Tabitha Love and Minnesota gave the Big Ten a pair of final four teams for the first time since 1994

Saturday's all-day, nationally-televised volleyball extravaganza determined finally which four teams will head to Tampa next week for the final two rounds of the NCAA Championship. The quarterfinals were compelling, if not exceedingly competitive - and they have set up a championship weekend that promises some of the matchups we've been hoping for all season. That's because, after 60 matches, the field for Tampa includes the three teams that have occupied the top three spots of the AVCA poll since Oct. 12 - Penn State, Texas and Hawai'i. They will be joined by 13th-ranked and 11th-seeded Minnesota, a team that has gotten hot at the right time of the season, beating four ranked teams on its current seven-match winning streak.

Saturday's first match went as we've come to expect every match involving Penn State to go. The top-seeded Nittany Lions flexed their muscle once again en route to defeating ninth-seeded California 25-18, 25-17, 25-22 and advancing to the semifinals for the third straight year and eighth time overall. It was the 100th consecutive victory for PSU - the second longest NCAA Division I streak in any sport (the University of Miami's men's tennis team won 137 in a row from 1957-64) - and the third consecutive year that Cal's season was ended by the Nittany Lions. PSU senior outside hitter Megan Hodge, the regional's Most Outstanding Player, led the way with 14 kills on .429 hitting. Penn State head coach Russ Rose earned his 999th career victory as a head coach and will look to become just the third DI coach (along with UCLA's Andy Banachowski and Hawai'i's Dave Shoji) to win 1,000 matches. Cal senior outside hitter Hana Cutura finished her career with a match-high 16 kills.

Minnesota became the only regional host to advance through this year after knocking off third-seeded Florida State 25-20, 25-7, 18-25, 25-17 in the quarterfinals. Freshman outside hitter Tabitha Love had a match-high 21 kills on .370 hitting to lead the Gophers to their first four appearance since 2004 (and third overall). Minnesota also used 73 digs and eight blocks to hold the Seminoles - who had won 19 in a row - to .179 hitting. Senior libero Christine Tan led that effort with 24 digs. Love was named the regional's top player after averaging 5.38 kills per set on .402 hitting in the two matches.

A crowd of 9,253 showed up in the final of the "Big 12" regional in Omaha to watch 10th-seeded Nebraska try to knock off second-seeded Texas, and the Huskers rode that energy to an opening-set win, but the Longhorns would then take control and post a 21-25, 25-18, 25-16, 25-17 victory. UT senior outside hitter Destinee Hooker, the regional's Most Outstanding Player, led the way with 18 kills on .350 hitting, while Ashley Engle and Michelle Kocher set the Longhorns to a .342 team mark. Texas, which reached the semifinals for the second year in a row, became the first team to beat Nebraska three times in the same season since the inception of NCAA women's volleyball in 1981. The loss by the Cornhuskers means that this will be just the third time ever that the volleyball final four does not feature at least one of the three winningest programs in the history of the tournament (Stanford, Nebraska and UCLA). The only other times that none of that trio has been in the semifinals were 1993 and 2003.

In the last quarterfinal match, third-ranked Hawai'i - which garnered just the No. 12 seed in the tournament due to a relatively-low RPI - swept 13th-seeded Michigan 25-23, 25-19, 25-18 in Stanford, Calif. The Rainbow Wahine were led again by sophomore outside hitter Kananai Danielson - who was named the regional's top player - with 11 kills and four digs, while Michigan sophomore rightside Alex Hunt had a match-high 13 kills on .394 hitting. Hawai'i, now winners of 27 in a row, overcame a very difficult draw to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2003 and ninth time overall. The Rainbow Wahine had to travel to Los Angeles for the opening weekend and were forced to defeat 15th-ranked (but unseeded) USC on the Trojans' home floor in the second round before facing fifth-seeded and eighth-ranked Illinois in the round of 16.

Tampa could be the venue of history if Penn State becomes the first volleyball team ever to win a third consecutive national title. But the 2009 final four is guaranteed to be historic even if that doesn't happen. The NCAA first sponsored a women's volleyball national championship in 1981, and the old AIAW did so before that, dating back to 1970. During that entire time, every national championship tournament at the highest level of competition (Division I, Large College, etc.) has featured at least one team from California in the semifinals ... until now. Seven teams from the Golden State qualified for this year's tournament, and three were top-10 seeds. But only a pair - Stanford and Cal - reached the second weekend. The Cardinal was upset in the round of 16, and the Golden Bears were the latest victim of the Nittany Lions' NCAA-record string of victories - leaving this year's final four without a team from California - which has seen its teams claim 25 national championships (17 NCAA, 8 AIAW) and lose in the titl match on 22 occasions (16 NCAA, 6 AIAW).

(Note that the AIAW did still sponsor a national tournament in 1981 that was open to teams that had not begun NCAA play in women's volleyball, and that tournament - won by Texas - did not feature a California team in the semifinals. The main reason for that was that most California teams had already jumped to the NCAA - as evidenced by the fact that the first NCAA women's volleyball championship, in 1981, featured not only four California teams in the final four, but seven among the quarterfinalists.)

The semifinals are set for Thursday, Dec. 17, in Tampa. No. 1 Penn State will take on third-ranked and 12th-seeded Hawai'i, while No. 2 Texas will face 11th-seeded and 13th-ranked Minnesota. Both matches - scheduled to begin at 7 and 9 p.m. ET (though the order of the matches has yet to be determined) - will be televised live by ESPN2. The championship match will be played on Saturday, Dec. 19, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2. For details on every match of the tournament, check out NCAA.com's interactive bracket.

We'll have extensive coverage of all of the activities in Tampa right here on the NCAA.com women's volleyball blog. So check back throughout the week for notes, extensive previews and updates on what's going on at the final four.

CONFERENCE UPDATE
With just four teams remaining, the Big Ten is the only conference with multiple squads still alive to win the NCAA title this season. It's the first time since 1994 (Ohio State and Penn State) that two Big Ten teams among the final four. The Big 12 has a representative in the semifinals for the fourth time in the last five seasons (all but 2007), while the WAC has one of the last four for the first time since 2003 (and sixth time overall). One of the most-noteworthy aspects of this year's final four, though will be who is NOT there. This will be just the third final four (out of 29) - and first since 1998 - that does not feature a Pac-10 team.

Below are the records for teams from each conference in this year's tournament (minimum two tournament qualifiers or one tournament win):
Western Athletic (1 team): 4-0, 1.000, 1 left (Hawai'i)
Big Ten (6 teams): 14-4, .778, 2 left (Minnesota, Penn State)
Big 12 (6 teams): 13-5, .722, 1 left (Texas)
Southeastern (4 teams): 6-4, .600, 0 left
Pac-10 (8 teams): 9-8, .529, 0 left
Mountain West (3 teams): 3-3, .500, 0 left
Missouri Valley (2 teams): 2-2, .500, 0 left
Ivy League (1 team): 1-1, .500, 0 left
Mid-American (1 team): 1-1, .500, 0 left
Ohio Valley (1 team): 1-1, .500, 0 left
West Coast (1 team): 1-1, .500, 0 left
Atlantic Coast (5 teams): 3-5, .375, 0 left
Atlantic 10 (2 teams): 1-2, .333, 0 left
Sun Belt (2 teams): 1-2, .333, 0 left
Big West (2 teams): 0-2, .000, 0 left
Conference USA (2 teams): 0-2, .000, 0 left
BIG EAST (3 teams): 0-3, .000, 0 left

Kourtney Edwards and TCU will make their NCAA tournament debut on Thursday

The wait is almost over, as the 2009 NCAA Championship will get underway on Thursday, with eight first-round matches - those being hosted by Texas, Illinois, Florida and Colorado State - scheduled to take place. On Friday, we'll have the second-round contests at each of those four sites, plus 22 first-round matches. Saturday will feature 11 more second-round matches, plus the two first-round clashes at Florida State. The second-round match at FSU will be the lone contest on Sunday.

The best way to follow the entire tournament is via NCAA.com's interactive bracket, which features the latest official matchup information, as well as live scoring of every match, video and audio links, pre-game statistical comparisons and individual leaders, and tournament statistical leaders.

Another cool thing to check out is the NCAA.com Bracket Challenge game, where you can view matchup information and make your predictions on who will win every match. You can even create a group and invite your friends to compete against you. You must fill out your bracket before the first tournament match - Florida International vs. Miami (Fla.) at 5 p.m. ET - begins.

Now let's take a look at Thursday's matches:

FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL VS. MIAMI (Fla.)
Gainesville, Florida - 5 p.m. ET
FIU Basics: 31-3, 17-0 Sun Belt (1st, East Division), 15th in RPI, listed in tie for 35th in AVCA poll, 24-1 in last 25, 8-1 at neutral sites, 20-2 away from home, 1-2 all-time in NCAAs (2nd appearance in a row; 3rd overall)
Miami Basics: 18-12, 11-9 ACC (T-5th), 47th in RPI, 6-4 in last 10, 2-1 at neutral sites, 8-6 away from home, 2-1 all-time in NCAAs (1st appearance since 2002; 2nd overall
Notes: FIU senior outside hittger Yarimar Rosa, the national leader in kills in 2008 (5.12), was the Sun Belt Player of the Year in both 2008 and '09. FIU has one of the top offenses in the nation, ranking ninth in kills (14.65), 12th in assists (13.54) and 22nd in hitting percentage (.262), while Natalia Valentin ranks sixth individually in assists (11.96). Only Penn State has won more matches than FIU This season. You can read a feature on Miami senior libero Cassie Loessberg here. Previous 2009 Meeting: FIU won 26-24, 26-24, 25-17 on Sept. 10 at FIU; FIU hit .303; FIU's Yarimar Rosa had 17 kills and Chanel Araujo had 18 digs; no Miami player had more than eight kills

RICE VS. TCU
Austin, Texas - 5:30 p.m. ET
Rice Basics: 23-8, 11-5 C-USA (4th), Conference USA tournament champion, 39th in RPI, listed 41st in AVCA poll, won nine in a row, 2-0 at neutral sites, 11-3 away from home, 0-2 all-time in NCAAs (2nd appearance in a row; 3rd overall)
TCU Basics: 26-6, 13-3 MWC (2nd), 43rd in RPI, listed in tie for 37th in AVCA poll, 11-1 in last 12, 6-0 at neutral sites, 15-4 away from home, first appearance in NCAAs
Notes: Rice outside hitter Jessie Boulavsky is a first-team Academic All-American (one of just four in the tournament), having posted a 4.00 GPA in psychology and pre-med. Rice ranks third in Division I in assists (13.95) and kills (14.93), as well as sixth in digs (18.11). Neither team has ever won an NCAA tournament match.

DAYTON VS. MILWAUKEE
Champaign, Illinois - 5:30 p.m. ET
Dayton Basics: 29-3, 14-1 A-10 (T-1st), Atlantic 10 tournament champion, 23rd in RPI, 23rd in AVCA poll, won 9 in a row and 19 of last 20, 5-1 at neutral sites, 15-3 away from home, 2-5 all-time in NCAAs (3rd appearance in a row; 6th overall)
Milwaukee Basics: 16-14, 10-6 Horizon League (T-3rd), Horizon League tournament champion, 139th in RPI, won 11 in a row, 3-2 at neutral sites, 8-10 away from home, 0-7 all-time in NCAAs (2nd appearance in a row; 8th overall)
Notes: Dayton middle blocker Lindsay Fletemier, the Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Year, ranks eighth in the nation in hitting percentage (.405). Milwaukee libero Lauren Felsing is a two-time Academic All-American (2nd team in '08, 3rd team in '09). Milwaukee lost on Oct. 11 to fall to 5-14, but has not lost since.

TEXAS STATE AT (2) TEXAS
Austin, Texas - 7 p.m. ET
Texas Basics: 24-1, 19-1 Big 12 (1st), 1st in RPI, 2nd in AVCA poll, won 6 in a row, 10-0 at home, 53-24 all-time in NCAAs, including five final fours and the 1988 title (6th appearance in a row; 26th overall)
Texas State Basics: 22-12, 13-3 Southland (1st, West Division), 108th in RPI, won 13 in a row, 6-6 in true road matches, 11-10 away from home, 0-6 all-time in NCAAs (first appearance since 2007; 7th overall)
Notes: Texas has won 20 in a row at home and has won 30 of 31 sets at home this season. UT senior outside hitter Destinee Hooker is the Big 12 Player of the Year this year after being a first-team All-American in 2008 (and a second-team selection in 2007). She also is a thre-time NCAA champion in the high jump. She is first among players in the tournament in points (5.86; 3rd overall in DI), as well as second in kills (4.87; 5th overall). Texas ranks second to Penn State among all DI teams in hitting percentage (.335), as well as second to PSU among tourney teams in blocks (3.04; 4th overall). Texas has won 42 in a row against fellow Lone Star State schools, dating back to 2004.

(6) WASHINGTON VS. NORTHERN COLORADO
Fort Collins, Colorado - 7 p.m. ET
Washington Basics: 23-5, 13-5 Pac-10 (T-2nd), 5th in RPI, 6th in AVCA poll, 3-3 in last 6, 5-0 at neutral sites, 14-3 away from home, 28-12 all-time in NCAAs, including three final fours and 2003 title (8th straight appearance; 14th overall)
Northern Colorado Basics: 21-11, 12-4 Big Sky (T-2nd), Big Sky tournament champion, 106th in RPI, 9-2 in last 11, 3-3 at neutral sites, 12-8 way from home, first appearance in NCAAs since moving to Division I in 2004.
Notes: Washington ranks fifth among DI schools in hitting percentage (.288), while Bianca Rowland ranks third individually in hitting (.460). UW senior Jill Collymore - who is second among all tournament players in aces (0.54; 9th overall in DI) - is a two-time Academic All-American (2nd team in '09, 3rd team in '08). This is the first time any Northern Colorado team has ever qualified for the NCAA tournament.

COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON AT (16) FLORIDA
Gainesville, Florida - 7:30 p.m. ET
Florida Basics: 22-5, 16-4 SEC (2nd, Eastern Division), 16th in RPI, 14th in AVCA poll, 11-2 in last 13, 12-2 at home, 49-19 all-time in NCAAs, including 7 final fours (19th appearance in a row; 20th overall)
College of Charleston Basics: 18-12, 12-4 SoCon (2nd, South Division), Southern Conference tournament champion, 95th in RPI, 11-2 in last 13, 6-6 in true road matches, 9-10 away from home, 1-5 all-time in NCAAs (first appearance since 2007; 6th overall)
Notes: UF's Kelly Murphy was the AVCA National Freshman of the Year and a third-team All-American in 2008. Florida ranks seventh nationally in hitting percentage (.288), as well as 13th in kills (14.56) and 19th in assists). The College of Charleston is 29th in blocks (2.57).

IPFW AT (5) ILLINOIS
Champaign, Illinois - 8 p.m. ET
Illinois Basics: 24-5, 16-4 Big Ten (2nd), 4th in RPI, 8th in AVCA poll, 15-2 in the last 17, 11-1 at home, 23-17 all-time in NCAAs, including two final fours (2nd straight appearance; 18th overall)
IPFW: 20-11, 11-7 Summit League (3rd), Summite League tournament champion, 128th in RPI, 8-2 in last 10, 7-5 in true road matches, 9-5 away from home, first NCAA appearance since moving to Division I in 2001.
Notes: Illinois junior middle blocker Johannah Bangert is the nation's leader in blocks per set, at 1.58. U of I junior outside hitter Laure DeBruler ranks sixth among tournament players in kills (4.49; 14th overall) and seventh in points (4.98; 14th overall). Illinois has won 19 matches in a row at home, excluding contests against Penn State.

MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT COLORADO STATE
Fort Collins, Colorado - 9:30 p.m. ET
Colorado State Basics: 23-5, 15-1 Mountain West (1st), 18th in RPI, 25th in AVCA poll, 7-1 in last 8 and 19-2 in last 21, 13-3 at home, 18-20 all-time in NCAAs (15th consecutive appearance; 20th overall)
Middle Tennessee Basics: 25-9, 15-2 Sun Belt (2nd, East Division), 30th in RPI, 5-1 in last 6 and 15-2 in last 17, 9-3 in true road matches, 11-6 away from home, 4-4 all-time in NCAAs (4th consecutive appearance; 5th overall)
Notes: CSU junior outside hitter Danielle Minch is the Mountain West Player of the Year. Colorado State is 16th in the nation in blocks, at 2.70 per set. Middle Tennessee ranks ninth nationally - and second among unseeded tournament teams - in hitting percentage (.285). Individually, MTSU's Stacy Oladinni is one of just nine DI players to be hitting over .400 (.403).

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.

Northern Colorado will make its first-ever trip to an NCAA Division I Championship

It's finally here - the day we've all waited for since the summer. The 64-team field for the 2009 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship will be announced live today at 3 p.m. ET on ESPNews.

Today I review yesterday's action, take a look at the situation for at-large qualifiers and provide the final table of automatic qualifiers. But before all of that, here are a few burning questions I have, heading into the selection show:

• Penn State and Texas have been atop the college volleyball world all season, but who will be the other two teams to earn top-four seeds and, whereby, get shielded from facing the Nittany Lions or Longhorns before the semifinals? Some candidates figure to be Hawai'i, Stanford, Washington and Illinois.
• Speaking of the Rainbow Wahine, what will the committee do with them? UH stands 28-2 and has won 24 straight matches and has been ranked third in the AVCA poll (which is not used at all for selection purposes) for the last seven weeks. But Hawai'i stands just 22nd in the RPI, thanks in part to no other team in the WAC being among the RPI top 75.
• On the flip side, what will the committee think of Florida State? The Seminoles have had one of their best seasons ever and come into the tournament - their first since 2002 - with a 28-2 record and a 16-match winning streak. FSU has climbed to an all-time high of 14th in the national rankings, but has been near the top of the RPI since it was first released and currently stands third.
• Which of the three power conferences will get the most teams into the tournament? The Big Ten has nine teams in the top 66 of the RPI, whil the Pac-10 has nine in the top 65 and the Big 12 has eight in the top 60. To get an answer to this question, we'll be watching to see the fates of teams like Northwestern, Purdue, Wisconsin, Oregon State, Washington State, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas A&M.
• Will North Dakota State (45th in the RPI), Furman (49th) and Delaware (52nd) garner at-large bids? All three have had great seasons, dominated en route to claiming regular-season titles in their conferences, but then faltered in their league tournaments.

The final two automatic bids were decided on Saturday, with 20th-ranked Northern Iowa and Northern Colorado punching their tickets to the tournament. The Panthers beat Wichita State 26-28, 25-19, 25-11, 25-18 in the final of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championship to improve to 30-2 on the season and run their winning streak to 28. Sophomore middle blocker Michelle Burow had 15 kills on .500 hitting and junior libero Ellie Blankenship notched 27 digs to lead UNI.

In the final conference tournament, Northern Colorado - in just its fourth season of NCAA Division I play - knocked off top-seeded Portland State 25-17, 23-25, 25-17, 25-19 in the championship match of the Big Sky Conference tournament. Senior outside hitter Kenzie Shreve led the Bears with 28 kills on .429 hitting, as Northern Colorado earned its first NCAA Championship invitation in any sport since moving up to the Division I level.

Elsewhere, there were two huge matchups between the elites in the Big Ten, but both ended in sweeps by the home squads. Top-ranked Penn State beat No. 12 Michigan 25-21, 25-13, 25-23 to extend its NCAA-record winning streak to 96 and conclude a second-consecutive perfect regular season. Senior All-America outside hitter Megan Hodge had 17 kills on .351 hitting and 11 digs to lead PSU. No. 13 Minnesota knocked off fifth-ranked Illinois 25-23, 25-23, 25-22, thanks in large part to junior middle blocker Lauren Gibbemeyer, who had 18 kills on just 30 attempts for a .500 hitting percentage and was in on five blocks.

The other two matchups of ranked teams both ended in four-set victories by the home teams. No. 16 USC beat 19th-ranked Arizona (23-25, 25-22, 36-34, 25-23) behind a career-high 23 kills from senior outside hitter Jessica Gysin and 34 digs from senior libero Alli Hillgren. In non-conference action, 15th-ranked Florida topped No. 25 Notre Dame 25-13, 27-29, 25-15, 25-9 in front of a crowd of 3,875. Sophomore Kelly Murphy set the Gators to a .365 hitting mark, and senior libero Elyse Cusack recorded 23 digs for UF.

One ranked team was upset by a ranked team on Saturday, as New Mexico State knocked off No. 23 Colorado State on the road by scores of 21-25, 25-23, 25-20, 26-24. The Aggies got 16 kills and 13 digs from junior outside hitter Kayleigh Giddens and 15 kills on .344 hitting, plus 13 digs from senior outside hitter Krista Altermatt.

AT-LARGE QUALIFIERS, AT A GLANCE
Now that all of the automatic bids have been determined, let's take a quick look at how the committee determines which schools receive at-large berths to the NCAA Championship. Here is are a few excerpts from the championship manual:

• Ratings Percentage Index
• Head-to-head competition
• Results versus common opponents
• Significant wins and losses

If the NCAA Championship field was determined based soley on the latest RPI listing (released on Monday and available here) - then the last five teams to make the field as at-large participants would be North Dakota State (RPI: 45; did not play this week), UC Santa Barbara (RPI: 46; def. San Diego State 3-2 on Tuesday), the University of Miami (RPI: 47; lost 3-1 to No. 14 Florida State on Wednesday), Oklahoma (RPI: 48; lost 3-0 to No. 2 Texas on Wednesday and lost 3-0 at No. 7 Iowa State on Saturday) and Furman (RPI: 49; did not play this week). The first five teams out would be Georgia Tech (RPI: 50; def. Clemson 3-2 on Friday), Missouri State (RPI: 51; lost 3-2 to Wichita State on Friday), Delaware (RPI: 52; lost to George Mason 3-2 on Monday; def. Liberty 3-0 on Friday; def. Pittsburgh 3-1 on Saturday), Washington State (RPI: 53; lost 3-1 to Oregon on Wednesday and def. Oregon State 3-2 on Friday) and South Florida (RPI: 54; lost 3-2 to Central Florida on Wednesday).

A field determined in that way would include seven teams from the Pac-10, as well as six each from the Big Ten and Big 12, plus four from the BIG EAST and SEC, three from the ACC and Mountain West and two each from Conference USA, the Atlantic 10, Big West, Missouri Valley, Sun Belt, SoCon and Summit League. All other conferences would have just one participant.

To get an idea of some of the teams competing for at-large bids, below is a breakdown of the RPI top 100 by conference, with the leagues featuring the most top-100 teams listed first and the automatic qualifiers noted. Remember that the latest RPI only includes results through last Sunday (Nov. 22).

BIG TEN CONFERENCE (11 in top 100; 6 in top 50)
Penn State - 2 (automatic qualifier)
Illinois - 4
Michigan - 9
Minnesota - 13
Ohio State - 31
Michigan State - 37
Purdue - 55
Northwestern - 59
Wisconsin - 66
Indiana - 79
Iowa - 92

PACIFIC-10 CONFERENCE (10 in top 100; 7 in top 50)
Washington - 5
Stanford - 6 (automatic qualifier)
California - 8
UCLA - 11
Arizona - 17
USC - 25
Oregon - 26
Washington State - 53
Oregon State - 65
Arizona State - 81

BIG 12 CONFERENCE (8 in top 100; 6 in top 50)
Texas - 1 (automatic qualifier)
Iowa State - 7
Nebraska - 10
Baylor - 33
Texas A&M - 40
Oklahoma - 48
Kansas - 56
Missouri - 58

ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE (8 in top 100; 4 in top 50)
Florida State - 3 (automatic qualifier)
Duke - 27
Miami - 47
Georgia Tech - 50
Clemson - 57
North Carolina - 64
Virginia Tech - 70
Virginia - 99

BIG EAST CONFERENCE (7 in top 100; 4 in top 50)
Notre Dame - 14
Louisville - 38 (automatic qualifier)
Cincinnati - 42
Pittsburgh - 44
South Florida - 54
Marquette - 85
Syracuse - 86

SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE (6 in top 100; 4 in top 50)
LSU - 12 (automatic qualifier)
Florida - 16
Tennessee - 19
Kentucky - 21
Auburn - 73
South Carolina - 100

CONFERENCE USA (6 in top 100; 2 in top 50)
Tulane - 32
Rice - 39 (automatic qualifier)
Southern Miss - 61
Tulsa - 67
SMU - 74
Marshall - 83

MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE (5 in top 100; 3 in top 50)
Colorado State - 18 (automatic qualifier)
New Mexico - 41
TCU - 43
Utah - 75
BYU - 94

ATLANTIC 10 CONFERENCE (5 in top 100; 2 in top 50)
Dayton - 23 (automatic qualifier)
Saint Louis - 29
Xavier - 62
George Washington - 88
Temple - 89

BIG WEST CONFERENCE (5 in top 100; 2 in top 50)
Long Beach State - 36 (automatic qualifier)
UC Santa Barbara - 46
UC Irvine - 69
Cal State Fullerton - 87
UC Davis - 96

MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE (5 in top 100; 2 in top 50)
Northern Iowa - 20 (automatic qualifier)
Wichita State - 28
Missouri State - 51
Creighton - 90
Drake - 98

WEST COAST CONFERENCE (4 in top 100; 1 in top 50)
Saint Mary's - 35 (automatic qualifier)
San Diego - 60
Pepperdine - 72
Santa Clara - 97

SUN BELT CONFERENCE (3 in top 100; 2 in top 50)
Florida International - 15
Middle Tennessee - 30 (automatic qualifier)
Western Kentucky - 71

COLONIAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (3 in top 100; 0 in top 50)
Delaware - 52
George Mason - 77 (automatic qualifier)
VCU - 78

MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE (2 in top 100; 1 in top 50)
Ohio - 24 (automatic qualifier)
Western Michigan - 68

SOUTHERN CONFERENCE (2 in top 100; 1 in top 50)
Furman - 49
College of Charleston - 95 (automatic qualifier)

WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (2 in top 100; 1 in top 50)
Hawai'i - 22 (automatic qualifier)
New Mexico State - 76

IVY LEAGUE (2 in top 100; 0 in top 50)
Yale - 80
Penn - 91 (automatic qualifier)

ATLANTIC SUN CONFERENCE (1 in top 100; 1 in top 50)
Lipscomb - 34 (automatic qualifier)

SUMMIT LEAGUE (1 in top 100; 1 in top 50)
North Dakota State - 45
[IPFW - 128 (automatic qualifier)]

AMERICA EAST CONFERENCE (1 in top 100; 0 in top 50)
Albany - 63
[Binghamton - 180 (automatic qualifier)]

BIG SKY CONFERENCE (1 in top 100; 0 in top 50)
Portland State - 84
[Northern Colorado - 106 (automatic qualifier)]

OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE (1 in top 100; 0 in top 50)
Jacksonville State - 82 (automatic qualifier)

SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE (1 in top 100; 0 in top 50)
Central Arkansas - 93
[Texas State - 108 (automatic qualifier)]

Lauren Williams and USC posted a pair of big victories

Top-ranked Penn State rose to the challenge again on Friday night, sweeping No. 5 Illinois 25-20, 27-25, 25-15 at home in front of 4,163 fans. Blair Brown pounded 17 kills on .538 hitting ans senior Alisha Glass set the Nittany Lions to a .350 team hitting mark. Illinois was led by Laura DeBruler, who had 18 kills on .421 hitting. PSU then swept Northwestern on Saturday for its 92nd consecutive win - which ties the North Carolina women's soccer team's streak from 1990-94 as the second longest in NCAA Division I history in any sport. The NCAA record is 137 consecutive wins, which was done by the Miami men's tennis team from 1957-64.

One of the biggest winners from last week was 17th-ranked USC - which came into the weekend on a three-match losing streak and having won just two of its last nine. But the Women of Troy got a pair of big wins, first outlasting No. 4 Washington in five sets (25-18, 24-26, 22-25, 25-21, 15-13) on Friday and then beating 25th-ranked Washington State 24-26, 25-18, 28-26, 25-16 the following day. Sophomore outside hitter Alex Jupiter (21 kills) led a quartet of players with 14+ kills against the Huskies, while sophomore middle blocker Lauren Williams paced all players with 19 kills and no errors on .559 hitting vs. WSU. Washington sophomore middle blocker Lauren Barfield was in on 11 blocks in Friday's match.

Washington was able to rebound on Saturday for a road sweep (25-19, 25-18, 25-21) of sixth-ranked UCLA in front of 2,569 fans. Senior libero Tamari Miyashiro (23 digs), junior setter Jenna Hagglund (18 digs) and Barfield (7 blocks) led a UW defense that held UCLA to .101 hitting and didn't see a Bruin post more than seven kills. UW junior outside hitter Kindra Carlson had 18 kills to lead all players, while UCLA sophomore libero Lainey Gera finished with 22 digs.

UCLA had moved briefly into first place in the Pac-10 with a 25-23, 25-14, 23-25, 25-23 victory against Washington State on Friday, the Bruins' seventh straight win. Senior outside hitter Kaitlin Sather led UCLA with 19 kills in the match, while Gera added 26 digs. The Bruins, at 10-4 in league play, now stand one-half game behind both Washington and Stanford at the top of the standings. The seventh-ranked Cardinal notched a big win on Friday, beating No. 16 Oregon 25-23, 25-16, 25-23 in front of 2,712. Freshman Karissa Cook and junior Cassidy Lichtman set Stanford to a .378 hitting mark, and Lichtman also led all players with 16 kills on .419 hitting. No. 12 California beat the Ducks on Saturday in four (25-21, 25-21, 23-25, 25-16). Senior outside hitter Hana Cutura posted 28 kills on .442 hitting and 10 digs for the Bears, while junior Carli Lloyd's offense hit .341.

In a clash of Southeastern Conference titans, 19th-ranked LSU knocked off No. 10 Florida in four sets (24-26, 25-23, 25-19, 25-17) on Friday in front of 2,875 fans in Gainesville. Marina Skender led all players with 20 kills, while Brittnee Cooper added 16 on 26 attempts (.500) as the Tigers swept the Gators for the first time since 1991.

The top two teams in the West Coast Conference hooked up on Saturday in Moraga, Calif., with No. 23 Saint Mary's eventually prevailing over 25th-ranked San Diego in five sets (25-18, 25-19, 20-25, 17-25, 15-10). Junior Kapua Kamana'o and redshirt freshman Missy White and set the Gaels to a .342 attack percentage, and junior middle blocker Shannon Lowell posted 23 kills on .381 hitting to help SMC clinch the WCC regular-season title for the first time. Junior Kelsi Myers' USD attack also was prolific, with a .303 hitting mark.

There was just a single instance of an unranked team knocking off a ranked one last week. That occurred on Saturday in Lawrence, Kan., where Kansas beat Baylor 25-18, 19-25, 25-20, 25-20. The Jayhawks got 19 kills from junior outside hitter Karina Garlington, as well as 16 from sophomore outside hitter Allison Mayfield.

No. 14 Michigan was extended to fifth sets against unranked opponents in both of its matches, but the Wolverines ended up prevailing against Purdue on Friday (18-16 in the fifth after saving a match point) and vs. Indiana on Sunday (15-11 in the fifth).

No. 22 Northern Iowa also needed five sets against Wichita State on Saturday, but the Panthers eventually prevailed, 25-15, 19-25, 25-19, 20-25, 15-9, for their 24th consecutive victory. The win clinched the regular-season Missouri Valley Conference crown for UNI.

Elsewhere, No. 3 Hawai'i, the regular-season WAC champion, swept Boise State and Idaho to run its winning streak to 21. In the BIG EAST, 24th-ranked Notre Dame topped Georgetown and USF to finish 14-0 in league play - its seventh unbeaten mark in BIG EAST action since joining the conference in 1995. No. 20 Saint Louis beat Rhode Island and Temple to finish 14-1 in Atlantic 10 play and share the regular-season league title with Dayton.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
No. 3 Hawai'i continued to roll with another dominant victory, this time by 25-12, 25-15, 25-15 scores on the road against San Jose State on Monday. Junior Dani Mafua set the Rainbow Wahine to 45 kills and just seven errors for a .458 atack percentage. Sophomore outside hitter Kanani Danielson had 15 kills on .519 hitting and senior middle Amber Kaufman posted 11 kills on 13 errorless swings for an .846 mark. Since dropping back-to-back matches to Texas and California on the first weekend of September, Hawai'i has won 17 in a row - including 14 sweeps. The Rainbow Wahine - which have won at least a share of the regular-season title in all 13 previous seasons of membership in the WAC - hold a 2.5 game lead in the conference standings.

Ellie Blankenship and Northern Iowa are ranked for the first time in nearly six years

This week's edition of the AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 was released yesterday. You can view it here. Here are a few notes:

• There are two new entrants in the poll this week, both of whom reenter the Top 25 for the first time in several years and are tied with each other for 25th.
• Northern Iowa is one of those teams tied for 25th. The Panthers have won 20 straight matches and stand 22-2 on the season, with the only defeats coming against No. 23 Texas A&M (3-1 on the road) and No. 8 Iowa State (3-1 at home). It marks the first national ranking for UNI - which leads the Missouri Valley Conference by two games with a 12-0 record - since it finished the 2003 season at 18th.
• Saint Mary's is also tied for the final spot, marking the first national ranking for the Gaels since Oct. 10, 2005. SMC stands 16-4 on the season with the defeats coming against No. 5 Stanford, No. 13 California (twice) and 22nd-ranked San Diego. The Gaels - who lead the Toreros by one game atop the West Coast Conference standings - also have a four-set victory over Texas A&M to their credit.
• After losing twice last week, UC Irvine fell out of the Top 25 and is now the third team receiving votes.
• The Pac-10 still leads all conferences with eight ranked teams, while the Big 12 boasts five squads in the rankings this week. The Big Ten has four ranked teams (all in the top 15), while the SEC has three and the West Coast Conference is the only other league with multiple ranked squads (two).
• The top four teams are all from different conferences, marking the 10th consecutive week that has been the case. The top 10 features three teams each from the Big 12 and Pac-10, as well as two from the Big Ten and one each from the WAC and SEC.
• The biggest upward mover this week was UCLA, which rose four spots to seventh, matching its season high. The largest drop among teams remaining in the poll was by Minnesota, which is down five slots to 12th.
• Penn State is No. 1 for the 34th consecutive poll - an AVCA record - since taking over the top spot on Oct. 29, 2007. PSU has been ranked in the top five for 76 consecutive polls, since finishing seventh in 2004. The Lions have been ranked in the top 10 in 93 straight polls, since checking in at 11th on Dec. 8, 2003.
• Texas has been No. 2 in every poll this season (which matches the highest ranking in program history). The Longhorns have been ranked in the top five for 27 consecutive polls, since being sixth to finish the 2007 season. UT has been in the top 10 in each of the last 54 polls, since being 11th on Oct. 2, 2006.
• Washington moved up a spot to fourth and is the only other team to have been in the top five in every poll this season.
• Illinois and Stanford are tied for fifth this week. That listing marks the highest ranking for the Illini since Sept. 22, 1992.
• Iowa State has recorded the highest ranking in program history for the fifth time in less than a year. The Cyclones were a then-all-time-best 12th in the final poll of 2008, before moving to 11th for the first time on Sept. 7 of this season and then cracking the top 10 for the first time the following week. ISU then moved up to ninth last week and is now an all-time high of eighth.
• Nebraska slid two spots to match its season-low ranking of 10th. The Cornhuskers did continue their streak of 92 straight top-10 rankings - dating back to finishing the 2003 season at 13th.
• Florida State is up to an all-time high ranking of 16th after appearing at 17th on five occasions before (once in 1993 and four times this season).
• LSU is up a spot to 19th - which is the highest ranking for the Tigers since they were 18th on Oct. 8, 2007.

Brittnee Cooper and LSU are up to seventh in the RPI

The latest edition of the official NCAA RPI came out this week. You can view it here. Below are some observations:

• Penn State slid up a spot past Florida State to second in this week's RPI, while Texas continued to hold on to the top spot. Illinois stayed at fourth, while Washington moved up two spots to fifth.
• For the fourth straight week, the Big Ten boasted three of the top six teams: No. 2 Penn State, No. 4 Illinois and No. 6 Minnesota. Six Pac-10 squads - No. 4 Washington, No. 7 UCLA, No. 9 Stanford, No. 11 California, No. 13 Arizona and No. 15 Oregon - are among the top 15.
• Two big upward movers this week were UCLA and LSU, which both rose six positions, to sixth and seventh, respectively.
• Notre Dame moved up one spot to 14th this week and continues to be the highest-ranked team in the RPI that is not listed in the Top 25 of the AVCA poll. The Irish are the second team receiving votes.
• There are five other teams - Colorado State (19th), Tennessee (20th), Florida International (22nd), Michigan State (23rd) and Ohio State (25th) - that are unranked but appear in the top 25 of the RPI.
• Among the others that fared better in the RPI than in the AVCA poll are Florida State (ranked 16th; RPI of 3rd), Minnesota (12th; 6th), LSU (19th; 8th), Michigan (15th; 10th) and Arizona (18th; 13th).
• Teams that appear considerably lower in the RPI than in the AVCA poll this week include Hawai'i (ranked 3rd; RPI of 18th), Florida (9th; 17th), Nebraska (10th; 16th), Kentucky (11th; 21st), USC (17th; 33rd), Baylor (20th; 30th), Saint Louis (21st; 32nd), San Diego (22nd; 55th), Texas A&M (23rd; 34th), Washington State (24th; 38th) and Saint Mary's (25th; 46th).
• If the NCAA Championship field was determined based soley on this RPI listing, and you assume that each conference's automatic bid goes to its highest-ranked team - then the last four teams to make the field as at-large participants would be Miami (Fla.), New Mexico, Oklahoma and North Carolina. The first four teams out would be Georgia Tech, Oregon State, San Diego and Virginia Tech.
• A field determined in that way would include eight teams from the Pac-10, as well as seven from the Big Ten, six from the Big 12, four each from the ACC and SEC, plus three from the BIG EAST, Missouri Valley and Mountain West and two each from the Atlantic 10, Big West and Sun Belt. All other conferences would have just one participant.

Florida State's Brianna Barry is hitting .527 this season

The latest edition of NCAA statistics also were released on Monday. The complete listings can be found here. A couple of quick notes:

• The NCAA Division I season record for hitting percentage is .519, which was done by Tyrona Clark from Florida A&M in 1988 (the only other DI player ever to hit over .500 for a season also was a Rattler: Maria Andonova, who hit .504 in 2004). Right now there are two players who are ahead of that pace. Penn State junior middle hitter Arielle Wilson leads all players with a .569 mark, while Florida State senior middle blocker Brianna Barry is at .527.
• Penn State, at .412, is on pace to break the Division I season record for team hitting percentage - a category the Nittany Lions have led the country in over each of the last three seasons. The DI record is .406 by the 1983 Hofstra team. Last year's PSU squad sits second on that list at .390. No other Division I team has a hitting percentage of even .330 this season, and only five schools are hitting over .290.
• The top three teams in hitting percentage match exactly the top three teams in the AVCA poll: Penn State (.412), Texas (.329) and Hawai'i (.310).

The Division I leader in each category is below.

TEAM
Service Aces - Sacred Heart, 2.37
Assists - Texas A&M, 14.16
Blocks - Idaho, 3.11
Digs - NJIT, 20.24
Hitting Percentage - Penn State, .412
Kills - Texas A&M, 14.96
Winning Percentage - Penn State and Texas, 1.000
INDIVIDUAL
Service Aces - Ashley Herman, Delaware State, 0.65
Assists - Kendall Bateman, USC, 12.23
Blocks - Amanda Gil, UCLA, 1.61
Digs - Sabrina Baby, NJIT, 6.29
Hitting Percentage - Arielle Wilson, Penn State, .569
Kills - Burgundy McCurty, Siena, 5.48

UCLA's Andy Banachowski earned his 1,100th win as a head coach on Saturday against Stanford

Both of the remaining unbeaten teams faced stiff tests last week, but ended up turning in impressive victories. Second-ranked Texas traveled to No. 25 Texas A&M on Wednesday and came away with a 25-18, 25-14, 25-20 triumph in front of a record crowd of 3,856. Senior setter Ashley Engle led her offense to a .310 hitting mark in the match and had a match-high 13 digs and four blocks in helping UT hold the Aggies to .092 hitting. On Saturday, the Longhorns got 19 kills on .400 hitting from senior outside hitter Destinee Hooker en route to a 25-22, 26-24, 25-19 home win over eighth-ranked Nebraska in front of 4,009 fans. Engle set UT to a .326 mark in the match. Texas is now 13-0 in Big 12 play and holds a two-game lead atop the conference standings. The Longhorns have registered nine consecutive sweeps and have won a school-record 27 straight regular-season matches. They are also the first team to register back-to-back-to-back wins over Nebraska since Long Beach State did so between 1989 and 2001.

Top-ranked Penn State also had a pair of three-set wins, highlighted by a 25-14, 25-16, 25-17 drubbing of No. 7 Minnesota at home on Friday in front of a crowd of 3,512. Senior outside hitter and three-time first-team All-American Megan Hodge led the Nittany Lions with 19 kills on .429 hitting, while senior Alisha Glass set the offense to a .341 team mark. Junior libero Cathy Quilico had 12 digs and junior middle hitter Arielle Wilson was in on six blocks in helping the PSU defense hold the Gophers to 24 kills and 23 errors (.011 attack percentage). In addition to having won 68 straight at home and 57 in a row in Big Ten play, Penn State now has an overall winning streak of 88 consecutive matches. That ties the UCLA men's basketball streak from 1971-74 for the fourth-longest winning streak in Division I history in any sport. The NCAA DI record for longest winning streak belongs to the Miami men's tennis team, which won 137 in a row from 1957-64.

The Gophers couldn't rebound the following night, as Ohio State registered a 25-20, 25-19, 25-15 upset victory on Saturday. Senior setter Ashley Hughes orchestrated a balanced Buckeye attack that saw four players register eight-plus kills and the team hit .294.

One of the other big winners from the weekend was 11th-ranked UCLA, which headed to the Bay Area and came away with two victories to make Andy Banachowski the first Division I women's volleyball coach ever to register 1,100 career victories. The Bruins won 25-20, 25-20, 16-25, 25-19 against 14th-ranked California on Friday and then ended an 18-match losing streak against Stanford the next day, with a 25-18, 34-32, 19-25, 21-25, 15-11 upset of the fourth-ranked Cardinal. Sophomore libero Lainey Gera had 20 digs on Friday and 28 on Saturday. Stanford junior libero Gabi Ailes posted 33 digs in the losing effort. Banachowski now holds a 1,100-298 (.787) career record in 40 years as a head coach. The only women's volleyball coach in any division to have won more matches than him is Larry Bock, the current head coach of Juniata College - who has 1,211 career wins on the Division III level.

UCLA's traveling partner, 16th-ranked USC, did not fare as well in its trip North. The Women of Troy lost 21-25, 25-18, 25-13, 25-23 to Stanford in front of 2,706 on Friday and then fell 25-19, 25-16, 24-26, 25-20 to Cal the next day. Stanford held a 13-7 blocking edge in the former match, while the Golden Bears got 22 kills on .356 hitting from senior outside hitter Hana Cutura to pace their effort.

Another ranked Pac-10 team that returned home from a road trip without a victory was No. 21 Washington State. On Friday, Arizona State snapped an eight-match losing streak with a 25-22, 25-18, 15-25, 25-22 upset of the Cougars in which ASU junior outside hitter Sarah Reaves had 19 kills. No. 18 Arizona then got 15 kills each from junior outside hitters Tiffany Owens and Whitney Dosty in a 25-18, 20-25, 25-11, 25-21 win over WSU on Saturday. That allowed the Wildcats to salvage a split over the weekend, having lost 18-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-19 to fifth-ranked Washington on Friday. The Huskies - who are now alone atop the Pac-10 standings with a 9-2 league record - got 18 kills from junior outside hitter Kindra Carlson in that match.

No. 9 Iowa State stayed hot and has now won 10 consecutive matches, including a five-set thriller over 22nd-ranked Baylor - the last team to beat the Cyclones - on Wednesday. ISU had to rally from deficits of 12-7 and 14-12 in the final set in order to earn a 24-26, 25-21, 25-23, 23-25, 16-14 win over the Bears. Junior outside hitter Victoria Henson led all players with 24 kills on .310 hitting to go along with 22 digs for the Cyclones - who also got 42 digs from junior libero Ashley Mass. Freshman Torri Campbell had 18 kills and nine blocks for Baylor, while sophomore libero Allison King had 32 digs. Iowa State is all alone in second place in the Big 12 with an 11-2 league mark.

There was a battle of the Big West Conference leaders on Friday night, and UC Davis earned a 25-22, 18-25, 25-17, 25-22 upset of 23rd-ranked UC Irvine. Senior Carson Lowden set the Aggies to a .290 hitting mark, and junior outside hitter Kayla Varney had 15 kills. UCI got 22 kills from junior outside hitter Kari Pestolesi. The Aggies - winners of six in a row - now stand alone atop the Big West standings with a 9-2 league record. In last week's AVCA poll, the conference had one ranked team and two more that were just outside of the top 25 - but UC Davis was not among the squads receiving votes and listed on multiple ballots. On Saturday, Pacific snapped a three-match skid with a 25-18, 25-22, 16-25, 25-20 upset of UC Irvine. Junior outside hitter Svenja Engelhardt had 15 kills for the Tigers, while freshman libero Kristin Winkler notched 30 digs for UCI in the loss.

Wisconsin earned a road upset of 15th-ranked Michigan on Friday, as senior outside hitter Brittney Dolgner notched 16 kills and junior outside hitter Allison Wack had 15. Sophomore right side Alex Hunt posted 19 kills on .359 hitting in the loss. The other big upset of the week came on Wednesday in San Diego, as Pepperdine eventually took a marathon first game and went on to a 36-34, 25-17, 25-18 win over 19th-ranked San Diego. Senior Kiah Fiers set the Waves to 55 kills (18.3 per set) and a .316 hitting mark, while junior right side Ali Troost had 21 kills in the loss for USD.

TODAY'S SCOREBOARD WATCH
Top 25 and Television Schedule - All Times Eastern
No. 3 Hawai'i at San Jose State, 10 p.m. - Live Stats

Iowa State's Rachel Hockaday

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
A Look at Last Night's Highlights
There were two big matchups of nationally-ranked teams last night in Big 12 action, but both of those ended in sweeps. No. 13 Iowa State got 15 kills from sophomore outside hitter Rachel Hockaday and edged No. 22 Texas A&M by scores of 26-24, 25-21, 26-24, while No. 7 Nebraska won 28-26, 25-17, 25-17 on the road against No. 17 Baylor. Junior libero Kayla Banwarth had 22 digs for the Huskers, while junior setter Sydney Anderson led NU to a .320 hitting mark.

The other ranked teams that played on Wednesday had little trouble. No. 2 Texas moved to 13-0 with a 25-16, 25-22, 25-12 win at Kansas. Senior All-America outside hitter Destinee Hooker had 18 kills and sophomore Michelle Kocher set the Longhorns to a .356 attack percentage. Senior libero Ashley Edinger had 19 digs in leading No. 10 Illinois to a 25-20, 25-16, 25-19 victory against Northwestern. No. 4 Hawai'i had its scheduled match against Louisiana Tech postponed until Monday when severe weather cancelled the Bulldogs' scheduled flights to Honolulu.

Jordana Price and Florida State are No. 2 in the RPI

The first edition of the official NCAA RPI came out this week. You can view it here. Below are some observations:

• It shouldn't come as a huge surprise that Texas is atop the RPI, since the Longhorns are unbeaten and eight of their victories have come against ranked teams. The more interesting thing is that two-time defending NCAA champion and current national No. 1 Penn State is not second in the RPI. Instead, the Nittany Lions - riding an NCAA-record 82-match winning streak - are third. Florida State - which is ranked 17th - is second in the RPI. The Seminoles are 15-2, with their defeats both coming in five sets - against Florida and Georgia Tech. FSU's top wins have come against Illinois, Notre Dame and Duke.
• Both Arizona and LSU also are considerably higher in the RPI than in the AVCA poll. The Wildcats are ranked 18th, but sixth in the RPI - while LSU moved into the rankings at 24th this week, but is 11th in the RPI.
• There are four teams that appear in the top 20 of the RPI but are not ranked in the AVCA poll: Michigan State (14th), Notre Dame (16th), Florida International (18th) and Tennessee (20th).
• Ohio is 24th in the RPI, but is not even receiving votes (and appearing on multiple ballots) in the AVCA poll.
• Four of the top seven teams in the RPI are from the Big Ten: No. 3 Penn State, No. 4 Illinois, No. 5 Michigan and No. 7 Minnesota.
• Hawai'i is ranked third in this week's AVCA poll, but the Rainbow Wahine are just 25th in the first RPI.
• Other teams appearing considerably lower in the RPI than in the AVCA poll include Stanford (ranked 5th; RPI of 17th), Nebraska (7th; 27th), UCLA (12th; 26th), Saint Louis (20th; 33rd), UC Irvine (21st; 54th) and San Diego (23rd; 52nd).
• If the NCAA Championship field was determined based soley on this RPI listing, and you assume that each conference's automatic bid goes to its highest-ranked team - then the last four teams to make the field as at-large participants would be Northwestern, Middle Tennessee, Georgia Tech and Miami (Fla.). The first four teams out would be Kansas, San Diego, Virginia Tech and UC Irvine.
• A field determined in that way would include nine teams each from the Big Ten and the Pac-10, as well as six from the Big 12, four each from the ACC and SEC, plus three from the Missouri Valley Conference and two each from the Atlantic 10, BIG EAST, Big West, Mountain West and Sun Belt. All other conferences would have just one participant.

Kanani Danielson and the Rainbow Wahine have their highest ranking in five years

The seventh in-season edition of the AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 was released on Monday. You can view it here. Here are a few notes:

• Big victories last weekend propelled Texas A&M (22nd) and LSU (24th) into the Top 25 this week, with both Michigan State (18th last week) and Washington State (25th) dropping out following 0-2 weekends.
• Texas A&M is in the rankings for the first time since Sept. 10, 2007, and it is the highest ranking for the Aggies since they were 20th on Sept. 19, 2005. LSU reenters the poll for the first time since Sept. 1, 2008.
• The Pac-10 still leads all conferences with seven ranked teams (all at 18th or higher), while the Big 12 boasts a season-high five squads in the rankings this week. The Big Ten has a season low of four teams in the rankings, but all of them are among the top 11. The SEC has a season-high three teams ranked while the Big West is the only other league with multiple ranked squads.
• For the seventh consecutive week, the Big Ten has three teams - No. 1 Penn State, No. 6 Minnesota and No. 10 Illinois - ranked among the top 10.
• The biggest upward movers this week were UCLA and Arizona, which both rose four spots. The Bruins are now 12th and the Wildcats are 18th, which matches a season high. The largest drop was by Long Beach State, which is down five positions to 25th.
• Penn State is No. 1 for the 31st consecutive poll - an AVCA record - since taking over the top spot on Oct. 29, 2007, while Texas has been No. 2 in every poll this season (which matches the highest ranking in program history).
• PSU received 53 first-place votes (five more than last week), while UT got seven (down two from last week). This is the first poll all season in which only two teams are receiving first-place votes - as Washington had garnered at least one in every previous edition.
• Hawai'i slid up a spot to third this week - which marks the highest ranking for the Rainbow Wahine since Dec. 6, 2004.
• Kentucky climbed two more spots to eighth, which is the highest listing for the Wildcats since Oct. 5, 1993.
• Florida State moved up two spots to 17th to match the highest ranking in program history, first done on Oct. 12, 1993, and also done two weeks ago.
• Though no teams from the Missouri Valley Conference are ranked, three league members - Northern Iowa (listed 31st), Missouri State (T-34th) and Wichita State (36th) - are receiving votes.
• Florida International is receiving votes in this week's poll, listed in a tie for 40th with nine points. It is just the second time in history that the Panthers have received votes in the AVCA poll.

The latest edition of NCAA statistics also were released on Monday. The complete listings can be found here. The Division I leaders in each category are below.

TEAM
Service Aces - Georgia State, 2.22
Assists - Texas A&M, 14.25
Blocks - Texas, 3.21
Digs - NJIT, 20.82
Hitting Percentage - Penn State, .421
Kills - Penn State, 15.07
Winning Percentage - Penn State and Texas, 1.000
INDIVIDUAL
Service Aces - Heather Meyers, Oregon, 0.70
Assists - Alisha Glass, Penn State, 12.20
Blocks - Alli Arbogast, USF, 1.69
Digs - Sabrina Baby, NJIT, 6.63
Hitting Percentage - Arielle Wilson, Penn State, .576
Kills - Yun Yi Zhang, Temple, 5.64