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**truebluefan** · 12-09-2007, 04:54 PM

Stanford, Calif. - For the first time in the 2007 NCAA Tournament, the Cardinal women's volleyball team was stretched to its limit. But for the first time in the tournament, the Cardinal also brought everything it had. Three Cardinal players recorded double-doubles, four hit in double-figures, four tallied double-figure digs, three set career bests and Stanford (31-2) bounced back from a game one loss to top the UCLA Bruins (23-11), 28-30, 30-28, 30-26, 30-27, in the NCAA Regional Final at Maples Pavilion.

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**truebluefan** · 12-14-2007, 08:37 PM

MADISON, Wis. - Nebraska volleyball coach John Cook wants to be clear - his team winning a five-game marathon Friday night was not a factor against California.

The Huskers weren't fatigued at all, they simply got outplayed by the Golden Bears in the NCAA regional finals on Saturday night.

Cook said what may have hurt the Huskers was Cal's experience in playing pressure-packed matches in the ultra-competitive Pac-10 Conference. Nailbiters are seemingly the norm there. In fact, Cook said he thought going the distance against Michigan State in the regional semifinals was good for his squad. The Huskers hadn't really been challenged in over a month.

"One of the things that Cal, you could tell as they were playing the match, is that they're used to being in point-by-point battles," he said. "We have not been in one of those since K-State and that was weeks ago. I think we got a little shaky because of that."

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**truebluefan** · 12-14-2007, 08:38 PM

MADISON, Wis. - What a difference a conference makes.

Last year, the Nebraska volleyball team overcame a Final Four that included three Pacific-10 Conference teams by winning the national championship.

This year? No such luck.

The Cornhuskers fell to the California Bears 3-0 Saturday night in Madison, Wis. The loss marked only the fifth time NU has lost in the last three years, and Nebraska Coach John Cook said his team wasn't as prepared as he would have wished.

But he couldn't do much about it.

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**truebluefan** · 12-14-2007, 08:39 PM

The Penn State women's volleyball team may have earned a berth in the national semifinals, but its road there doesn't compare to those of the other teams competing in Sacramento, Calif.

The No. 3-seeded Nittany Lions were put in a region with the likes of No. 6-seeded Washington, No. 11-seeded Hawaii and No. 14-seeded Colorado State. Penn State wouldn't have to prove its mettle against any of these teams, however, because it was the only seeded team left standing after the first weekend.

Because of the number of upsets in the early rounds of the tournament, Penn State is the only semifinalist that has not faced a seeded opponent. The Lions will enter the national semifinal against No. 10-seeded California without a snapshot of weakness exposed thus far in the tournament.

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**truebluefan** · 12-14-2007, 08:40 PM

It was almost too fitting that Angie Pressey was the player who found herself in a position Saturday evening to send the California women's volleyball team to its first-ever Final Four.
The Golden Bears senior outside hitter, who has played through one heartbreaking outcome after another throughout her collegiate career, smacked her 20th kill to wrap up a sweep (30-28, 31-29, 30-26) of defending NCAA champion and second-seeded Nebraska in the Wisconsin Regional of the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament.

As the ball landed on the blue-colored hardcourt, Pressey bent down on one knee, pumped her fist and let out a scream. She then leaped into the arms of fellow outside hitter Hana Cutura, and the entire Cal team joyfully celebrated the victory in front of a shocked and stunned Cornhuskers-heavy crowd.

A four-time, first-team All-Pac-10 performer, Pressey helped the sixth-seeded Bears and their athletic frontline control the net against the traditionally powerful Nebraska squad. With the 6-foot-3 Cutura leading all players with 23 kills, Cal controlled the tempo from the opening serve. The Bears next face third-ranked Penn State on Thursday evening at Arco Arena in Sacramento.

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**truebluefan** · 12-14-2007, 08:41 PM

Stanford and USC will step on the court tonight for their 67th all-time meeting in women's volleyball. It is the 10th such meeting in the NCAA tournament, but just the third in the Final Four.

In 2002, the Women of Troy and Stanford split their regular season matches, each winning in five games on the road. USC won the rubber match, beating Stanford in four games to wrap up its last national title.

The last time the fourth-ranked Cardinal (31-2) won the NCAA title, it had to beat Washington in the semifinals.

USC and Stanford again split their season series and get a chance to end the tie, with a nice bonus of playing for the national championship on Saturday against the winner of the Penn State-California match.

The world of women's college volleyball turns its eyes to Sacramento's ARCO Arena this weekend. Stanford and the Women of Troy is the opening match at 6 p.m., followed by the top-ranked Nittany Lions and the Bears at 8 p.m.

"Every weekend in our conference is like playing a national championship-caliber match," Stanford junior outside hitter Cynthia Barboza said on Wednesday as teams worked out on the championship floor. "We experience it with USC, each time you come to play each other the other team has improved and made changes. You can never really bank on just because you beat someone in the past does not by any means you'll be able to handle them this time. All four teams here are very dangerous and very talented."

Each of the four teams can boast of at least one All-American, with Stanford (Barboza, Bryn Kehoe, Foluke Akinradewo) and Penn State each nabbing three places on the first team.

USC sophomore setter Taylor Carico was named to the second team, as was Stanford freshman Alix Klineman. They played three years together at Mira Costa High.

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**truebluefan** · 12-14-2007, 08:42 PM

The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) is proud to announce that Penn State University head women’s volleyball coach Russ Rose was selected as the 2007 AVCA Division I National Coach of the Year. The award was presented today at the Jostens Coaches Honors Luncheon in Sacramento, Calif., as part of the 2007 AVCA Annual Convention. During the luncheon, Rose also was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame.

Rose’s 2007 Nittany Lions squad enters tonight’s NCAA semifinal match against California as the No. 1 team in the CSTV/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll. Penn State has compiled a 32-2 record this season and was a perfect 20-0 in Big Ten play. On Sept. 21 when his squad beat Michigan State, Rose became only the third coach in Division I history — joining UCLA’s Andy Banachowski and Hawai‘i’s Dave Shoji — to pass the 900-career win plateau.

In 29 years at the helm of the Nittany Lion program, Rose has guided his teams to a 923-159 record, giving him an NCAA-best career winning percentage of .853. Rose-led teams are a fixture in NCAA postseason play, as Penn State is one of only two schools to make the last 27 NCAA tournaments. This year’s appearance in the NCAA semifinals marks the sixth time Penn State has reached the round of four and the 1999 squad earned the school’s first Division I women’s volleyball title. His teams have won 25 conference championships — 11 Big Ten and eight Atlantic 10 — including the last five Big Ten crowns. Additionally, Rose was named the AVCA National Coach of the Year in 1997 and 1999.

“I am very appreciative of receiving this honor,” said Rose. “Our team has found ways to play together well and it has been a good year. Our staff has done a good job of coming together, too, and we’ve had great support from our boosters and administration. Volleyball continues to be a great game, and it has allowed me to meet some outstanding athletes and coaches and to do something I love.”

**truebluefan** · 12-14-2007, 08:42 PM

Sacramento, Calif. - Foluke Akinradewo matched a career-high with 26 kills, tallied a season-high nine blocks and hit 21 points above her nation-leading average (.523). All five Stanford hitters recorded double figure kills, two players surpassed program records, three notched double-doubles and freshman Alix Klineman recorded just the fourth 30-dig performance in school history. When it was all over, the Stanford women's volleyball team (32-2) walked away with a thrilling 23-30, 30-20, 30-25, 20-30, 16-14 victory over the USC Trojans (29-5) to advance to Saturday's NCAA Championship Match.

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**truebluefan** · 12-14-2007, 08:43 PM

Behind 10 kills on .909 hitting by freshman middle hitter Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.), the top-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team swept No. 6 Cal (30-28, 30-25, 30-16) Thursday night in Sacramento, Calif., in the NCAA National Semifinal. The Nittany Lions (33-2) will meet No. 4 Stanford Saturday for the National Championship in a match slated for 6:00 p.m. PT (9:00 p.m. ET) that will be broadcast live on ESPN2. The Penn State-Cal match will also be rebroadcast on Friday, Dec. 14 at 12:00 p.m. PT (3:00 p.m. ET) on ESPN2.

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**truebluefan** · 12-18-2007, 01:00 PM

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The No. 1 Penn State women's volleyball team captured the program's second NCAA Championship tonight, winning a dramatic five-game final, 3-2, against No. 4 Stanford in Arco Arena.

The Nittany Lions won the thriller, 30-25, 30-26, 23-20, 19-30, 15-8, posting their 26th consecutive victory since a five-game loss to the Cardinal exactly three months ago. Penn State finished the season with a superlative 34-2 record, bringing the championship trophy back to Happy Valley to join the program's 1999 crown.

"We're awfully excited," stated Russ Rose, the 2007 AVCA National Coach of the Year and Hall of Fame inductee earlier in the week. "We're thrilled for our fans and everyone that cares about Penn State."

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