2005 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament

The 2005 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament began on December 1, 2005 with 64 teams and concluded on December 17, 2005, when Washington defeated Nebraska in San Antonio, Texas for their first NCAA title. [

Upsets

Many upsets were seen in this regional. In the second round, defending national champion and fifth seeded Stanford was stunned by unseeded Santa Clara on their home floor. Then, unseeded Pepperdine defeated twelfth seeded Southern California on Southern California's home court. The upsets continued in the second round, as unseeded Ohio defeated thirteenth seeded Ohio St. on the Buckeye's home floor. The only upset not seen was 4th seeded Arizona defeating Utah, and advanced to the Sweet 16 as the only remaining seeded participant.

Santa Clara defeated Pepperdine, 3-0, to advance to the regional finals. Arizona was nearly the victim of yet another upset, outlasting a 5 game match to Ohio. However, in the next round, Arizona was the victim of an upset, as Santa Clara defeated them, 3-2, to advance to their first final four in school history. Santa Clara won the fifth and deciding game, 17-15.

=College Station Regional=

16TeamBracket | RD1=First round December 1-2
RD2=Second round December 3
RD3=Regional semifinals December 9
RD4=Regional finals December 10
subgroup1=Fort Collins, CO
subgroup2=Chapel Hill, NC
subgroup3=Madison, WI
subgroup4=South Bend, IN
RD1-team01= Washington
RD1-team02= Siena
RD1-score01= 3
RD1-score02= 0
RD1-team03= Colorado St.
RD1-team04= Colorado
RD1-score03= 3
RD1-score04= 1
RD1-team05= North Carolina
RD1-team06= College of Charleston
RD1-score05= 1
RD1-score06= 3
RD1-team07= VCU
RD1-team08= Purdue
RD1-score07= 0
RD1-score08= 3
RD1-team09= Wisconsin
RD1-team10= Loyola-Chicago
RD1-score09= 3
RD1-score10= 0
RD1-team11= Valparaiso
RD1-team12= California
RD1-score11= 0
RD1-score12= 3
RD1-team13= Northwestern
RD1-team14= Texas A&M
RD1-score13= 3
RD1-score14= 2
RD1-team15= Dayton
RD1-team16= Notre Dame
RD1-score15= 2
RD1-score16= 3
RD1-seed01= 3
RD1-seed02=
RD1-seed03=
RD1-seed04=
RD2-team01=Washington
RD2-seed01= 3
RD2-team02= Colorado St.
RD2-score01= 3
RD2-score02= 0
RD1-seed05=
RD1-seed06=
RD1-seed07=
RD1-seed08= 14
RD1-seed09= 11
RD1-seed10=
RD1-seed11=
RD1-seed12=
RD1-seed13=
RD1-seed14=
RD1-seed15=
RD1-seed16= 6
RD2-seed03=
RD2-team03= College of Charleston
RD2-seed04= 14
RD2-team04= Purdue
RD2-score03= 0
RD2-score04= 3
RD2-seed05= 11
RD2-team05= Wisconsin
RD2-seed06=
RD2-team06= California
RD2-score05= 3
RD2-score06= 0
RD2-seed07=
RD2-team07= Northwestern
RD2-seed08= 6
RD2-team08= Notre Dame
RD2-score07= 0
RD2-score08= 3
RD3-seed01= 3
RD3-team01=Washington
RD3-seed02= 14
RD3-team02=Purdue
RD3-score01=3
RD3-score02= 0
RD3-seed03= 11
RD3-team03= Wisconsin
RD3-seed04= 6
RD3-team04= Notre Dame
RD3-score03= 3
RD3-score04=2
RD4-seed01=3
RD4-team01=Washington
RD4-seed02=11
RD4-team02=Wisconsin
RD4-score01=3
RD4-score02= 0

Upsets

No upsets were seen up until the regional semifinals, when Wisconsin defeated 6th seeded Notre Dame in a 5 game match. Washington swept past Purdue and Wisconsin to advance to their 2nd consecutive final four appearance, in hopes of making up for the 2004 final four loss to Stanford.

=University Park Regional=

16TeamBracket | RD1=First round December 1-2
RD2=Second round December 3
RD3=Regional semifinals December 9
RD4=Regional finals December 10
subgroup1=Austin, TX
subgroup2=Columbia, MO
subgroup3=Knoxville, TN
subgroup4=University Park, PA
RD1-team01= Hawai'i
RD1-team02= Texas St.
RD1-score01= 3
RD1-score02= 0
RD1-team03= Texas
RD1-team04= LSU
RD1-score03= 3
RD1-score04= 0
RD1-team05= Arkansas
RD1-team06= St. Mary's
RD1-score05= 3
RD1-score06= 0
RD1-team07= Missouri St.
RD1-team08= Missouri
RD1-score07= 0
RD1-score08= 3
RD1-team09= Tennessee
RD1-team10= Jacksonville St.
RD1-score09= 3
RD1-score10= 0
RD1-team11= Winthrop
RD1-team12= Minnesota
RD1-score11= 0
RD1-score12= 3
RD1-team13= Cornell
RD1-team14= Long Island
RD1-score13= 0
RD1-score14= 3
RD1-team15= Binghamton
RD1-team16= Penn St.
RD1-score15= 0
RD1-score16= 3
RD1-seed01= 7
RD1-seed02=
RD1-seed03=
RD1-seed04=
RD2-team01= Hawai'i
RD2-seed01= 7
RD2-team02= Texas
RD2-score01= 3
RD2-score02= 1
RD1-seed05=
RD1-seed06=
RD1-seed07=
RD1-seed08= 10
RD1-seed09= 15
RD1-seed10=
RD1-seed11=
RD1-seed12=
RD1-seed13=
RD1-seed14=
RD1-seed15=
RD1-seed16= 2
RD2-seed03=
RD2-team03= Arkansas
RD2-seed04= 10
RD2-team04= Missouri
RD2-score03= 0
RD2-score04= 3
RD2-seed05= 15
RD2-team05= Tennessee
RD2-seed06=
RD2-team06= Minnesota
RD2-score05= 3
RD2-score06= 2
RD2-seed07=
RD2-team07= Long Island
RD2-seed08= 2
RD2-team08= Penn St.
RD2-score07= 0
RD2-score08= 3
RD3-seed01= 7
RD3-team01= Hawai'i
RD3-seed02= 10
RD3-team02= Missouri
RD3-score01= 1
RD3-score02= 3
RD3-seed03= 15
RD3-team03= Tennessee
RD3-seed04= 2
RD3-team04= Penn St.
RD3-score03= 3
RD3-score04=1
RD4-seed01=10
RD4-team01=Missouri
RD4-seed02=15
RD4-team02=Tennessee
RD4-score01=1
RD4-score02= 3

Upsets

The University Park regional ended up much like the Stanford regional in terms of upsets. To start off the competition, each seeded team advanced to the regional semifinals, with Penn State's freshman hitter Nicole Fawcett, who was also named the 2005 AVCA National Freshman of the Year, set an NCAA single match tournament record for hitting percentage (.889%) against Long Island, which was held since 1983.

In the first regional semifinal, Missouri surprised Hawai'i by defeating them, 3-1. Perhaps the biggest upset of the tournament happened when Tennessee stunned second seeded Penn State on Penn State's home floor, 3-1. Missouri and Tennessee battled in University Park, with Tennessee outlasting Missouri in four games, and much like Santa Clara in the Stanford regional who upset high seeds, advanced to their first final four in school history.

Final Four – Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas

4TeamBracket | RD1=National Semifinals December 14
RD2=National Championship December 16
RD1-seed1= 1
RD1-team1= Nebraska
RD1-score1= 3
RD1-seed2= -
RD1-team2= Santa Clara
RD1-score2= 0
RD1-seed3= 3
RD1-team3= Washington
RD1-score3= 3
RD1-seed4= 15
RD1-team4= Tennessee
RD1-score4= 0
RD2-seed1=1
RD2-team1= Nebraska
RD2-score1= 0
RD2-seed2= 3
RD2-team2= Washington
RD2-score2= 3

National Semifinal recap

Nebraska vs. Santa Clara

Santa Clara's dream run came to an end, as top seeded Nebraska overpowered them, 30-24, 30-19, 30-21. Nebraska hit .449% as a team, while Santa Clara hit just .145%. Nebraska advanced to the title match, sweeping through each opponent in the process.

Washington vs. Tennessee

Oddly similar to the first semifinal, Tennessee's dream run came to end in another sweep with nearly identical scores to the Nebraska/Santa Clara match, by defeating them 30-25, 30-19, 30-21. Much like Nebraska, Washington swept through each opponent to earn a spot in the title match. It is the first national title attempt in school history.

National Championship rec

In front of 9,000 fans in the Alamodome, top ranked and top seeded Nebraska battled second ranked and third seeded Washington for the national title. It was Washington's first national title match appearance, while it was Nebraska's fifth appearance in the title match. There was bad blood between the two schools even before they met, as a Washington player was quotes as saying "We are better than Nebraska. We know we are better, and if we should meet in the NCAA tournament, we are going to crush them. We would dominate" to a newspaper in the midseason.

Nebraska was ranked number one in the coaches poll all season long, and was trying to become the second school in NCAA history to hold the top spot every week in the season, as Southern California did it in 2003. Washington is coached by Jim McLaughlin

Washington dominated the match from the get-go, taking an early 2-0 lead in the first game, prompting AVCA National Coach of the Year John Cook to take an early timeout. Washington continued to dominate throughout the match, winning the first two games, 30-26, 30-25. Despite Nebraska taking an early 7-2 lead in the third game, Washington closed the gap and at 18, it was tied up. The teams remained close until the end, when Washington went on a 4-1 scoring run, and off a solo block from MVP Christal Morrison, Washington stunned Nebraska in a sweep, to claim their first ever national championship. With the sweep, Washington became just the second school in NCAA history to sweep through every opponent en route to winning the NCAA title, joining Texas from 1988. It was the first time since 2002 that Nebraska had been swept. Also, Washington coach McLaughlin became the first coach in NCAA history to win a national championship in both men and women's volleyball, as he guided Southern California men's team to the 1990 NCAA title. Before McLaughlin took over for the Washington program in 2001, their record was 8-19. Washington finished off the 2005 season 32-1, the only loss coming to UCLA in a five game upset. Ironically, that loss was UCLA head coach Andy Banachowski 1,000th career win.

The Final Four All-Tournament Team consisted of:
Washington
*Christal Morrison (MVP) (15 kills, 9 digs, 7 blocks)
*Sanja Tomasevic (12 kills, 13 digs, 3 blocks)
*Courtney Thompson (41 assists, 10 digs)Nebraska
*Sarah Pavan (16 kills, 2 service aces)
*Jennifer Saleaumua (12 kills, 9 digs)
*Christina Houghtelling (10 kills, 11 digs, 6 blocks)Tennessee
*Kristin Andre (21 kills vs. Washington)

ee also

*NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship
*AVCA

References