Mira Djuric and Florida State are the No. 3 national seed

The complete 64-team field for the 2009 NCAA Championship was announced this afternoon. For a printable version of the bracket, click here. The best way to follow the action throughout the tournament will be with NCAA.com's interactive bracket - which features live scoring of all matches, as well as links for audio and video coverage. You can view the interactive bracket here. Now let's get to some initial reaction to the bracket ...

WHO GOT IN AND WHO DIDN'T?

The three power conferences led the way in number of berths, as expected. The Pac-10 - which currently has seven teams ranked in the top 20 - saw eight of its 10 members qualify for the tournament, while the Big Ten and Big 12 have six teams each in the field. The surprise was that the ACC - which has just one team (Florida State) that has cracked the AVCA poll (which has no bearing on NCAA selections) this season - garnered five invitations, including three that went to teams outside of the RPI top 45 (Miami, Georgia Tech and Clemson). The SEC came next with four teams in the field, while there are three teams each from the BIG EAST and Mountain West. Five other leagues - Conference USA, the Atlantic 10, Big West, Missouri Valley and Sun Belt - had two teams in the field. All other conferences had just one qualifier. One particularly noteworthy member of that group is the West Coast Conference, which had four different teams ranked in the AVCA poll at some point during the season - but got just its league champ (Saint Mary's) into the tournament.

The way it worked out, every team listed 43rd or higher in the most-recent RPI (which was released on Monday and only included results through Sunday, Nov. 22) made the field. There were six teams with an RPI lower than 43rd that did garner at-large bids:

UC Santa Barbara - 46
Miami - 47
Oklahoma - 48
Georgia Tech - 50
Washington State - 53
Clemson - 57

So here is a list of the non-qualifiers that were listed in the RPI above at least one team that did earn an at-large berth:

Pittsburgh - 44
North Dakota State - 45
Furman - 49
Missouri State - 51
Delaware - 52
South Florida - 54
Purdue - 55 (not eligible for at-large selection - did not have an overall winning record)
Kansas - 56

Two other noteworthy omissions from the field were San Diego and UC Irvine, both of whom were ranked in the AVCA poll for much of the season. USD was ranked in the first 12 AVCA polls of the season, peaking at 15th early on, before falling out two weeks ago. The Toreros are still listed as the third team receiving votes outside of the top 25 - but finished second in the WCC and were just 60th in the RPI. UC Irvine was ranked for nine weeks during the season, peaking at 18th, and remains the sixth team outside of the top 25. The Anteaters tied for second in the Big West and were just 69th in the RPI. There were also five other teams that appeared in the AVCA top 25 at some point early on this season, but did not make the field: Purdue (55th in RPI), Pepperdine (72nd), Utah (75th), Santa Clara (97th) and Kansas State (107th).

WHO'S BEEN HERE BEFORE?
The biggest story of this year's tournament is probably Penn State's quest to become the first school ever to win three consecutive NCAA titles. Since the event began in 1981, six different teams - Hawai'i in 1982 and '83, Pacific in '85 and '86, UCLA in '90 and '91, Stanford in '96 and '97, USC in 2002 and 2003 and Penn State in '07 and '08 - have won back-to-back titles, but the other five have failed in their quest for a third straight championship. In fact, the only school from that group to reach the title match in their attempt for a three-peat was UCLA, which fell in four sets to Stanford in 1992.

In all, nine of the 10 schools that have previously won the NCAA championship will be in the field with chances to add to their trophy cases. Stanford (No. 4 seed, 1st/2nd round host, regional host) leads the way with six NCAA titles - as well as seven runner-up finishes (including in each of the last three years). There are six schools that have won three titles will be looking for No. 4 this year: Hawai'i (No. 12 seed, at USC for 1st/2nd round), Long Beach State (at UCLA for 1st/2nd round), Nebraska (No. 10 seed, 1st/2nd round host), Penn State (No. 1 seed, 1st/2nd round host), UCLA (No. 8 seed, 1st/2nd round host) and USC (1st/2nd round host). Particularly noteworthy is that two of those three-time champions - Long Beach State (winners in 1989, '93 and '98) and UCLA (champions in 1984, '90 and '91) - will face off in the first round in Los Angeles. Two other teams in the field are former champions: Texas (No. 2 seed, 1st/2nd round host) and Washington (No. 6 seed, 1st/2nd round host). The only former champion not in the field is Pacific (champs in 1985 and '86; 129th in RPI this season).

Special congratulations go out to the five teams who will make their first-ever appearance in the DI tournament: Army, IPFW, Niagara, Northern Colorado and TCU. All of those garnered entry via automatic bids except for the Horned Frogs - who earned an at-large bid.

Two schools are returning to the NCAA tournament for the first time in more than a decade, as New Mexico garnered an at-large bid for its first appearance since 1994 and Coastal Carolina, the Big South Conference champ, does so for the first time since '98. Other schools that return to the tournament for the first time in at least five years are Baylor (last appearance was 2001), Florida State (2002), Miami (2002), Washington State (2002), George Mason (2003), Penn (2003) and Georgia Tech (2004). Two teams that have had some success in the NCAAs over the years - Arizona and Texas A&M - will be in the field for the first time since 2005. The Wildcats make their 22nd overall appearance and have a 26-21 all-time mark in the tournament, while the Aggies are 21-17 and make their 18th trip.

It should be noted that Penn State and Stanford remain as the only schools to have qualified for all 29 NCAA Championships. The Cardinal also holds the NCAA tournament records for all-time victories (92), winning percentage (.800), championships (6), championship-match appearances (14) and semifinal appearances (18).

Not only are all eight quarterfinalists from last year in the 2009 field, but all of them have earned national seedings. Of the final 16 from a year ago, all but three are back this season, with Purdue, Utah and Western Michigan missing the '09 tournament.

WHAT ABOUT THE SEEDING AND OPENING-WEEKEND HOSTS?
The Pac-10 also leads the way with five seeded teams, but only two of those squads were rewarded with the opportunity to play host to opening-weekend play. The Big Ten has four seeded teams, while the Big 12 boasts three and the SEC has a pair (though two other SEC squads also will host).

The biggest story among the seeding is certainly the respect given to Florida State, which is the No. 3 overall seed in the tournament despite being ranked 14th in the AVCA poll, making its first NCAA appearance since 2002 and holding a 1-10 all-time record in the NCAAs. But the Seminoles are 28-2 on the season, with both of their defeats coming in five-set affairs (at Florida and vs. Georgia Tech), and are riding a 16-match winning streak and have been second or third in every version of the RPI released this season. FSU is the only seeded team that didn't make the NCAA tournament a year ago.

On the flip side, Hawai'i, which stands 28-2 on the season, has won 24 in a row and has been ranked No. 3 in the AVCA poll for the last month and a half. But the Rainbow Wahine is just 22nd in the RPI and ended up being seeded 12th despite having three-set victories over two higher-seeded teams (No. 4 Stanford and No. 8 UCLA). Further, UH does not even get to play host to opening-weekend action, instead having to travel to USC (25th in RPI; 16th in AVCA).

Stanford - which was sixth in both the AVCA poll and RPI - earned the No. 4 seed over Illinois (4th in RPI; 5th in AVCA) and Washington (5th in RPI; 4th in AVCA).

In all, there will be five unseeded teams who will play host to first- and second-round action. Kentucky (21st in RPI; 10th in AVCA) did not garner a national seed, but will be an early-round host. Oregon is one of the teams traveling to Lexington and was seeded 14th, despite trailing UK in both the RPI (26th) and AVCA poll (18th). Another Pac-10 seeded team traveling next weekend is Washington (seeded 6th; 5th in RPI; 4th in AVCA), which heads to Colorado State (18th in RPI; 23rd in AVCA). The other Pac-10 seeded squad traveling is California (seedec 9th; 8th in RPI; 11th in AVCA), which heads to Ohio State (31st in RPI). Tennessee (19th in the RPI) will also serve as a host next weekend, with Minnesota (13th in the RPI; 13th in the AVCA) heading to Knoxville.

As it turned out, all of the top 13 teams in the RPI earned national seeds, and they were joined by Florida (seeded 16th; 16th in RPI), Hawai'i (seeded 12th; 22nd in RPI) and Oregon (seeded 14th; 26th in RPI). Out of the top 22 in the RPI, all but four teams garnered a national seed and/or the opportunity to host early-round action. Those that were left out were Notre Dame (14th in RPI; at Michigan for 1st/2nd rounds), Florida International (15th in RPI; at Florida for 1st/2nd rounds), Arizona (17th in RPI; at LSU for 1st/2nd rounds) and Northern Iowa (20th in RPI; at Nebraska for 1st/2nd rounds).

SOME INTERESTING FIRST-ROUND MATCHUPS
Upon initially seeing the bracket, here are a few first-round matches that caught my eye:
• (9) California vs. Lipscomb - Not only do the Golden Bears have to travel to Columbus, Ohio, for the opening weekend, but they will have one of the biggest first-round tests of any seeded team. The Lady Bisons are 28-3, have won 25 in a row and are 34th in the RPI.
• Long Beach State at (8) UCLA - There's nothing like a pair of schools that have won three NCAA titles apiece squaring off in the opening round. The Beach, champs of the Big West, is 36th in the RPI.
• Notre Dame vs. Ohio - Notre Dame, at 14th, was the team with the highest RPI that did not earn a national seed. Instead the Fighting Irish are forced to take on the MAC-champion Bobcats in what will be the only first-round match between top-25 RPI squads (OU is 24th).
• Duke at Tennessee - Another great matchup of high-RPI teams. The Lady Vols are 19th, while the Blue Devils are 27th - and both will be taking part in one of the toughest opening-weekend sites. All four teams are among the top 37 in the RPI.
• (13) Minnesota vs. Louisville - The Gophers, fresh off a sweep of fifth-ranked and fifth-seeded Illinois on Saturday, have to travel to Knoxville for the opening weekend, and will face BIG EAST champion Louisville (38th in the RPI) in the opening round.
• Middle Tennessee at Colorado State - Two conference champions who have had great seasons match up. CSU is 18th in the RPI and was tops in the Mountain West. MTSU is 30th in the RPI and won the Sun Belt.
• Saint Louis vs. Wichita State - The opening-round matchup between teams that are closest to each other in RPI (as well as a pair of conference runners-up). The Billikens, ranked 22nd by the AVCA, are 29th and the Shockers come in at 28th.
• Tulane at (15) LSU - After winning their first SEC championship since 1991 this week, the Tigers were swept by Conference USA champion Rice on Friday. Now LSU begins the NCAAs against another C-USA squad, Tulane - which is 32nd in the RPI.

LOOKING AHEAD ...
A few observations about possible future matchups as the tournament progresses:

• Penn State has beaten Cal en route to each of its last two championships (semifinals in '07; quarterfinals in '08) and could face the Golden Bears again this season, in the quarterfinals.
• Penn State could potentially face Florida in the round of 16, and the match would be in Gainesville.
• Penn State and Stanford have met in each of the last two NCAA finals, but that cannot happen this season - as they would meet in the semifinals.
• Eighth-seeded UCLA and ninth-seeded Cal could play in the round of 16. The Bruins beat the Bears in four sets twice this season.
• It could be the second straight year that a seeded Hawai'i team has to beat USC on its home floor in order to reach the round of 16. Last year, the Rainbow Wahine won in three sets.
• Stanford could potentially have to beat a pair of squads that defeated the Cardinal during the regular season - just to reach the semifinals. Stanford could face Notre Dame in the round of 16 and Hawai'i in the quarterfinals - both of whom had 3-0 wins over the Cardinal early in the season. Stanford beat Hawai'i in the 2008 quarterfinals.
• The brutal road to a title for third-ranked Hawai'i could look like this: first round vs. New Mexico, second round vs. 16th-ranked USC on the Trojans' home floor, third round vs. fifth-seeded Illinois, quarterfinals vs. fourth-seeded Stanford on the Cardinal's home floor, then the semifinals against unbeaten Penn State and then the championship match.
• Florida State, though seeded third, could have to face two teams ranked higher than the Seminoles in the AVCA poll - just to reach the semifinals. FSU, ranked 14th, could face 10th-ranked Kentucky in the round of 16 and either fourth-ranked Washington or No. 13 Minnesota in the quarterfinals.
• Washington could have to face 11th-seeded Minnesota in Minneapolis in the round of 16.
• Washington ended the regular-season with a five-set defeat against Oregon. The Huskies could have to beat the Ducks to reach the semifinals.
• The Big 12 has three teams ranked in the top 10 of both the RPI and AVCA poll. All three of them are in the same quarter of the bracket.
• Seventh-seeded Iowa State and 10th-seeded Nebraska could meet in the round of 16. The squads split their regular-season meetings, both winning on the road.
• Texas' only loss this season came against Iowa State, but the Longhorns may need to beat the Cyclones just to reach the semifinals. UT also beat ISU in last year's quarterfinals.
• Another possibility in the quarterfinals for Texas is a matchup with Nebraska ... in Omaha.

Tiffany Gaerke and Dayton rallied to with the Atlantic 10 title

The field for the 2009 NCAA Championship - which will be revealed in full on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on ESPNews - is beginning to crystallize, as 20 more teams earned automatic bids over the weekend. In all, we now have 23 automatic qualifiers into the field, with eight more auto bids to be handed out this week (see below for a rundown of when those will be decided). Near the bottom of this post is an updated chart that shows the automatic qualifiers from every conference, but first here are some of the highlights from one of the most-exciting weekends of the season:

• Top-ranked Penn State had its streak of nine consecutive sweeps ended on Friday when Purdue took the opening set by a 31-29 score, but the Nittany Lions rebounded for the victory and then won in three on Saturday at Indiana to secure PSU's seventh consecutive outright Big Ten title. Penn State has now won 94 straight matches.
• No. 15 Florida State swept both Boston College and Maryland to earn its first-ever ACC championship. The Seminoles have won 15 straight matches and are 27-2 on the season and 18-1 in league play.
• The other regular-season title that was determined over the weekend went to Long Beach State - which swept UC Riverside on Friday and then outlasted UC Irvine in five sets on Saturday. The 49ers were down 4-1 in the final set against the Anteaters, but rallied to win the match and their second consecutive Big West crown. The Beach will make its 23rd consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament.
• One of the best matchups in tournament play came in the final of the Atlantic 10 Championship, which saw Dayton rally from losing the first two sets to win in five against No. 20 Saint Louis.
• Louisville came into the weekend in some danger of missing the NCAA tournament for the first time in 12 years. But the Cardinals, playing at home, proceeded to knock of No. 23 Notre Dame - which had been 14-0 in BIG EAST play - in five in the semifinals and then down second-seeded Cincinnati in the final of the league tournament.
• Rice also defeated the top two seeds in its league tournament en route to taking the title on their home court. The Owls defeated top-seeded Southern Miss in the semis and then took down Tulsa in the championship match to win the Conference USA championship
• Albany won all 10 regular-season league matches in America East, sprinting away from the rest of the conference (four teams tied for second with 5-5 records). But the Great Danes were upset in the final of the league tournament, as Binghamton came through with a four-set win.
• Florida International had won 23 consecutive matches - dating back to Sept. 12 - but the Golden Panthers were upset by Middle Tennessee in the championship match of the Sun Belt tournament.
• Another team that had gone unbeaten in league play but couldn't get it done in the tournament was North Dakota State. The Bison were 18-0 in Summit League action during the regular season, but then lost in five sets to third-seeded IPFW in the championship match.
• Furman was 16-0 in the Southern Conference during the regular season, but ended up getting swept by the College of Charleston in the final of the SoCon tournament.
• There were teams that continued their conference dominance through the tournament. Lipscomb was 20-0 in the Atlantic Sun during the regular season and cruised through the league tournament - while Long Island was unbeaten in 16 regular-season Northeast Conference matches and didn't drop a set in the NEC tourney.
• Two conferences - the MEAC and SWAC - featured title matches pitting teams that had been unbeaten in league play against each other. Florida A&M swept Maryland Eastern Shore for its ninth consecutive MEAC title, while Alabama A&M swept Grambling State in the SWAC.
• In non-tournament action, the Pac-10 (again) featured a bunch of great matchups. Two of the best saw No. 6 Stanford top 19th-ranked Arizona and 18th-ranked Oregon beat No. 7 UCLA - both in five sets. In other matches between ranked teams, No. 15 USC swept the Ducks and the Wildcats beat 11th-ranked Cal in four.
• In the SEC, 13th-ranked Florida topped No. 10 Kentucky in four sets, but also lost in four to Tennessee.
• No. 14 Michigan won the premier match in the Big Ten with a sweep of 12th-ranked Minnesota.
• No. 24 Baylor had a tough week, getting swept by second-ranked Texas and No. 9 Nebraska.

A QUICK LOOK AT THIS WEEK'S BIDS
Here is a look at when each of the eight remaining automatic berths will be handed out:

MONDAY - The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship final takes place tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET in Buffalo and will be shown live on ESPNU. It features second-seeded Niagara (22-8, 14-4; RPI: 162) facing fourth-seeded Marist (18-12, 11-7; RPI: 219) - which upset the league's regular-season champion, Fairfield, in the semifinals.
TUESDAY - The Colonial Athletic Association Championship final will be played at 7 p.m. ET in Richmond, Va.
WEDNESDAY - No. 3 Hawai'i will look to capture the Western Athletic Conference Championship, as the title match begins at 6:30 p.m. MT in Las Vegas. Also, the Southeastern Conference champion will be determined - and it's assured that Florida's NCAA-record streak of 18 consecutive titles will be ended. No. 17 LSU already has clinched a share of the SEC crown, having completed league play with an 18-2 mark. But 10th-ranked Kentucky can grab a share of the title with a win at Tennessee (which beat UK in four sets in Lexington on Oct. 21) on Wednesday - and the Wildcats would earn the league's automatic bid due to a season sweep of the Tigers. No. 2 Texas also can clinch the Big 12 Conference title and automatic bid with a victory at Oklahoma (UT can also do so with a win on Saturday against Kansas). Also, No. 4 Washington plays host to Oregon State. A win by the Huskies would pull them into a tie for first in the Pac-10, with Stanford.
FRIDAY - The Pac-10 crown will be decided, and the two top contenders both have tough home matches to finish the regular season. Fourth-ranked Washington - which starts the week at 12-4 in league play - plays host to No. 18 Oregon, while sixth-ranked Stanford (13-4 in the Pac-10) welcomes archrival and 11th-ranked Cal.
SATURDAY - The final two automatic bids will be handed out. No. 20 Northern Iowa - which went unbeaten in league play - hopes to be in the Missouri Valley Conference Championship final that starts at 3 p.m. CT and will be televised on a host of networks. The final automatic qualifier will be the Big Sky Conference champion, which will be determined in the tournament final that begins at 7 p.m. PT in Cheney, Wash.
SUNDAY - The entire 64-team bracket for the 2009 NCAA Championship will be revealed at 3 p.m. ET on ESPNews.

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Conference	Automatic Qualifier
America East	Binghamton (15-15, 5-5; RPI: 180) Tournament Champion Tournament Central
Atlantic Coast	No. 14 Florida State (27-2, 18-1; RPI: 3) Regular-Season Champion
Atlantic Sun	Lipscomb (28-3, 20-0; RPI: 34) Tournament Champion Tournament Central
Atlantic 10	No. 24 Dayton (28-3, 14-1; RPI: 23) Tournament Champion Tournament Central
Big East	Louisville (20-10, 10-4; RPI: 38) Tournament Champion Tournament Central
Big Sky	Tournament Champion Nov. 27-28 - Cheney, WA Final: Saturday, 7 p.m. PT Tournament Central Regular-Season Champ: Portland State (14-2)
Big South	Coastal Carolina (20-13, 10-6; RPI: 133) Tournament Champion Tournament Central
Big Ten	No. 1 Penn State (30-, 18-0; RPI: 2) Regular-Season Champion
Big 12	Regular-Season Champion Current Leaders: No. 2 Texas, 17-1 (2 left) No. 7 Iowa State, 16-3 (1 left)
Big West	Long Beach State (19-7, 12-4; RPI: 34) Regular-Season Champion
Colonial Athletic	Tournament Champion Nov. 23-24 - Richmond, VA Final: Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET (Free Video) Tournament Central Regular-Season Champ: VCU & Delaware (12-2)
Conference USA	Rice (22-8, 11-5; RPI: 39) Tournament Champion Tournament Central
Horizon League	Milwaukee (16-14, 10-6; RPI: 139 Tournament Champion Tournament Central
Ivy Group	Penn (22-5, 13-1; RPI: 91) Regular-Season Champion
Metro Atlantic Athletic	Tournament Champion Nov. 22-23 - Buffalo, NY Final: Monday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPNU) Tournament Central Regular-Season Champ: Fairfield (16-2)
Mid-American	Ohio (26-5, 15-1; RPI: 24) Tournament Champion Tournament Central
Mid-Eastern Athletic	Florida A&M (17-8, 8-0; RPI: 138) Tournament Champion Tournament Central
Missouri Valley	Tournament Champion Nov. 26-28 - Omaha, NE Final: Saturday, 3:07 p.m. CT (FSN, Fox College Sports, CSN, Metro Sports, DirecTV Channel 671, Dish Channel 418) Tournament Central Regular-Season Champ: No. 20 Northern Iowa (18-0)
Mountain West	No. 23 Colorado State (23-4, 15-1; RPI: 18) Regular-Season Champion
Northeast	Long Island (21-13, 16-0; RPI: 190) Tournament Champion Tournament Central
Ohio Valley	Jacksonville State (26-6, 17-1; RPI: 82) Tournament Champion Tournament Central
Pacific-10	Regular-Season Champion Current Leaders: No. 6 Stanford, 13-4 (1 left) No. 4 Washington, 12-4 (2 left) No. 9 UCLA, 11-5 (2 left)
Patriot	Army (26-5, 12-2; RPI: 103) Tournament Champion Tournament Central
Southeastern	Regular-Season Champion Current Leaders: No. 17 LSU, 18-2 (0 left) No. 10 Kentucky, 17-2 (1 left)
Southern	College of Charleston (18-12, 12-4; RPI: 95) Tournament Champion Tournament Central
Southland	Texas State (22-12, 13-3; RPI: 108) Tournament Champion Tournament Central
Southwestern Athletic	Alabama A&M (22-12, 8-0; RPI: 229) Tournament Champion Tournament Central
Summit	IPFW (20-11, 11-7; RPI: 128) Tournament Champion Tournament Central
Sun Belt	Middle Tennessee (25-8, 15-2; RPI: 30) Tournament Champion Tournament Central
West Coast	No. 21 Saint Mary's (21-4, 13-1; RPI: 35) Regular-Season Champion
Western Athletic	Tournament Champion Nov. 23-25 - Las Vegas, NV Final: Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. MT (ESPNU) Tournament Central Regular-Season Champ: No. 3 Hawai'i (26-2, 16-0)

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TODAY'S SCOREBOARD WATCH
MAAC Final: Niagara vs. Marist, 7:30 p.m. ET - TV: ESPNU | Live Stats

Natalia Valentin and Florida International are 14-0 in Sun Belt Conference play

With only three and a half weeks left before the NCAA Championship field is announced (Sunday, Nov. 29 at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN News), it's time to examine how some of the big conference races are shaping up. First we'll take a quick look at what's happening at the top of the standings in each of the 13 leagues that have at least one team that is ranked or receiving votes in this week's AVCA poll. Below that, we revisit the 19 squads across the country that continue to remain perfect in conference action.

Atlantic 10
Dayton leads the way with an 11-1 league mark, with four matches to go. No. 21 Saint Louis stands one-half game back, at 10-1, with five to play - though the Flyers topped the Billikens in the teams' only meeting of the regular season. The conference tournament - which has been won by one of those two schools for each of the last six years (Dayton in 2003, '04, '05 and '07; Saint Louis in 2006 and '08) - takes place Nov. 20-22 in Dayton, with six teams qualifying. The championship match (Nov. 22, 4 p.m. ET) will be televised live by CBS College Sports Network.

Atlantic Coast
No. 16 Florida State is atop the standings with a 12-1 conference record, with seven matches remaining. The Seminoles have a one-game lead on Duke (11-2), and those two will meet on Friday in Tallahassee. FSU - which has won just one regular-season ACC crown (co-champions with Duke in 1992) - took a five-set decision in Durham last month. Georgia Tech - the only team to have defeated the Seminoles in ACC action - is 10-3 and will play host to FSU on Nov. 14. The ACC does not have a conference tournament.

Big 12
Second-ranked Texas stands a perfect 13-0 in one of the nation's toughest conferences and has a two-game lead over No. 8 Iowa State (11-2) with seven matches to play. The Longhorns and Cyclones will hook up tonight in Ames. UT - seeking its first outright Big 12 title since 1997 after being co-champs in each of the last two years - won in three sets in Austin in September. Iowa State has never finished higher than fourth since the Big 12 was founded in 1996. The Big 12 does not have a conference tournament.

BIG EAST
Notre Dame remains unbeaten in league play with a 10-0 record and four matches left. Cincinnati - which lost in five sets at Notre Dame in October - is right behind at 9-1, with Pittsburgh at 8-2. The Fighting Irish are seeking their first BIG EAST title since 2005, after having claimed at least of a share of the regular-season crown each year from 1999-2005. The BIG EAST Championship takes place Nov. 20-22 in Louisville (the Cardinals are the defending champions), with the top eight teams qualifying. The championship match (Nov. 22, 3 p.m. ET) will be televised by ESPNU.

Big Ten
Top-reanked Penn State has won 57 consecutive Big Ten matches and again stands atop the conference with a 12-0 record and eight matches to play. No. 5 Illinois is two back at 10-2, and the Fighting Illini will head to Happy Valley on Nov. 13. PSU - which is seeking its seventh consecutive outright Big Ten crown - won in three sets at Illinois in September. The Big Ten does not have a conference tournament.

Big West
UC Davis sits atop the conference standings with a 9-2 mark with five matches to play. UC Santa Barbara - which lost in five at UCD in October - is right behind at 9-3, while Long Beach State is in third at 7-3. The Aggies will play at LBSU - which beat UC Davis in three on Oct. 9 - on Saturday and will play host to UCSB on Nov. 13. In just its third season as a member of the Big West, UC Davis went 1-15 in league action in 2007 and 4-12 a year ago. The Big West does not have a conference tournament.

Missouri Valley
No. 25 Northern Iowa leads the way with a 12-0 record in league action and six matches remaining. Missouri State - which lost in four at UNI on Oct. 17 - is in second place with a 10-2 mark. Those teams will hook up again on Nov. 13 in Springfield, Mo. The State Farm MVC Championship takes place from Nov. 26-28 in Omaha. UNI has won eight of the last 11 MVC tournaments - though the Bears knocked off the Panthers in the title match in 2008.

Mountain West
Colorado State is in first place with a 10-1 record and six matches remaining. TCU - the lone squad to defeat the Rams in league play (3-0 on Oct. 22; CSU won 3-0 at home on Sept. 26) - is right behind at 10-2, while Utah is in third at 8-2. CSU will be at Utah on Nov. 12, having swept the Utes at home on Oct. 17. The MWC does not have a conference tournament.

Pacific-10
No. 4 Washington leads the way with a 9-2 league mark and seven matches remaining, while fifth-ranked Stanford and No. 7 UCLA are right behind with 8-3 records. The Huskies will play host to Stanford on Friday and head to UCLA on Nov. 14. The Cardinal dealt UW its first loss of the season in a five-set decision on Oct. 10, while the Huskies won in four against the Bruins on Oct. 16. Stanford has been the conference champion in each of the past three years. The Pac-10 does not have a conference tournament.

Southeastern
No. 11 Kentucky is atop the Eastern Division with a 10-1 mark and seven matches remaining. Right behind is ninth-ranked Florida, at 10-2, and Tennessee is in third at 8-3. The Wildcats will wind up the season with matches against those two, first visiting Gainesville on Nov. 22 and then welcoming the Lady Vols on Nov. 25. UK won in five at home against Florida on Oct. 2 and lost 3-1 to Tennessee on Oct. 21. In the Western Division, No. 19 LSU is 10-2 with six matches remaining and is three clear of second-place Auburn (6-5). The SEC does not have a conference tournament.

Sun Belt
Florida International is 14-0 in conference play, but Middle Tennessee (12-0) is right behind in the East Division. The Panthers won the first matchup between the teams, in four sets at home on Oct. 4. On Saturday, FIU heads to Murfreesboro, Tenn., for the rematch. The West Division is wide open, with New Orleans and Denver currently tied for first at 8-5. Arkansas State is right behind at 9-6, while Arkansas-Little Rock is 8-7 and North Texas is 6-7. The Pioneers play host to the Privateers on Thursday. The Sun Belt Championship takes place from Nov. 19-21 in Bowling Green, Ky.

West Coast
No. 25 Saint Mary's is on top of the standings with an 8-1 conference mark, with five to play. Right behind is 22nd-ranked San Diego, which is 7-2 and beat the Gaels in four sets on Oct. 17. SMC plays host to the Toreros on Nov. 14. USD has claimed at least a share of the WCC title in each of the last three seasons, while Saint Mary's has not won a conference crown since joining the WCC in 1987. The WCC does not have a conference tournament.

Western Athletic
No. 3 Hawai'i - which has won at least a share of the WAC regular-season title in all 13 years of league membership - is on pace to extend that streak, with an 11-0 record in league action with five to play. New Mexico State is in second with a 9-3 mark, while Idaho is 8-3. The Rainbow Wahine will play at Idaho on Nov. 14 after sweeping the Vandals at home in September. The six-team WAC Championship will be Nov. 23-25 in Las Vegas. The championship match (Nov. 25, 6:30 p.m. MT) will be televised by ESPNU.

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Teams Undefeated in Conference Play

Conference	School	Conf. Record	This Week
America East	Albany	7-0	Friday at UMBC Sunday at Stony Brook
Atlantic Sun	Lipscomb	17-0	Saturday at USC Upstate
Big 12	Texas	13-0	Wednesday at Iowa State Saturday at Missouri
BIG EAST	Notre Dame	10-0	Friday at Marquette Sunday at Syracuse
Big Ten	Penn State	12-0	Friday at Wisconsin Saturday at Iowa
Ivy	Penn	9-0	Friday at Columbia Saturday at Cornell
MEAC	Florida A&M	5-0	Thursday vs. Bethune-Cookman Saturday at Bethune-Cookman
MEAC	Maryland Eastern Shore	8-0	Friday vs. Coppin State Sunday vs. Howard
Missouri Valley	Northern Iowa	12-0	Friday vs. Illinois State Saturday vs. Indiana State
Northeast	Long Island	12-0	Saturday at Saint Francis (Pa.) Sunday at Robert Morris
Ohio Valley	Jacksonville State	14-0	Friday vs. Austin Peay Saturday vs. Tennessee State
Patriot	Army	10-0	Friday at Navy Saturday at American
Southern	Furman	12-0	Friday at UNC Greensboro Saturday vs. Belmont
Southland	Central Arkansas	12-0	Thursday vs. McNeese State Saturday vs. Stephen F. Austin
SWAC	Grambling State	7-0	Wednesday at Mississippi Valley
SWAC	Alabama A&M	6-0	Thursday vs. Alabama State
Summit	North Dakota State	15-0	Saturday vs. South Dakota State
Sun Belt	Florida International	14-0	Friday at Western Kentucky Sunday at Middle Tennessee
WAC	Hawai'i	11-0	Friday vs. Fresno State Sunday vs. Utah State

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TODAY'S SCOREBOARD WATCH
Top 25 and Television Schedule
Purdue at Indiana, 7 p.m. - TV: Big Ten Network | Live Stats
No. 2 Texas at No. 8 Iowa State, 7:30 p.m. - Live Stats
Missouri at No. 10 Nebraska, 8 p.m. - TV: NET | Free Video | Live Stats
Oklahoma at No. 20 Baylor, 8 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 23 Texas A&M at Kansas State, 8 p.m. - TV: FSN | Live Stats
Kansas at Colorado, 9 p.m. - TV: FSN | Live Stats