Post by bigfan on Nov 14, 2006 13:23:10 GMT -5
Women of Troy's weekend victories disrupt rankings
Outside hitter Asia Kaczor's 49 kills garnered her Pac-10 Player of the Week honors, her second this year.
Alex Lebow
Media Credit: Steevens Alconcel | Daily Trojan
In the books | After almost one full season as a Woman of Troy, outside hitter Asia Kaczor already ranks third in school history in career points.
While Yogi Berra's motto, "it ain't over until it's over," might be one of the most worn-out clich÷Ÿin history, it certainly applies to the No. 4 USC women's volleyball team and its current position leading up to the NCAA tournament.
"To be honest, I really don't know how it'll end," USC coach Mick Haley said. "It all depends on what happens the last weekend of the season because that's when there are some critical matches."
Following a pair of victories over No. 3 Stanford and No. 15 California, the Women of Troy (23-3, 12-3 Pacific-10 Conference) advanced two spots in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll, from No. 6 to No. 4.
Some of the late-season matches with national implications include USC versus No. 6 UCLA Friday in Westwood, No. 2 Washington versus Stanford on Nov. 24 and No. 8 Texas versus No. 1 Nebraska on Nov. 25.
"No matter what happens between now and the end of the season, we want a good effort, good focus and to keep executing and getting better," Haley said.
Even after upsetting Stanford Friday, USC has only a vague idea of what seed it will earn in the postseason when the selection committee meets on Nov. 26. With three games to go in the season, the Women of Troy must win out the remainder of those games for any consideration as a No. 1 seed. An additional challenge will be overcoming the three other Pac-10 teams in the top 10.
"You could legitimately make a case for Washington, Stanford, USC and UCLA to be the top four teams in the tournament, although it will never happen," Haley said.
As for this week's AVCA poll, Haley notices some discrepancies. It appears inconsistent for top-ranked Nebraska not to be penalized for losing to unranked Colorado, but for Cal to fall from No. 12 to No. 15 after losing to two highly ranked opponents (USC and UCLA), he said.
"I don't think Nebraska is the best team," Haley said. "I'm not sure, however, if we know just yet who is the best, because one of the top six or seven teams will emerge."
The last time USC earned a top seed in the NCAA tournament was in 2003, when its undefeated regular season led to a national championship.
"I just don't want the NCAA committee to necessarily be influenced by the polls because they really have to do their own homework," Haley said.
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No one inside the USC women's volleyball program was surprised when junior outside hitter Asia Kaczor was named Pac-10 Player of the Week Monday. The junior was the dominant force behind the weekend's sweeps. She contributed 49 kills and registered a .415 hitting percentage on the weekend.
"I had hoped she would win - how good of an effort was that?" Haley said following the announcement.
Kaczor has already earned the honor once this season. In a single season in cardinal and gold, Kaczor, a transfer from the College of Southern Idaho, already ranks third on the all-time list in points.
"We just don't even know how she does it sometimes," redshirt sophomore outside hitter Jessica Gysin said. "It's really important to have someone like that to rely on."
Kaczor has posted double-digit kills in 25 of 26 matches but continues to credit the efforts of her teammates, rather than just herself.
"It's not just me ??- it's the whole team," Kaczor said. "Debora (Seilhamer), Diane (Copenhagen), Jess, I think we all played really well this weekend."
Outside hitter Asia Kaczor's 49 kills garnered her Pac-10 Player of the Week honors, her second this year.
Alex Lebow
Media Credit: Steevens Alconcel | Daily Trojan
In the books | After almost one full season as a Woman of Troy, outside hitter Asia Kaczor already ranks third in school history in career points.
While Yogi Berra's motto, "it ain't over until it's over," might be one of the most worn-out clich÷Ÿin history, it certainly applies to the No. 4 USC women's volleyball team and its current position leading up to the NCAA tournament.
"To be honest, I really don't know how it'll end," USC coach Mick Haley said. "It all depends on what happens the last weekend of the season because that's when there are some critical matches."
Following a pair of victories over No. 3 Stanford and No. 15 California, the Women of Troy (23-3, 12-3 Pacific-10 Conference) advanced two spots in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll, from No. 6 to No. 4.
Some of the late-season matches with national implications include USC versus No. 6 UCLA Friday in Westwood, No. 2 Washington versus Stanford on Nov. 24 and No. 8 Texas versus No. 1 Nebraska on Nov. 25.
"No matter what happens between now and the end of the season, we want a good effort, good focus and to keep executing and getting better," Haley said.
Even after upsetting Stanford Friday, USC has only a vague idea of what seed it will earn in the postseason when the selection committee meets on Nov. 26. With three games to go in the season, the Women of Troy must win out the remainder of those games for any consideration as a No. 1 seed. An additional challenge will be overcoming the three other Pac-10 teams in the top 10.
"You could legitimately make a case for Washington, Stanford, USC and UCLA to be the top four teams in the tournament, although it will never happen," Haley said.
As for this week's AVCA poll, Haley notices some discrepancies. It appears inconsistent for top-ranked Nebraska not to be penalized for losing to unranked Colorado, but for Cal to fall from No. 12 to No. 15 after losing to two highly ranked opponents (USC and UCLA), he said.
"I don't think Nebraska is the best team," Haley said. "I'm not sure, however, if we know just yet who is the best, because one of the top six or seven teams will emerge."
The last time USC earned a top seed in the NCAA tournament was in 2003, when its undefeated regular season led to a national championship.
"I just don't want the NCAA committee to necessarily be influenced by the polls because they really have to do their own homework," Haley said.
-
No one inside the USC women's volleyball program was surprised when junior outside hitter Asia Kaczor was named Pac-10 Player of the Week Monday. The junior was the dominant force behind the weekend's sweeps. She contributed 49 kills and registered a .415 hitting percentage on the weekend.
"I had hoped she would win - how good of an effort was that?" Haley said following the announcement.
Kaczor has already earned the honor once this season. In a single season in cardinal and gold, Kaczor, a transfer from the College of Southern Idaho, already ranks third on the all-time list in points.
"We just don't even know how she does it sometimes," redshirt sophomore outside hitter Jessica Gysin said. "It's really important to have someone like that to rely on."
Kaczor has posted double-digit kills in 25 of 26 matches but continues to credit the efforts of her teammates, rather than just herself.
"It's not just me ??- it's the whole team," Kaczor said. "Debora (Seilhamer), Diane (Copenhagen), Jess, I think we all played really well this weekend."
