2008 NCAA women's Division Ivolleyball tournament | |
---|---|
![]() 2008 NCAA Final Four logo | |
Champions | Penn State (3rd title) |
Runner-up | Stanford (14th title match) |
Semifinalists | |
Winning coach | Russ Rose (3rd title) |
Most outstanding player | Megan Hodge (Penn State) |
Final Four All-Tournament Team |
|
The 2008 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament began on December 4, 2008 with 64 teams and concluded on December 20, 2008 when Penn State defeated Stanford, 3 sets to 0, in Omaha, Nebraska for the program's third NCAA title.
With the win, Penn State repeated as national champions and won their NCAA record 64th consecutive match, becoming only the fourth team in NCAA history to finish the season undefeated, as they went 38-0 and joined Southern California as the only repeat NCAA national champions to go undefeated. [1]
The 2008 NCAA Final Four, held at the Qwest Center, was the first in the rally-scoring era (since 2001) in which all top four seeds reached the final four.
This was the first year in which the term "set" replaced "game", with 25 points needed to win a set. From 2001 through 2007, 30 points were required to win a game.
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
First round December 4–5 | Second round December 5–6 | Regional semifinals December 12 | Regional finals December 13 | ||||||||||||||||
1 | Penn State | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
Long Island | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
1 | Penn State | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
University Park, PA | |||||||||||||||||||
Yale | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
Yale | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
Ohio | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
1 | Penn State | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
Western Michigan | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
Western Michigan | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
Dayton | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
Western Michigan | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
Dayton, OH | |||||||||||||||||||
16 | Tulane | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
Tennessee Tech | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
16 | Tulane | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | Penn State | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
8 | California | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
9 | Illinois | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
Milwaukee | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
9 | Illinois | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
Champaign, IL | |||||||||||||||||||
Cincinnati | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
Cincinnati | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
Western Kentucky | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
9 | Illinois | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
8 | California | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
New Mexico State | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
St. Mary's (Ca.) | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
New Mexico State | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
Berkeley, CA | |||||||||||||||||||
8 | California | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
Siena | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
8 | California | 3 |
Just as they had done all season, Penn State swept past Western Michigan, who was making their first Sweet 16 appearance in 21 years. When Penn State won the third set, they broke the NCAA record for consecutive sets won at 106 (The previous record of 105 was held by Florida from 2003.) [3]
In the other Sweet 16 match, California swept Illinois, setting up a rematch of the 2007 NCAA National Semifinals with Penn State.
Despite getting a test from California in the first set, [4] Penn State swept the Bears again to head to their second straight Final Four, bringing the program's total to seven Final Four appearances. California ended their season at 26-7, which was the most wins in the program's history in a single season. [4]
First round December 4–5 | Second round December 5–6 | Regional semifinals December 12 | Regional finals December 13 | ||||||||||||||||
5 | Washington | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
Portland State | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
5 | Washington | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
Seattle, WA | |||||||||||||||||||
Santa Clara | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
Santa Clara | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
Kansas State | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
5 | Washington | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
12 | Utah | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
Tennessee | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
Clemson | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
Clemson | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
Clemson, SC | |||||||||||||||||||
12 | Utah | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
Furman | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
12 | Utah | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
5 | Washington | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
4 | Nebraska | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
13 | St. Louis | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
Alabama A&M | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
13 | St. Louis | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
Lexington, KY | |||||||||||||||||||
Michigan | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
Kentucky | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
Michigan | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
Michigan | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
4 | Nebraska | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
UAB | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
Missouri State | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
UAB | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
Lincoln, NE | |||||||||||||||||||
4 | Nebraska | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
Liberty | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
4 | Nebraska | 3 |
Washington and Nebraska both swept past their Sweet 16 opponents with ease, to set up a rematch of the 2005 NCAA National Championship.
Washington, who had never lost an NCAA regional that they hosted, seemed to be heading to the Final Four after going up 2-0 on Nebraska. Out of the break, however, Nebraska regained focus and easily beat Washington in set 3, before winning a close set 4. In the decisive fifth set, Washington looked to be on the brink of victory after building a seemingly insurmountable 9-3 lead. Nebraska mounted a stunning comeback, though, and took 9 straight points. The Huskies tied it up at 13, before a Husky hitting error gave the Huskers match point. Nebraska senior Jordan Larson served out an ace to close out the stunning comeback. Nebraska advanced to their third Final Four in four years, and eleventh overall. Washington finished their season 27-5 and was the Pac-10 runners-up. [5]
First round December 4–5 | Second round December 5–6 | Regional semifinals December 12 | Regional finals December 13 | ||||||||||||||||
3 | Texas | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
Lamar | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
3 | Texas | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
Austin, TX | |||||||||||||||||||
Wichita State | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
Wichita State | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
Rice | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
3 | Texas | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
14 | UCLA | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
San Francisco | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
Duke | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
Duke | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
Los Angeles, CA | |||||||||||||||||||
14 | UCLA | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
LSU | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
14 | UCLA | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | Texas | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
Iowa State | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
11 | Oregon | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
Delaware | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
11 | Oregon | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
Washington, DC | |||||||||||||||||||
North Carolina | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
American | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
North Carolina | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
11 | Oregon | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
Iowa State | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
Northern Iowa | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
Iowa State | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
Iowa State | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
Minneapolis, MN | |||||||||||||||||||
6 | Minnesota | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
North Dakota State | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
6 | Minnesota | 3 |
Texas defeated UCLA in four sets to advance to their third straight NCAA Regional Final. Iowa State continued their dream run, upsetting 11th-seeded Oregon in five sets, just after upsetting sixth-seeded Minnesota in four sets in Minneapolis in the second round.
After Texas took the 2-0 lead, Iowa State bounced back to take the third set and extend the match. However, Texas responded in the fourth set, defeating the Cyclones easily to advance to the program's first final four since 1995. Iowa State ended their season at 22-13 and made their first Elite Eight appearance in school history.
First round December 4–5 | Second round December 5–6 | Regional semifinals December 12 | Regional finals December 13 | ||||||||||||||||
7 | Hawaiʻi | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
Belmont | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
7 | Hawaiʻi | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
Los Angeles, CA | |||||||||||||||||||
Southern California | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
San Diego | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
Southern California | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
7 | Hawaiʻi | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
10 | Purdue | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
Middle Tennessee | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
Miami (OH) | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
Middle Tennessee | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
West Lafayette, IN | |||||||||||||||||||
10 | Purdue | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
Louisville | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
10 | Purdue | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
7 | Hawaiʻi | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Stanford | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
15 | Florida | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
Florida A&M | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
15 | Florida | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
Gainesville, FL | |||||||||||||||||||
Colorado State | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
Florida International | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
Colorado State | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
15 | Florida | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Stanford | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
Pepperdine | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
Long Beach State | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
Long Beach State | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
Palo Alto, CA | |||||||||||||||||||
2 | Stanford | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
Albany (NY) | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
2 | Stanford | 3 |
Second seeded Stanford had no troubles with 15th-seeded Florida, sweeping them to earn their spot in the Elite Eight. Hawaiʻi defeated Purdue in four close sets to advance.
Stanford dominated Hawaiʻi in the regional final, which included winning the second set 25-9. Hawaiʻi recorded 29 hitting errors in the match, while Stanford had just 7. Hawaiʻi ended their season at 31-4 as the WAC co-champions. Stanford advanced to their third Final Four in a row, bringing the school total to an NCAA record 18 appearances.
National Semifinals December 18 | National Championship December 20 | ||||||||
1 | Penn State | 3 | |||||||
4 | Nebraska | 2 | |||||||
1 | Penn State | 3 | |||||||
2 | Stanford | 0 | |||||||
3 | Texas | 2 | |||||||
2 | Stanford | 3 |
Teams | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 |
STAN | 20 | 18 | 25 | 25 | 15 |
TEX | 25 | 25 | 15 | 22 | 13 |
In a rematch of the 2008 AVCA Showcase, Stanford once again beat Texas in five sets to advance to their 14th NCAA title match in school history.
After Texas went up two sets to none, Stanford came back to win in five sets behind play from seniors Foluke Akinradewo and Cynthia Barboza. It was the first time in the history of the NCAA tournament that a team came back to win after being down two sets to none in the National Semifinals. [6] Stanford advanced to their third straight title match, while Texas, who had advanced to their first Final Four since 1995, finished their season at 29-4.
Teams | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 |
PSU | 25 | 25 | 15 | 22 | 15 |
NEB | 17 | 18 | 25 | 25 | 11 |
Penn State, unbeaten in both matches and individual sets, seemed to be easily heading to their second straight final after going up 2 sets to 0 on Nebraska in front of an NCAA record crowd of 17,430, mostly Husker fans. The Nittany Lions NCAA record of consecutive sets won stood at 111 before it being snapped by Nebraska.
Coming out of the break, Nebraska mounted a big comeback. The Huskers forced a game five off of Penn State. The Huskers, unbeaten at the Qwest Center with a 14–0 record and never having lost a match in the state of Nebraska in 96 matches, went up 10–8 in the decisive fifth set. [7] However, AVCA National Player of the Year Nicole Fawcett served six straight points, which included a service ace, to swing the momentum to the Nittany Lions at 14–10. Nebraska fought off one match point before Megan Hodge crushed her 23rd kill of the night to finish the match and set up a rematch of the 2007 NCAA championship.
Teams | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 |
PSU | 25 | 26 | 25 |
STAN | 20 | 24 | 23 |
For the first time in NCAA tournament history, the same two teams met for the national title in consecutive years. Stanford's senior class, appearing in their third straight title match, was attempting to win their first national title. A Stanford class had not gone through without winning at least one NCAA championship since the program won their first national championship in 1992. [8] Penn State and Stanford met for the fourth time in the NCAA championship - all of which have occurred since 1997 - which is the most meetings between any two schools. Penn State and Stanford are the only two programs to appear in every NCAA tournament since the NCAA started to sponsor women's volleyball in 1981. [9]
Stanford started the match on fire, going up 10-5, then 15-10 at the media timeout. However, Penn State went on a 15-5 run to close out the first set, 25-20. Both teams remained even in set 2, with a Hodge kill giving Penn State the narrow 15-14 lead heading into the media timeout.
The national championship was halted in set 2 for at least 10 minutes, though, after a scoring discrepancy. Penn State seemingly earned the point to go up 21-19 after a Nicole Fawcett kill, but the scoring table had a miscommunication, thinking Stanford had gotten the point and that it was 20-20. Despite both Penn State head coach Russ Rose and Stanford head coach John Dunning agreeing the score was, in fact, 21-19 in favor of Penn State, the scoring table did not adjust the score and replayed the point. Another scoring miscommunication took place once again later in set 2, but Penn State eventually prevailed, 26-24, to take the 2-0 lead to the match. The incident led the NCAA Volleyball panel to recommend a protocol for score discrepancies. [10]
In what was the final set, Penn State eased up to the 21-17 lead. Two consecutive kills from Megan Hodge put Penn State just two points away from their second straight national title at 23-18. Stanford, however, managed to pull within one at 23-22 after four consecutive kills from Alix Klineman. Another Hodge kill halted the run to give Penn State two championship points at 24-22. After Stanford scored another kill to stave off one championship point, Penn State senior Nicole Fawcett sealed the set with a tip off of the Stanford block to take the national championship and the match. Penn State extended their NCAA record of consecutive matches won to 64 while Stanford's 16 match winning streak was snapped.
Stanford became the first team to ever lose in three consecutive title matches. Penn State joined USC from 2003 to become the only repeat champions to go undefeated, while also joining Long Beach State's 1998 team and Nebraska's 2000 team to be the only undefeated teams in NCAA history. The Nittany Lions joined USC's 2003 team and Nebraska's 2006 team as the only schools to be ranked #1 in the coaches poll for the entire season.
With the dominance Penn State showed throughout the 2008 season - going 114-2 in individual sets, 38-0 in matches, breaking the NCAA record for consecutive matches and sets won, being the first team in NCAA history to go through the regular season without losing a single set, leading the NCAA in blocks per set, and breaking the NCAA rally-scoring era record for team hitting percentage in a season (.390), some think Penn State could perhaps be the best team to ever play women's college volleyball. [11] [12]
Two of the best middle blockers in NCAA history ended their careers as well. Stanford senior Foluke Akinradewo broke the NCAA Division I all-time career hitting percentage, ending her career with a .443 overall percentage. Penn State senior Christa Harmotto finished her career second all time in NCAA history, hitting .433 for her career.
Foluke Atinuke Gunderson is an indoor volleyball player who plays as a middle blocker for Japanese club Hisamitsu Springs. Born in Canada, she represents the United States internationally. Gunderson won gold with the national team at the 2010 FIVB World Grand Prix, 2014 World Championship, the Rimini Volleyball Nations League, and the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, silver at the 2012 London Summer Olympics, and bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Her 2020 Olympics win allowed her to complete the trifecta of winning an Olympic bronze, silver, and gold medal.
The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) is an organization of over 9,000 members, incorporated as a private non-profit educational corporation in 1981, as the Collegiate Volleyball Coaches Association. It is currently headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers women's volleyball team competes as part of NCAA Division I, representing the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the Big Ten. Nebraska plays its home games at the Bob Devaney Sports Center and has sold out every home match since 2001. The team has been coached by John Cook since 2000.
The 2007 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament began on November 29, 2007, with 64 teams and concluded on December 15, 2007, when Penn State defeated Stanford 3 games to 2 in Sacramento, California for the program's second NCAA title.
The 2006 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament began on November 30, 2006, with 64 teams and concluded on December 16, 2006, when top ranked Nebraska defeated second ranked Stanford 3 sets to 1 in Omaha, Nebraska for the program's third NCAA title.
The 2005 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament began on December 1, 2005 with 64 teams and concluded on December 17, 2005, when Washington defeated Nebraska 3 games to 0 in San Antonio, Texas for the program's first NCAA title.
The Wisconsin Badgers women's volleyball is the volleyball team representing the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the NCAA Division I women's program. The university has a rich volleyball tradition, with origins dating back to 1974. They won a national title in 2021. They have had eleven head coaches since the team's inception. In the 2021 season, they ranked second in attendance among all Division 1 volleyball programs, averaging 7,540 fans over 15 regular season matches.
The Penn State Nittany Lions women's volleyball program has had a long tradition, founded in 1976 by Tom Tait, long-time coach of the Penn State men's team, who coached the women's team from 1976 to 1979 and was named a USA Volleyball All-Time great coach in 2007.
Megan Hodge Easy is an American indoor volleyball player who won a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics with the US team and played for Pennsylvania State University's volleyball team. Currently, she plays in Brazilian team Itambé-Minas.
Nicole Marie Fawcett is an American indoor volleyball player who won the 2014 World Championship and 2015 Pan American Games gold medal with the United States national team.
The Texas Longhorns women's volleyball team represents The University of Texas at Austin in NCAA Division I intercollegiate women's volleyball competition. The Longhorns currently compete in the Big 12 Conference.
The 2003 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament began on December 4, 2003 with 64 teams and ended December 18 when Southern California defeated Florida 3 games to 1 in Dallas, Texas for the program's third NCAA title and sixth national title overall.
The 2009 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament began on December 3, 2009 with 64 teams and ended on December 19, when Penn State defeated Texas, 3-2, in the NCAA National Championship match. With the win, Penn State won its fourth overall title, and became the first team in the history of women's intercollegiate volleyball to win three straight national titles. Penn State also became the first team in NCAA history to have two straight undefeated seasons, as the 2009 squad went 38-0 for the second straight year, extending the ongoing NCAA record of consecutive matches won (102).
The 2001 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament began on November 29, 2001 with 64 teams and ended December 15 when Stanford defeated Long Beach State 3 games to 0 in San Diego, California for the program's fifth NCAA title.
The 2000 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament began on November 30, 2000 with 64 teams and ended December 16 when Nebraska defeated Wisconsin 3 games to 2 in Richmond, Virginia for the program's second NCAA title.
The 1998 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament began on December 3, 1998, with 64 teams and ended December 19 when Long Beach State defeated Penn State 3 games to 2 in Madison, Wisconsin, for the program's third NCAA title and fifth national title overall.
The 2010 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament began on December 2, 2010 and ended December 18, when Penn State swept California to win an unprecedented fourth straight NCAA title, making it their fifth overall. Penn State head coach Russ Rose became the first Division I coach to win five NCAA titles.
The NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament is an annual event that leads to the championship in women's volleyball from teams in Division I contested by the NCAA each winter since 1981. Texas won the most recent tournament, defeating Nebraska 3–0 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
The 2022 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament was a single-elimination tournament of 64 teams that determined the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I women's volleyball national champion for the 2022 season. The 42nd edition of the tournament began on December 1, 2022, in various college campuses across the country, location determinations were chosen based on participating teams seedings. The tournament concluded with the championship game at CHI Health Center in Omaha on December 17, when Texas defeated Louisville 3–0. The win gave Texas its 4th national title and first since 2012.
The Nebraska–Penn State volleyball rivalry is a college women's volleyball rivalry between the Cornhuskers of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the Nittany Lions of Pennsylvania State University. Both programs are among the most successful in the history of NCAA Division I women's volleyball. Prior to 2011, the teams competed frequently as out-of-conference opponents and met nine times in the NCAA tournament. Since Nebraska joined the Big Ten they have typically played twice annually as conference opponents. Nebraska leads the series 28–11.