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Y! MyWeb2010 SEC VOLLEYBALL
SEC Volleyball could be titled SEC Women's Volleyball since the SEC doesn't compete in Men's Volleyball. But, that is common in the NCAA. In fact, 311 NCAA Division I schools compete in Women's Volleyball. Only 22 compete in Men's. [The reason for this probably relates to Federal Title IX requirements -- see Baseball and Title IX.]
Kentucky volleyball dig.
Thanks to ukathletics for the photo .
In any event, the first question this site answers is – which conference is the best volleyball conference?
The answer?
Sorry, not the SEC.
The best NCAA Division I women's volleyball conference is clearly the
1. PAC-10 PAC-10 schools have won the Women's NCAA Volleyball Championship 5 of the past 9 years. The Pac-10 has not won it all the past 4 years. However, in 3 of those years, the runner-up was the Pac-10's Stanford who lost to Nebraska in '06 and Penn State in '07 and '08 in the final championship match. The Washington Huskies won it all in 2005 and USC and Stanford both won it 2 years each. Plus, going back ten or even twenty years you still have the PAC-10 winning more than anyone else. UCLA, for instance, won the NCAA Championship three times between 1984 and 1991. In 2007, the PAC-10 had 6 teams selected to go the NCAA tournament; 5 made it to the "Sweet 16"; 4 to the "Great 8"; and, amazingly, 3 out of the final 4 (Stanford, USC and California) were from the Pac-10. Finally, at the end of the regular season this past year (2008); 5 of the top 10 ranked college volleyball teams were in the Pac-10. No other conference had more than 2. So, the PAC-10 is clearly the #1 overall womens college volleyball conference.
Thanks to utsports.com for photo #2 above. Thanks to ukathletics.com for photos 1, 3 and 4 above. All rights are reserved for these photos.
Now, after that, the next two conferences are very close. You could make an argument for either being #2. They are:
2. Big-10 Penn State won it all in 2007, 2008 and 2009!! The Nittany Lions are the first college volleyball team to ever win three straight National Championships. They went undefeated (38-0) in 2009. In '07 the Big Ten had 6 schools picked for the NCAA tournament; 3 made it to the "Sweet 16". Penn State is currently ranked #1 in the nation.
3. Big-12 Texas was #2 in the nation last year; lost to Penn State in a thrilling 5 game final match; losing the decisive game 15-13. Wow, close!! The Big 12 had 6 teams selected for the '07 NCAA tournament, 3 made it to the "Sweet 16". Plus, they have two of the four top ranked teams (Texas and Nebraska) in America right now.
4. SEC 4 teams picked for the 2008 NCAA tournament. But only 1 (Florida Lady Gators) made it to the round of 16. So, SEC Volleyball has slid a bit the past couple years. In '07 it had 5 teams picked for the NCAA Volleyball Tournament; in '06 it had 7. I don't mean to denigrate SEC Volleyball at all. It's good. It is one of only 4 conferences that as a conference seriously competes on a national level. It's just that the gap between SEC Volleyball and the top 3 volleyball conferences is still substantial.
5. No other conference is worth mentioning in Women's Volleyball. The ACC and Big East each had one team get selected for the '07 NCAA tournament (Duke and St. John's). Duke won one match; St. John's 2. Really, only the four conferences listed above are competitive (as a whole) in this sport. Women's Volleyball is unique in college sports in that a relatively large percentage (about 2/3) of the teams that make the NcAA tournament are from various minor college sports conferences. However, those teams don't make it far. Again, NCAA volleyball is dominated by the Pac-10; Big Ten and Big 12.
There must be something about LSU, Florida and SEC Fall Women's sports. In both 2007 and 2008, the Florida Lady Gators won both the SEC Volleyball and SEC Soccer Championships -- and the LSU Lady Tigers won the SEC Western Division Volleyball and Soccer Championships (finised second to Florida overall in both). What will happen in 2009? Read our 2009 SEC Volleyball Preview and Predictions below:
For now, Congrats to the Florida Lady Gators for winning the 2008 SEC Volleyball Championship.
Here are our current rankings of 2009 SEC Volleyball teams. Click on link to go to team page:
1. Florida Gators -- Still #1 in SEC Volleyball. (Even though they finished behind Kentucky in 2009). The Lady Gators finished the season ranked 11th nationally. Kentucky challenged the Lady Gators in 2008. In the end, UF took the crown. The Florida Volleyball team also made it further than any other SEC volleyball team in the NCAA's -- winning 2 matches before losing to tournament runner-up, Stanford, in the "Sweet 16." The Lady Gators look to be as good if not better in 2009, returning nearly all of the team's key players.
2. Kentucky Wildcats -- #2 in the SEC in 2009. Kentucky challenged Florida for supremacy of SEC Volleyball in 2008. They went 17-3 in the SEC. But, the Lady Gators won it; going 18-2. UK ended the season ranked 20th nationally. Kentucky lost in a tough match to Michigan in the first round of the 2008 NCAA tournament. The Kentucky Wildcats Volleyballers must resent the Florida Gators to no end. At this time, Kentucky is stringing together a tremendous run within the program, and yet, they still remain unable to dethrone the Gators from the top of the Confernece. The team should be very strong again in 2009, however, due to the fact that yet again the Gators should be competiitve, the team may once again be the bridesmaid as opposed to being the bride.
3. LSU Tigers Volleyball -- #1 in the SEC in 2009. LSU came along as the season progressed. They ended up winning the SEC West title and getting an NCAA bid. However, they lost to UCLA in the first round of the tournament. LSU may be the team that will be the single most hurt bu graduation from 2008. Indeed, the team is loding 3 key seniors, including one of the best attackers and one of the best defenders in the SEC in 2008. Despite some good young talent coming in, it is by no means certain that the team will come together quickly enough to post a record as strong as last year's 18-10 record overall. How quickly the team comes together will speak volumes.
4. Tennessee Volunteers -- #4 in the SEC in 2009. The Lady Vols got their tournament bid; however, they lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in a heartbreaker to Clemson. Still, the Lady Vols volleyballers had a nice year, ending up ranked 30th nationally at the end of the regular season. UT is another team that is currently performing at a high level, yet which seems to be positioned, unfortunately, in the wrong division, are the Tennessee Volunteers. This is a program that has gotten better and better in recent years, yet can only manage 3rd place in the extremely competitive SEC Eastern division. That 3rd place finish may be difficult to repeat given some of the losses that the team is expected to experience in 2009.
5. South Carolina Gamecocks -- The Lady Gamecocks started out strong, but faded as the season went along. They were disappointed not to get an NCAA bid. Still, they showed great promise for the future. The South Carolina Gamecocks are another program that is unable to fully enjoy the growing successes that the team experienced in 2008 because of the fact that it is victim of being in such a difficult divison. 21-9 overall and 12-8 within the SEC could put the team at or near the top in the SEC West, however in the SEC East, it is merely good enough for 4th. The Gamecocks should still be competitive in 2009, but may be hampered by the loss of some key seniors from last year.
6. Ole Miss Rebels -- 2d in the SEC West in 2008. Doesn't say that much unfortunately as the West is weak in volleyball. Ole Miss was a mediocre performer in 2008, and it is expected to come close to duplicating its 2008 record of 14-15 for the upcoming 2009 season. The team has for years been on the cusp of joining the competitive teams within the SEC, yet has been unable to make that step, and instead finds itself in somewhat of a limbo, not good enough to compete with the best, but most definitely not the worst. Will 2009 be the season when the team finally decides which group to belong to?
7. Georgia Bulldogs -- Poor Georgia. Last in the SEC East. Still, that's pretty good. They finished 10-10 in the SEC; 17-14 overall. The team may struggle to match that winning record in 2009, given the loss of two key graduating seniors. The team's ability to do so will speak volumes about its chance at repeat success.
8. Alabama Crimson Tide -- Faded as the season progressed. The Alabama Crimson Tide enter the 2009 season coming off a season of unbalanced performance in which it really did not seem to live up to its full potential. The team finsihed the year with a reasonable record of 16-13-2, but never really got itself pointed in the right direction for long stretches. It remains to be seen whether in 2009 the team is able to advance within the confernece, and the most important development that could befall the team would be the development of a true powerhouse offensively, as the team was severely hindered by the lack of one last season.
9. Arkansas Razorbacks -- The Arkansas Razorbacks are mired towards the depths of the Southeastern Conference, and have been for a while. In 2008, the team managed only a record of 7-23 overall, and 4-16 in the SEC. There were very few bright spots on the season, and it remains to be seen whether 2009 will provide the team with an opportunity to move in the right direction. More likely, the team will finish towards the bottom of the SEC West once again.
10. Mississippi State Bulldogs -- Mississippi State, if we had to place a wager, will probably lose the battle for 5th place in the SEC, as the program seems to be just a hair behind Auburn by many measures. However, when teams are so bad, it is often difficult to compare them. Indeed, its 2008 season resulted in a 6-25 record overall and a 1-19 record in the conference. The team has some pieces, yet seems one year away from really being able to get it together.
11. Auburn Tigers -- The Auburn Tigers are another team that really is hoping that 2009 will represent an opportunity to make a change for the better, coming off a real season to forget in 2008. The team posted an overall record of 6-25 last season, a record which was lusty in comparison to that which it posted in the SEC, an anemic 1-19 record. The team will be engaged in a fierce battle with Mississippi State to avoid the basement of the SEC West division.
12. Vanderbilt Commodores -- VANDY does not have a volleyball team. So, obviously they are last in the SEC in the sport.
Did you know?
The NCAA Women's Volleyball Rules Committee approved rule changes for the past (2008) season. The most notable change was the adoption of the "international match-scoring system." The way it now works is that sets one through four will be played to 25 points instead of 30. If a fifth set is needed, it is played to 15 as before. The result was that the matches were a little bit shorter and faster.
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The answer?
Sorry, not the SEC.
The best NCAA Division I women's volleyball conference is clearly the
1. PAC-10 PAC-10 schools have won the Women's NCAA Volleyball Championship 5 of the past 9 years. The Pac-10 has not won it all the past 4 years. However, in 3 of those years, the runner-up was the Pac-10's Stanford who lost to Nebraska in '06 and Penn State in '07 and '08 in the final championship match. The Washington Huskies won it all in 2005 and USC and Stanford both won it 2 years each. Plus, going back ten or even twenty years you still have the PAC-10 winning more than anyone else. UCLA, for instance, won the NCAA Championship three times between 1984 and 1991. In 2007, the PAC-10 had 6 teams selected to go the NCAA tournament; 5 made it to the "Sweet 16"; 4 to the "Great 8"; and, amazingly, 3 out of the final 4 (Stanford, USC and California) were from the Pac-10. Finally, at the end of the regular season this past year (2008); 5 of the top 10 ranked college volleyball teams were in the Pac-10. No other conference had more than 2. So, the PAC-10 is clearly the #1 overall womens college volleyball conference.
Ever wonder which Southeastern Conference volleyball player was the best in history? Find out who we picked at Best All-Time SEC Volleyball Player
Now, after that, the next two conferences are very close. You could make an argument for either being #2. They are:
2. Big-10 Penn State won it all in 2007, 2008 and 2009!! The Nittany Lions are the first college volleyball team to ever win three straight National Championships. They went undefeated (38-0) in 2009. In '07 the Big Ten had 6 schools picked for the NCAA tournament; 3 made it to the "Sweet 16". Penn State is currently ranked #1 in the nation.
3. Big-12 Texas was #2 in the nation last year; lost to Penn State in a thrilling 5 game final match; losing the decisive game 15-13. Wow, close!! The Big 12 had 6 teams selected for the '07 NCAA tournament, 3 made it to the "Sweet 16". Plus, they have two of the four top ranked teams (Texas and Nebraska) in America right now.
4. SEC 4 teams picked for the 2008 NCAA tournament. But only 1 (Florida Lady Gators) made it to the round of 16. So, SEC Volleyball has slid a bit the past couple years. In '07 it had 5 teams picked for the NCAA Volleyball Tournament; in '06 it had 7. I don't mean to denigrate SEC Volleyball at all. It's good. It is one of only 4 conferences that as a conference seriously competes on a national level. It's just that the gap between SEC Volleyball and the top 3 volleyball conferences is still substantial.
5. No other conference is worth mentioning in Women's Volleyball. The ACC and Big East each had one team get selected for the '07 NCAA tournament (Duke and St. John's). Duke won one match; St. John's 2. Really, only the four conferences listed above are competitive (as a whole) in this sport. Women's Volleyball is unique in college sports in that a relatively large percentage (about 2/3) of the teams that make the NcAA tournament are from various minor college sports conferences. However, those teams don't make it far. Again, NCAA volleyball is dominated by the Pac-10; Big Ten and Big 12.
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There must be something about LSU, Florida and SEC Fall Women's sports. In both 2007 and 2008, the Florida Lady Gators won both the SEC Volleyball and SEC Soccer Championships -- and the LSU Lady Tigers won the SEC Western Division Volleyball and Soccer Championships (finised second to Florida overall in both). What will happen in 2009? Read our 2009 SEC Volleyball Preview and Predictions below:
For now, Congrats to the Florida Lady Gators for winning the 2008 SEC Volleyball Championship.
Here are our current rankings of 2009 SEC Volleyball teams. Click on link to go to team page:
1. Florida Gators -- Still #1 in SEC Volleyball. (Even though they finished behind Kentucky in 2009). The Lady Gators finished the season ranked 11th nationally. Kentucky challenged the Lady Gators in 2008. In the end, UF took the crown. The Florida Volleyball team also made it further than any other SEC volleyball team in the NCAA's -- winning 2 matches before losing to tournament runner-up, Stanford, in the "Sweet 16." The Lady Gators look to be as good if not better in 2009, returning nearly all of the team's key players.
2. Kentucky Wildcats -- #2 in the SEC in 2009. Kentucky challenged Florida for supremacy of SEC Volleyball in 2008. They went 17-3 in the SEC. But, the Lady Gators won it; going 18-2. UK ended the season ranked 20th nationally. Kentucky lost in a tough match to Michigan in the first round of the 2008 NCAA tournament. The Kentucky Wildcats Volleyballers must resent the Florida Gators to no end. At this time, Kentucky is stringing together a tremendous run within the program, and yet, they still remain unable to dethrone the Gators from the top of the Confernece. The team should be very strong again in 2009, however, due to the fact that yet again the Gators should be competiitve, the team may once again be the bridesmaid as opposed to being the bride.
3. LSU Tigers Volleyball -- #1 in the SEC in 2009. LSU came along as the season progressed. They ended up winning the SEC West title and getting an NCAA bid. However, they lost to UCLA in the first round of the tournament. LSU may be the team that will be the single most hurt bu graduation from 2008. Indeed, the team is loding 3 key seniors, including one of the best attackers and one of the best defenders in the SEC in 2008. Despite some good young talent coming in, it is by no means certain that the team will come together quickly enough to post a record as strong as last year's 18-10 record overall. How quickly the team comes together will speak volumes.
4. Tennessee Volunteers -- #4 in the SEC in 2009. The Lady Vols got their tournament bid; however, they lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in a heartbreaker to Clemson. Still, the Lady Vols volleyballers had a nice year, ending up ranked 30th nationally at the end of the regular season. UT is another team that is currently performing at a high level, yet which seems to be positioned, unfortunately, in the wrong division, are the Tennessee Volunteers. This is a program that has gotten better and better in recent years, yet can only manage 3rd place in the extremely competitive SEC Eastern division. That 3rd place finish may be difficult to repeat given some of the losses that the team is expected to experience in 2009.
6. Ole Miss Rebels -- 2d in the SEC West in 2008. Doesn't say that much unfortunately as the West is weak in volleyball. Ole Miss was a mediocre performer in 2008, and it is expected to come close to duplicating its 2008 record of 14-15 for the upcoming 2009 season. The team has for years been on the cusp of joining the competitive teams within the SEC, yet has been unable to make that step, and instead finds itself in somewhat of a limbo, not good enough to compete with the best, but most definitely not the worst. Will 2009 be the season when the team finally decides which group to belong to?
7. Georgia Bulldogs -- Poor Georgia. Last in the SEC East. Still, that's pretty good. They finished 10-10 in the SEC; 17-14 overall. The team may struggle to match that winning record in 2009, given the loss of two key graduating seniors. The team's ability to do so will speak volumes about its chance at repeat success.
8. Alabama Crimson Tide -- Faded as the season progressed. The Alabama Crimson Tide enter the 2009 season coming off a season of unbalanced performance in which it really did not seem to live up to its full potential. The team finsihed the year with a reasonable record of 16-13-2, but never really got itself pointed in the right direction for long stretches. It remains to be seen whether in 2009 the team is able to advance within the confernece, and the most important development that could befall the team would be the development of a true powerhouse offensively, as the team was severely hindered by the lack of one last season.
9. Arkansas Razorbacks -- The Arkansas Razorbacks are mired towards the depths of the Southeastern Conference, and have been for a while. In 2008, the team managed only a record of 7-23 overall, and 4-16 in the SEC. There were very few bright spots on the season, and it remains to be seen whether 2009 will provide the team with an opportunity to move in the right direction. More likely, the team will finish towards the bottom of the SEC West once again.
10. Mississippi State Bulldogs -- Mississippi State, if we had to place a wager, will probably lose the battle for 5th place in the SEC, as the program seems to be just a hair behind Auburn by many measures. However, when teams are so bad, it is often difficult to compare them. Indeed, its 2008 season resulted in a 6-25 record overall and a 1-19 record in the conference. The team has some pieces, yet seems one year away from really being able to get it together.
11. Auburn Tigers -- The Auburn Tigers are another team that really is hoping that 2009 will represent an opportunity to make a change for the better, coming off a real season to forget in 2008. The team posted an overall record of 6-25 last season, a record which was lusty in comparison to that which it posted in the SEC, an anemic 1-19 record. The team will be engaged in a fierce battle with Mississippi State to avoid the basement of the SEC West division.
12. Vanderbilt Commodores -- VANDY does not have a volleyball team. So, obviously they are last in the SEC in the sport.
The NCAA Women's Volleyball Rules Committee approved rule changes for the past (2008) season. The most notable change was the adoption of the "international match-scoring system." The way it now works is that sets one through four will be played to 25 points instead of 30. If a fifth set is needed, it is played to 15 as before. The result was that the matches were a little bit shorter and faster.
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There are 36 Varsity Sports
And Ohio State competes in all 36, issuing full scholarships in all sports. Ohio State Athletics is the biggest in the land, collects the most revenue,...
Nice Volleyball Pictures
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Hello my name is Diana Aukuso and i am currently attending Sacred Heart College Wellington New Zealand. I am currently sitting an assessement on volley ...
Love the Pictures of the Fine Women!!
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I personally think that your Website is hot due to the Cute, fine females representing such a Exhilarating Sport!!!
Nice Work!!! ;)
***300by250-...
SISTER OF ERIKA CLARK
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JUST WANTEED TO LET YUOU KNOW THAT THE FAMILY HERE IN DALLLAS IS SO PROUD OF ALL OF YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS..... WE LOVE YAH AND MISS YAH SO MUCH BUT WE KNOW ...
Lostdime
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Can anyone direct me to a news article explaining why the SEC voted to eliminate the SEC volleyball tournament for a three year period of time? I saw ...
Official Southeastern Conference Volleyball Site From SEC Volleyball to SEC Sports | SEC Sports Blog | SEC Football | SEC Basketball | SEC Women's Basketball | SEC Baseball | SEC Track and Field | SEC Swimming and Diving | SEC Tennis | SEC Golf | SEC Gymnastics | SEC Soccer | SEC Softball | SEC Volleyball | Best College Sports Conference | SEC vs Big Ten Debate | SEC Sports News | Current SEC Sports News | SEC Sports Pictures and Videos | SEC Sports Fan Forum | College Football Association | SEC Sports Fan Trips | College Sports Tickets | Fathead | College Sports Tailgate Party Shop | College Sports Merchandise | College Sports Apparel | SEC Sports Fan Store |
