[UH VOLLEYBALL]
Hawaii’s NCAA LOS ANGELES >> The confirmation didn't take long, but the Hawaii volleyball team was glad to hear it anyway.
berth looms ‘at-large’
UH's selection to the final 4 is
a relief, but those in the know say
the Warriors were a lock all alongBy Grace Wen
gwen@starbulletin.comHawaii coach Mike Wilton got the call yesterday after the three-member NCAA selection committee met for a conference call to decide which team would get the at-large berth.
There was never much doubt that the Warriors would be in this week's NCAA championship. Thursday's win against UC Santa Barbara coupled with Brigham Young's loss to Pepperdine virtually assured Hawaii of its first NCAA appearance since 1996.
In fact, a committee member had already told assistant coach Tino Reyes earlier this week that Hawaii was at the top of the list of the teams being considered for an at-large bid.
The second-ranked Warriors (22-8) were the strongest team in nearly all of the selection criteria, which included head-to-head records against other teams also being considered and number of wins against teams ranked in the top 15.
And most officials and coaches in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation knew Hawaii was a lock. Pepperdine coach Marv Dunphy said he hoped to see Hawaii in a week after the Waves defeated the Warriors for the conference championship. And MPSF commissioner Al Beaird said that he suspected Hawaii's chances were very good after Saturday's match.
At Penn State, times HST Final four
THURSDAY
>> Pepperdine (28-4) vs. Ball State (23-7), noon
>> Hawaii (22-8) vs. Penn State (24-3), 2 p.m.SATURDAY
>> Championship, 1 p.m.
"It was a no-brainer," Wilton said. "It's great. Making the final four out of our conference is no small task. We get a chance to do more. Penn State is next."
Hawaii is the No. 2 seed and hosts Penn State, the No. 3 seed in the final four. Top-seeded Pepperdine faces fourth-seeded Ball State.
The Warriors swept the then top-ranked Nittany Lions in January at the Outrigger Classic.
"It's pretty nice to get the at-large bid," middle blocker Brian Nordberg said. "It's nice to accomplish that goal."
Note: ESPN2-TV will broadcast all matches, the semifinals twice on a delayed basis (8 p.m. Thursday and 7 a.m. Friday) and the final live. KCCN 1420-AM radio will broadcast Hawaii's matches live. ... The Warriors were scattered all over yesterday. Several players went to Magic Mountain, while others opted to rest at the hotel and a few Southern California natives went home to be with their families.
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