DU volleyball (23-5) got the word slightly after 7:00 pm MT Sunday night that they will be facing Cal Poly (26-2) in NCAA first round women’s volleyball. Should they win that contest, they are likely to play #15 UCLA. The winner is likely to face #2 Florida in the third round of this bracket and #7 Minnesota in the Regional Finals with the winner advancing to the Final Four. No easy path for sure. The good news is that the Pioneer’s seeding allows them to play another squad that is not seeded in the Top 16. That makes this a realistic opportunity to win a game or two – or even the match before facing a top seeded side.
After the long wait, we’re going to UCLA to play Cal Poly! #NCAAVB pic.twitter.com/kNS1wdb9Nj
— Denver Volleyball (@DU_Volleyball) November 27, 2017
DU’s first round match will be held at 6:30 MT Friday at UCLA.
The top four seeds for the tournament are (#4) Kentucky, (#3) Stanford, (#2) Florida, (#1) Penn State.
While Cal Poly may not have the name brand sports recognition of UCLA, the Mustangs have won 21 matches in a row to finish this season, the second longest winning streak in the country, won the Big West Conference, have a higher RPI (#19) than UCLA (#20) and swept most of their opponents during that long winning streak. At 26-2, the Mustings might have a case they should be a seeded team in the top 16 and hosting a pod, instead of UCLA.
Once again, if the Pios (#55 in the RPI) were to win even a game vs .Cal Poly, it would be huge, and to upset the Mustings outright in the match would be a shocker of epic proportions.
As we’ve said before, there is a huge quality drop from where Cal Poly is to where Denver is. Cal Poly had wins against Wichita State (#9), and two wins over #37 Hawaii, and the only loss Cal Poly had to a team ranked below them was to #28 Santa Clara.
In comparison, The Pios’ (ranked at #55 in the RPI) best win this year came against #53 Charleston (the only DU win over a team ranked above DU), and DU also had 3 losses to three teams ranked below them – #114 Oral Roberts, #141 San Diego State, and #145 North Dakota State.
As I said, DU would take a huge leap forward just to win a single game this year in the NCAA tourney, something it has never done before. The good news his that this #55 is the highest national ranking DU has ever had…
Well said by someone who has obviously done their homework! With players like All-PAC 12 transfer Torrey Van Winden anchoring the Mustangs’ formidable offensive attack, this will indeed be a big step up in competition for the Pioneers. Of course, they are league champions as well, so they clearly know how to win games and anything can happen on a given night. Good luck, DU. Let’s hope for a fun match.
While Cal Poly may not have the name brand sports recognition of UCLA, the Mustangs have won 21 matches in a row to finish this season, the second longest winning streak in the country, won the Big West Conference, have a higher RPI (#19) than UCLA (#20) and swept most of their opponents during that long winning streak. At 26-2, the Mustings might have a case they should be a seeded team in the top 16 and hosting a pod, instead of UCLA.
Once again, if the Pios (#55 in the RPI) were to win even a game vs .Cal Poly, it would be huge, and to upset the Mustings outright in the match would be a shocker of epic proportions.
As we’ve said before, there is a huge quality drop from where Cal Poly is to where Denver is. Cal Poly had wins against Wichita State (#9), and two wins over #37 Hawaii, and the only loss Cal Poly had to a team ranked below them was to #28 Santa Clara.
In comparison, The Pios’ (ranked at #55 in the RPI) best win this year came against #53 Charleston (the only DU win over a team ranked above DU), and DU also had 3 losses to three teams ranked below them – #114 Oral Roberts, #141 San Diego State, and #145 North Dakota State.
As I said, DU would take a huge leap forward just to win a single game this year in the NCAA tourney, something it has never done before. The good news his that this #55 is the highest national ranking DU has ever had…
Well said by someone who has obviously done their homework! With players like All-PAC 12 transfer Torrey Van Winden anchoring the Mustangs’ formidable offensive attack, this will indeed be a big step up in competition for the Pioneers. Of course, they are league champions as well, so they clearly know how to win games and anything can happen on a given night. Good luck, DU. Let’s hope for a fun match.