[ COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL ]
MPSF’s top seed may
enjoy a bye
In a move designed to reward its regular-season champion, the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation men's volleyball coaches Friday voted unanimously to change the playoff format beginning next year.
The proposal, which still needs approval from the MPSF administration, would give the regular-season champion of the 12-school conference a first-round bye. It also gives the top school an extra week to promote the MPSF tournament, which it will host.
Under the current format, the top remaining seed after the first round hosts the tournament semifinals and final.
"The thing that appealed to all of us was that it gives you a couple of weeks to promote, knowing you will host," said Hawaii coach Mike Wilton, who was in Provo, Utah, for the meeting. "It still has to be approved by the MPSF this summer, but the coaches all liked the idea."
The format would create a play-in match for the Nos. 7 and 8 teams, with the winner facing the No. 2 team in the first round. The other first-round matches remain the same: No. 3 goes against No. 6 and No. 4 plays No. 5.
The three first-round winners advance to the semifinals, with the lowest remaining seed meeting the regular-season champion.
Unlike last season, there was no talk of expansion. California Baptist, an NAIA school, applied for membership, but until the program moves to NCAA level, its application is on hold.
San Jose State, which has a club team, has been mentioned as a possible addition. The MPSF had 14 members until San Diego State and Loyola Marymount dropped their programs after the 2000 season.
There has long been hope that Cal or UC Santa Cruz would upgrade its club program to Division I status, "but I don't see sports being added on the Division I-level for men right now," Wilton said.
There has been informal discussion of a second league forming in the West. It is unlikely that the Pacific-10 -- with current MPSF members UCLA, USC and Stanford -- would sponsor men's volleyball.
However, there are five MPSF men's volleyball programs from schools that are Big West members: Long Beach State, Cal State Northridge, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine and Pacific. The problem of a school such as Hawaii or Brigham Young moving to the Big West is that the conference does not sponsor football.
"Except for football, the Big West makes the most sense for us in the other sports," said Wilton. "It would cut down travel expenses and it would be a good move for women's volleyball.
"And it would be good to have a fourth league and get rid of the committee making the decision on the at-large berth."
The champions of the three leagues -- the MPSF, Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association and Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association -- have automatic berths in the NCAA Championship. A fourth team, traditionally from the MPSF, is awarded the at-large berth by a vote of a three-person committee.
It's pretty much a given that Long Beach State, the loser of last night's MPSF championship, will be announced this afternoon as the at-large team in next week's final four at the Stan Sheriff Center.
Wilton had expected some heated discussion over how accusations over eligibility and use of professional athletes were being handled.
"But it was fireworks-free," he said. "The discussion was more on the level of how to be a little more collegial and less accusatorial."