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.

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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.

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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:

Selection Requirements
To be considered during the at-large selection process, a team must have an overall won-lost-record above .500.

Selection Criteria
The following criteria shall be employed by a governing sports committee in selecting participants for NCAA Championships competition:

• Won-lost record
• Strength of schedule; and
• Eligibility and availability of student-athletes for NCAA championships;

In addition ... the volleyball committee has received approval from the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet to consider the following criteria in the selection of at-large teams for the volleyball championship (not necessarily in priority order):

Primary Criteria

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

Secondary Criteria
If the evaluation of the primary criteria does not result in a decision, the secondary criteria will be reviewed. All the criteria listed will be evaluated.

• Late season performance (last 10 games)
• Location of contest

Additionally, input is provided by regional advisory committees for consideration by the volleyball committee. Coaches' polls and/or any other outside polls or rankings are not used as a selection criterion by the volleyball committee for selection purposes.

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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)]

Conference	Automatic Qualifier
America East	Binghamton (15-15, 5-5; RPI: 180) Tournament Champion Tournament Central
Atlantic Coast	No. 14 Florida State (28-2, 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 (29-3, 14-1; RPI: 23) Tournament Champion Tournament Central
Big East	Louisville (21-10, 10-4; RPI: 38) Tournament Champion Tournament Central
Big Sky	Northern Colorado (21-11, 12-4; RPI: 106) Tournament Champion Tournament Central
Big South	Coastal Carolina (20-13, 10-6; RPI: 133) Tournament Champion Tournament Central
Big Ten	No. 1 Penn State (32-0, 18-0; RPI: 2) Regular-Season Champion
Big 12	No. 2 Texas (24-1, 18-1; RPI: 1) Regular-Season Champion
Big West	Long Beach State (22-8, 12-4; RPI: 34) Regular-Season Champion
Colonial Athletic	George Mason (23-8, 10-4; RPI: 77) Tournament Champion Tournament Central
Conference USA	Rice (23-8, 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	Niagara (23-8, 14-4; RPI: 162) Tournament Champion Tournament Central
Mid-American	Ohio (26-6, 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	No. 20 Northern Iowa (30-2, 18-0; RPI: 20) Tournament Champion Tournament Central
Mountain West	No. 23 Colorado State (23-5, 15-1; RPI: 18) Regular-Season Champion
Northeast	Long Island (21-13, 16-0; RPI: 190) Tournament Champion Tournament Central
Ohio Valley	Jacksonville State (26-7, 17-1; RPI: 82) Tournament Champion Tournament Central
Pacific-10	No. 6 Stanford (21-7, 14-4; RPI: 6) Regular-Season Champion
Patriot	Army (26-5, 12-2; RPI: 103) Tournament Champion Tournament Central
Southeastern	No. 17 LSU (23-6, 18-2; RPI: 12) Regular-Season Champion
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 (25-9, 15-2; RPI: 30) Tournament Champion Tournament Central
West Coast	No. 21 Saint Mary's (22-4, 13-1; RPI: 35) Regular-Season Champion
Western Athletic	No. 3 Hawai'i (28-2, 16-0; RPI: 22) Tournament Champion Tournament Central

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

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.

Cassie Robbins and Washington State took part in the Attacking Breat Cancer Pink Campaign and knocked off Washington

The biggest upset of the weekend came on Friday in Pullman, as Washington State - the first team outside of the Top 25 - snapped a 12-match losing streak against its biggest rival and registered an 18-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-22 victory over No. 4 Washington in front of 2,724 fans. Meagan Ganzer led the Cougars with 15 kills, while three players in the match - UW's Tamari Miyashiro (28) and the WSU pair of Oceana Bush (23) and Jackie Albright (22) - had 20+ digs.

The showdown in the SEC didn't disappoint, as seventh-ranked Kentucky eventually prevailed in five (25-23, 19-25, 16-25, 25-15) over No. 20 LSU on Saturday. Sarah Mendoza paced UK with 21 kills and 12 digs, while LSU had 17 blocks in the losing effort - with Lauren DeGirolamo and Brittnee Cooper taking part in nine each.

Two of the elite teams in the Big Ten also matched up on Saturday, and No. 9 Minnesota pulled out a four-set (20-25, 25-19, 25-22, 25-10) win over 11th-ranked Michigan in front of a crowd of 7,547. Taylor Carico set the Gophers to a .298 hitting mark, with Tabitha Love leading the attack with 29 kills on .455 hitting. Minnesota had a big advantage at the net, outblocking the Wolverines 15-5 - which was a big part of U-M hitting just .148.

No. 12 Oregon headed to Los Angeles for the weekend and could not come away with a victory. On Friday, it was 13th-ranked UCLA earning a 26-24, 25-18, 22-25, 22-25, 15-9 triumph over the Ducks. Amanda Gil had 14 kills on .345 hitting and also was in on 10 of the Bruins' 18.5 blocks. Sonja Newcombe had 22 kills and 23 digs for UO in the losing effort. Newcombe had 21 kills and 10 digs in just three sets the following afternoon, but the Ducks were edged in each of those frames in a 26-24, 25-23, 30-28 defeat at the hands of No. 18 USC. Alex Jupiter led the Women of Troy with 19 kills, while Alli Hillgren had 20 digs.

No. 16 Arizona suffered a similar fate to Oregon - as the Wildcats returned home with a pair of losses against two of the best teams in the Pac-10. The Wildcats lost in four (25-19, 21-25, 25-16, 25-16) against California on Friday. That match featured one of the top individual performances of the weekend, as Cal's Hana Cutura posted 31 kills on just 47 swings for a .638 hitting mark - and also added 11 digs. Junior setter Carli Lloyd helped the Bears to a .331 attack percentage as a team. On Sunday, sixth-ranked Stanford swept Arizona 25-22, 25-21, 25-23 in front of 2,131 fans. The Cardinal had six service aces in the match and got 11 kills on .429 hitting from Janet Okogbaa. - while Arizona's Whitney Dosty led all players with 15 kills.

There were two other instances of unranked teams pulling off upsets. The first came on Thursday, as TCU cooled off the newest member of the Top 25 with a 25-23, 25-22, 25-10 win against 25th-ranked Colorado State in front of a record crowd of 1,875 in Fort Worth. TCU got 11 kills from Christy Hudson, and Megan Munce had three of the Horned Frogs' seven aces, as TCU held the Rams to a .097 hitting mark and snapped CSU's 12-match winning streak.

On Friday, UC Santa Barbara upset 19th-ranked UC Irvine in a five-set decision (14-25, 25-22, 17-25, 25-22, 19-17) on the road. The Gauchos got 28 kills and 13 digs from Rebecca Saraceno, as well as 26 digs from Chelsey Lowe on the way to improving to 4-1 against ranked teams this season - and sweeping the season series with the Anteaters. UCI held statistical advantages in just about every category - including kills, hitting percentage, aces, digs and blocks - but came up short in the end despite 22 kills from Kari Pestolesi.

Both undefeated teams remained that way without much difficulty. Top-ranked Penn State beat Indiana 25-19, 25-13, 25-17 on Friday and dominated Purdue 25-13, 25-15, 25-12 the following day. Megan Hodge had 16 kills on .538 hitting against the Hoosiers, while Alisha Glass set the Lions to a .362 team mark against IU and a .438 percentage vs. the Boilermakers. No. 2 Texas beat Colorado 25-23, 25-12, 25-15 on Saturday. Michelle Kocher set the Longhorns to a .443 hitting percentage, and Destinee Hooker had six service aces for UT.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
A Look Back at Yesterday's Highlights
Five nationally-ranked teams played last night and all came through with victories - though a few were somewhat challenged. Topping that group was No. 1 Penn State, which dropped a set for the second time in less than a week but eventually won in four (25-17, 23-25, 25-15, 25-13) against Ohio State with senior Alisha Glass setting the Lions to a .353 mark. No. 6 Florida lost the first set at South Carolina but rallied for a 4-26, 25-19, 25-23, 25-15 victory. Sophomore right-side/setter Kelly Murphy became the first Division I player to post four triple-doubles this season, with 12 kills, 25 assists and 17 digs.

Victoria Henson posted 24 kills, 14 digs and six blocks to help No. 14 Iowa State gain a 25-23, 22-25, 25-10, 25-21 win at Oklahoma. Elsewhere in the Big 12, senior Taylor Barnes led No. 17 Baylor to a .309 hitting mark and a 25-19, 25-23, 25-20 win at Texas Tech. No. 9 Nebraska swept Kansas 25-20, 25-20, 25-21 thanks to 15 kills on .448 hitting from Hannah Werth.

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WEEKEND PREVIEW
• The biggest test of the season thus far is on the horizon for top-ranked Penn State which has dropped two sets in the last three matches. The Nittany Lions will be at No. 5 Minnesota on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT on the Big Ten Network.
• The Gophers are 13-3 overall and have registered sweeps in all four of their Big Ten contests. PSU has won nine straight vs. Minnesota, including four consecutive three-set decisions.
• The Pac-10 has a record eight teams in the national rankings this week, and of the seven matches between ranked teams set for this weekend, all but one features Pac-10 teams.
• No. 3 Washington - the only DI team that has yet to lose a set - has another tough weekend ahead, as the Cougars will head to the Bay Area for matches against No. 15 California and seventh-ranked Stanford. The Huskies are the only team that is unbeaten in Pac-10 play, at 4-0.
• No. 25 Washington State also heads to the Bay Area and will face No. 7 Stanford on Friday and 15th-ranked Cal on Saturday. The Cougars - who are ranked for the first time in more than six years - are 13-1 overall and in second place in the Pac-10 standings at 3-1. Stanford is one-half game back at 2-1 in league play, while every other team already has been beaten at least twice in conference action.
• Saturday's match in Palo Alto pits the teams that have taken the top two spots in the Pac-10 standings in each of the last five years. Stanford edged out Washington for the league title in each of the last three seasons after the Huskies finished first ahead of the Cardinal in both 2004 and '05.
• In other Pac-10 activity between ranked teams, No. 13 USC is at No. 16 UCLA on Friday and seventh-ranked Oregon plays on the road against No. 22 Arizona on Saturday.
• Second-ranked Texas plays host to Oklahoma on Saturday. The Sooners beat the Longhorns in five in the last match between the schools - which stands as the last tim UT was beaten at home. Texas does hold a 33-2 advantage in the all-time series.
• Another big match in the Big 12 pits No. 17 Baylor against Texas A&M, which is the first team outside of the top 25.
• No. 12 Illinois has a big weekend, as it welcomes a pair of teams that are receiving votes in the poll this week: Indiana and Purdue.
• Elsewhere, No. 19 Florida State hits the road to face the only team unbeaten in ACC action, Duke, and the two remaining unbeatens in BIG EAST play - Notre Dame and Cincinnati - play at Notre Dame.

TODAY'S SCOREBOARD WATCH
Complete Top 25 and TV Schedule (All Times Eastern)
New Mexico at BYU, 9 p.m. - TV: BYU Television | Live Stats
Wyoming at Air Force, 9:30 p.m. - TV: The Mtn. | Free Video | Live Stats
San Francisco at No. 24 San Diego, 10 p.m. - Free Video | Live Stats
Nevada at No. 4 Hawai'I, 1 a.m. - TV: KFVE | Free Audio | Live Stats

Indiana's Ashley Benson had 21 kills vs. Purdue

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
A Look Back at Last Night's Highlights
We were treated to a pair of five-set nationally-televised matches last night that produced some exciting volleyball. Oklahoma honored the memory of Javi Restrepo, the son of OU head coach Santiago Restrepo (read more here), and the Sooners - who entered the match having dropped 23 in a row against Nebraska - came out firing en route to taking the opening set 25-17. Eventually, though, it was sophomore middle blocker Brooke Delano and freshman Hannah Werth who keyed a run in the fifth set that allowed the 10th-ranked Huskers to claim a 17-25, 26-24, 25-15, 25-27, 15-10 triumph. Werth led all players with 17 kills, while junior libero Kayla Banwarth had 26 digs.

Junior middle blocker Ashley Benson and freshman outside hitter Jordan Haverly led Indiana to a 25-22, 25-17, 17-25, 17-25, 15-13 victory at Purdue (which was just three spots outside of the Top 25 this week). Benson had a match-high 21 kills on .349 hitting, while Haverly posted 19 kills on .395 to help the Hoosiers to their first road win over their biggest rival since 2002.

No. 2 Texas also kept rolling with a 28-26, 25-20, 25-21 win against the second team outside of the rankings, Texas A&M. Senior outside hitter Destinee Hooker had 17 kills on .469 hitting and 12 digs to lead the Longhorns. The Aggies did hold a 5.5-4 edge in blocks against Texas, which came into the match leading Division I in the category.

WHAT'S IN STORE
This Week's Top Matchups
The weekend figures to have several more interesting matchups. Tomorrow we'll have a more-detailed listing of the big matches (including ways to follow them), but below are some notes about the action that looms.

• A clash of the titans in the SEC is set for Friday evening, as No. 5 Florida (10-1, 4-0 SEC) and 15th-ranked Kentucky (13-1, 3-0) - the SEC's only two ranked teams and the only squads still unbeaten in its league play - will play in Gainesville. It also is Gators GO GREEN Night.
• Kentucky - sporting its highest national ranking since 1993 - rallied for a five-set victory at home against Florida last November to snap a 38-match winning streak by the Gators in the series. UK has lost 19 straight at Florida, with the last Wildcats' victory coming in 1989.
• The Pac-10 - which has seven of its members ranked in the top 18 this week and the other three all receiving votes - is, not surprisingly, rife with great matchups. The Los Angeles area will play host to four clashes of ranked teams, as No. 9 California (8-3, 1-0) and 11th-ranked Stanford (7-4, 0-1) head South to face 13th-ranked USC (12-2, 1-1) and No. 16 UCLA (11-4, 1-1). The Bears and Trojans play on Friday night at the same time that the Bruins try to snap a 16-match skid against the Cardinal. On Saturday evening, it will be Cal-UCLA and Stanford-USC.
• No. 12 Illinois (9-2, 1-1) - which was swept by Penn State to wind up last weekend - faces a difficult road trip. The Fighting Illini will be at No. 23 Michigan State (12-2, 0-2) on Friday and at sixth-ranked Michigan (14-1, 2-0) on Saturday.
• No. 3 Washington (12-0, 2-0) figures to face the toughest test among the unbeatens, as the Huskies welcome Arizona State (11-3, 1-1) - which is receiving votes - on Friday and 18th-ranked Arizona (12-1, 1-1) on Saturday.
• Top-ranked Penn State (14-0, 2-0) looks to extend its NCAA-record 78-match winning streak with home matches against Iowa (9-5, 1-1) and Wisconsin (5-6, 0-2).
• Second-ranked Texas (10-0, 5-0) hits the road to face Kansas State (6-7, 0-3) on Friday.
• UC Santa Barbara (11-2, 2-0) - which turned in a thrilling come-from-behind upset of UC Irvine last weekend and is now the first team outside of the Top 25 - has a tough road trip ahead. The Gauchos will play at No. 22 Long Beach State (8-3, 1-0) on Friday and then take on Cal State Fullerton (9-5, 0-1) - which upset UCLA a few weeks ago - on Saturday.
• Two of the most-efficient hitters in the country will go against each other on Sunday, as Indiana junior Ashley Benson - who came into the week ranking ninth nationally in hitting percentage (.427) - will face Minnesota junior Lauren Gibbemeyer (6th, .446) in Bloomington. Both teams also rank among the national top 20 in team blocking; Minnesota (11-3, 2-0) is 10th (2.88), while IU (13-4, 2-1) is 19th (2.69). The Gophers open the weekend with a road match against Purdue (9-5, 1-2).
• Sophomore Darlene Ramdin of St. John's (8-10, 1-1) - who ranks third in Division I with 4.93 kills per set - will face a challenge on Sunday against USF (9-3, 2-0). The Bulls are seventh in the nation in team blocking (2.93 per set).
• A couple other noteworthy matches: seventh-ranked Oregon (11-1, 1-1) heads to Oregon State (9-5, 0-2) on Friday and No. 20 San Diego (8-3, 0-0) is at Pepperdine (7-5, 0-0) on Saturday.

TODAY'S SCOREBOARD WATCH
Complete Top 25 and TV Schedule, Plus Some Other Big Matches (All Times Eastern)
No. 4 Hawai'i at Louisiana Tech, 8 p.m. - Watch Free | Live Stats
Utah at UNLV, 9:30 p.m. - TV: The Mtn. | Live Stats
No. 20 San Diego at Loyola Marymount, 10 p.m. - Watch Free | Live Stats
Saint Mary's at Pepperdine, 10 p.m. - Live Stats

Penn State's Arielle Wilson Courtesy Penn State Athletic Communications

In some ways, this past weekend crystallized something that had been becoming apparent throughout the entire non-conference season: there are three teams - Penn State, Texas and Washington - in college volleyball that appear to be standing above the rest. After all, the weekend began with eight unbeaten teams remaining in Division I, but wound up with just three - the schools that have held the top three positions in the AVCA Top 25 for the last four weeks. All of them faced difficult road matchups last weekend - and each appeared to barely break a sweat en route to victory. Check back later this week for a comparison of these teams. But for now, let's take a look at what they did over the weekend, as well as some other noteworthy results.

Top-ranked Penn State faced a nationally-ranked team for just the second time this season on Saturday evening (and the first provided somewhat of a scare to the Nittany Lions who - gasp! - nearly dropped a set before recovering for a 29-27, 25-18, 25-14 win at then-No. 20 Saint Louis during the season's opening weekend). But PSU cut through 15th-ranked Illinois with ease in a 25-11, 25-17, 25-17 decision. Senior setter and two-time All-American Alisha Glass led her offense to 48 kills - spread among just four players - on a .451 attack percentage. Freshman Darcy Dorton had a team-high 14 kills on .545 hitting, while junior middle blocker Arielle Wilson converted 13 kills on just 16 attempts (.750) and senior outside hitter Megan Hodge - a three-time first-team All-American and the Most Outstanding Player in both of the last two NCAA Championships - finished with 12 kills and 10 digs. The Lions also limited Illinois to .147 hitting and had 16 more digs than the Illini - who got 16 kills from sophomore outside hitter Michelle Bartsch. PSU has won 78 consecutive matches, an NCAA record.

Second-ranked Texas dealt No. 6 Nebraska a rare home defeat on Saturday afternoon, by scores of 25-22, 18-25, 25-17, 25-17. It ended the Cornhuskers' 82-match winning streak at the NU Coliseum (Nebraska's NCAA-record overall home winning streak was snapped at 90 by UCLA earlier this month at the Devaney Center). UT also became the first Big 12 team to win in Lincoln since Missouri did so in 2003 (ending a 56-match streak) and earned its first victory at Nebraska since 1988. Senior outside hitter and two-time All-American Destinee Hooker led the way with 15 kills on .308 hitting to go with 12 digs. The Longhorns held Nebraska to a .132 hitting mark in the match. Eight of Texas' nine victories this season have come against ranked teams.

No. 3 Washington posted its third sweep of a top-10 team this season with a 25-18, 26-24, 25-19 victory against seventh-ranked Oregon in a battle of unbeatens on Friday evening. Junior outside hitter Kindra Carlson led the Huskies with 13 kills, while senior libero Tamari Miyashiro - who became UW's all-time leader in digs later in the weekend - had 18 digs to help hold Oregon to .143 hitting. Washington also served up 11 aces (and only four errors) against a Ducks team that had been leading Division I in service aces per set. Oregon did get 17 kills and 11 digs from senior outside hitter Sonja Newcombe. The Huskies have yet to drop a set in 12 matches this season.

In another big matchup, senior All-America outside hitter Hana Cutura had 21 kills to lead No. 12 California past 10th-ranked Stanford in five sets (19-25, 25-20, 20-25, 25-19, 15-12) in front of 4,189 fans. Junior All-America outside hitter Alix Klineman had 23 for the Cardinal, which also got a triple-double (14 kills, 16 assists, 11 digs) from junior Cassidy Licthman.

UCSB's Rebecca Saraceno Courtesy UC Santa Barbara Athletic Communications

Pac-10 parity also was on display in Arizona, as No. 13 USC, No. 14 UCLA, No. 19 Arizona and Arizona State all went 1-1. Junior outside hitter Sarah Reaves (15 kills, 10 digs) led ASU to a 25-16, 25-22, 25-22 upset of UCLA, but the Bruins would rebound for a four-set road victory (22-25, 27-25, 25-14, 25-13) at Arizona. Junior outside hitter Dicey McGraw had 20 kills and 15 digs for UCLA in the latter contest. The Wildcats posted a 25-21, 25-23, 22-25, 25-21 triumph against USC, with junior outside hitter Tiffany Owens registering 16 kills and 13 digs. The Women of Troy then got a huge night from sophomore outside hitter Alex Jupiter - who had 31 kills on .433 hitting and 20 digs - to beat the Sun Devils 25-22, 21-25, 25-21, 25-22. Reaves had 20 kills and 10 digs in that match.

In the Big Ten, No. 16 Michigan State dropped a pair of matches in the Hoosier State after opening the season with 12 straight wins. Purdue beat the Spartans 25-14, 25-21, 19-25, 25-21 on Friday, while Indiana topped MSU 25-19, 18-25, 25-23, 25-18 the following night, with IU junior middle blocker Ashley Benson leading all players with 14 kills on .545 hitting. The Boilermakers almost made it a pair of upsets, but ended up falling in five against No. 8 Michigan, 17-25, 25-23, 15-25, 25-20, 15-13. Senior outside hitter Juliana Paz led the Wolverines with 18 kills.

No. 20 Wichita State had won 36 straight regular-season matches and 38 in a row on the road against Missouri Valley Conference foes before Missouri State prevailed 22-25, 25-18, 22-25, 25-18, 15-6 on Friday evening. Senior outside hitter Addie Foley had 18 kills and 15 digs to lead the Bears, while senior outside hitter Emily Stockman posted 27 kills and 12 digs in the losing effort for WSU.

UC Santa Barbara turned in the rally of the weekend, as the Gauchos were down two sets and 19-11 in the third before coming back for a 23-25, 27-29, 27-25, 25-16, 15-9 upset victory against No. 21 UC Irvine on Saturday. Senior outside hitter Rebecca Saraceno led UCSB's effort with 29 kills and 15 digs.

Purdue sophomore middle hitter Tiffany Fisher (courtesy Purdue Sports Information)

We have finally reached the first weekend where virtually every conference will feature league matchups - meaning familiar rivalries will be renewed all over the country. There are lots of intriguing matchups waiting for us, and below are some notes about some of them - followed by a listing of the entire Top 25 schedule, as well as some other big matches slated for the weekend.

• The nation's top three teams - Penn State, Texas and Washington - have each been quite impressive en route to remaining unbeaten this season. But all three now face stiff road tests. The Longhorns take on No. 6 Nebraska - which recently had its NCAA-record 90-match home winning streak ended - on Saturday afternoon, while the Nittany Lions will be at No. 15 Illinois for an evening match. The Huskies have a Friday night match against No. 7 Oregon in a battle of undefeated teams.
• The Pac-10 schedule is riddled with great matchups, including four contests between ranked teams and two battles of unbeatens. No. 13 USC and 14th-ranked UCLA go East to take on No. 19 Arizona and Arizona State (10-2), while third-ranked Washington and undefeated Washington State (11-0) head South to face No. 7 Oregon and Oregon State (9-3). Also, No. 10 Stanford and No. 12 California hook up in Berkeley.
• Purdue - which is 8-3 and the fifth team outside of the Top 25 this week - faces a big home weekend. The Boilermakers will play host to 16th-ranked and unbeaten Michigan State on Friday before welcoming No. 8 Michigan on Sunday.
• Two other potential matchups of note come on Saturday: Kansas State at No. 11 Iowa State and UC Santa Barbara at No. 21 UC Irvine.
• There are eight Division I teams (including four in the Pac-10) that remain unbeaten. Six of those - No. 1 Penn State, No. 2 Texas, No. 3 Washington, No. 7 Oregon, No. 16 Michigan State and No. 19 Arizona - are currently in the Top 25. Another, Washington State, is receiving votes in the poll. The other undefeated team is Southern Illinois, which stands 11-0 on the strength of a trio of five-set victories. The Salukis hit the road to face Northern Iowa (which is receiving votes) and Bradley this weekend.
• There are eight televised matches this weekend. Three are on local channels, while two others are tape-delayed. See below for details.

WEEKEND SCOREBOARD WATCH
Complete Top 25 Schedule, Plus Some Other Big Matches (All Times Eastern)
Friday, September 25
Mississippi State at No. 5 Florida, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 8 Michigan at Indiana, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 16 Michigan State at Purdue, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
Mississippi at No. 17 Kentucky, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
Virginia Tech at No. 18 Florida State, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 23 Saint Louis at Rhode Island, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 1 Penn State at Northwestern, 8 p.m. - Live Stats
Wisconsin at No. 9 Minnesota, 8 p.m. - Live Stats
Ohio State at No. 15 Illinois, 8 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 20 Wichita State at Missouri State, 8 p.m. - Live Stats
Southern Illinois at Northern Iowa, 8 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 3 Washington at No. 7 Oregon, 10 p.m.
No. 10 Stanford at No. 12 California, 10 p.m. - TV: Fox Sports Net (airs on Sunday) - Live Stats
No. 13 USC at No. 19 Arizona, 10 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 14 UCLA at Arizona State, 10 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 21 UC Irvine at Cal Poly, 10 p.m. - Live Stats
San Diego State at No. 22 San Diego, 10 p.m. - Watch Free - Live Stats
Washington State at Oregon State, 10 p.m. - Live Stats

Saturday, September 26
No. 2 Texas at No. 6 Nebraska, 2 p.m. - TV: NET - Watch Free - Live Stats
No. 23 Saint Louis at Fordham, 2 p.m. - Live Stats
Kansas at No. 24 Baylor, 2 p.m. - Live Stats
Kansas State at No. 11 Iowa State, 3 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 16 Michigan State at Indiana, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 1 Penn State at No. 15 Illinois, 8 p.m. - TV: Big Ten Network - Live Stats
Iowa at No. 9 Minnesota, 8 p.m. - Live Stats
Southern Illinois at Bradley, 8 p.m.
No. 13 USC at Arizona State, 10 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 14 UCLA at Arizona, 10 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 21 UC Irvine at UC Santa Barbara, 10 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 25 Long Beach State at Cal State Fullerton, 10 p.m. - Live Stats
Idaho at No. 4 Hawai'I, 1 a.m. - TV: KFVE - Live Stats

Sunday, September 27
Virginia at No. 18 Florida State, Noon - Live Stats
No. 8 Michigan at Purdue, 1 p.m. - Live Stats
Alabama at No. 5 Florida, 1:30 p.m. - Live Stats
Arkansas at No. 17 Kentucky, 1:30 p.m. - TV: CWKYT - Live Stats
UCF at Marshall, 2 p.m. - TV: CBS College Sports (airs on Wednesday at 7 p.m.) - Live Stats
Mississippi State at South Carolina, 3 p.m. - TV: Fox Sports Net - Live Stats
Washington State at No. 7 Oregon, 4 p.m.
No. 3 Washington at Oregon State, 5 p.m. - Watch Free - Live Stats
Mississippi at Tennessee, 5 p.m. - TV: ESPNU - Live Stats