of strength. Trojans would have to beat Cal Poly just to get to the Sweet 16, where they would likely have to beat Wisconsin in an essential road game and Illinois in an actual road game.
Potential surprises? Can be an upset, one team dominating what looks like an even match on paper, or a heavy underdog putting up a good fight.
Cheese: Texas State and Denver give a big scare in round 2 to Texas and BYU, respectively. Washington knocks out host Creighton for a Sweet 16 spot, as does Michigan at Pittsburgh, Cal Poly at USC, and Tennessee at Wazzu. Biggest one: Hawaii goes from the bubble to the Sweet 16, beating Jekyll-and-Hyde Oregon on one of their bad days to win the Eugene pod.
808: Cincinnati is a potential surprise team. Although they finished 2nd in the AAC, they are a threatening at-large team and can upset Marquette to advance to the regionals behind OH Jordan Thompson and S Jade Tinglehoff.
Dawg: Stephen F. Austin has no business being a 4 seed, and that's going to show in the first round against the Longhorns. They're probably not going to pull what would be a legendary upset, but SFA should be able to keep this match competitive and perhaps win a set. I like Cal Poly to at least make the Sweet 16 by beating USC, and then take Wisconsin to the brink in the regional semis.
Final Four and Champion?
Cheese: Stanford, BYU, Wisconsin, Minnesota. Stanford over Wisconsin in the final, led by the elite D from Morgan Hentz
808: Stanford, BYU, Wisconsin, Minnesota. Minnesota over Stanford in the final.
Dawg: Stanford, Texas, Illinois, Minnesota. The bottom-left corner of the bracket could send any of several teams to the Final Four and I wouldn't be too surprised, though. Stanford over Minnesota in the final.
Maybe next year I can get in on this collaboration! Huge college volleyball fan! I watch so many matches and conferences throughout the year but my main favorite is Nebraska and B1G. I spend hours looking at things (team stats, team rosters, common opponents, injuries, wins/matches played against Top 25 (both at the time the match was played and at the end of season), wins/matches played against NCAA Tournament qualifiers, etc.) before making my picks! Huge volleyball nerd, all divisions/levels but especially division one.
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