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Post by volleyfred on Apr 15, 2007 2:24:18 GMT -5
1. Pepperdine (has a BYE into the semi-finals), plays winner of UCSB vs UCLA.
2. BYU (plays the winner of CSUN vs USC), Saturday 21.
3. UCI (plays UH), Saturday, 21.
4. UCSB (plays UCLA), Saturday, 21.
5. UCLA (plays @ UCSB), Saturday, 21.
6. UH (plays @ UCI), Saturday, 21.
7. CSUN (plays USC, play-in game), Wednesday, 18.
8. USC (plays @ CSUN, play-in game), Wednesday, 18.
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Post by volleyfred on Apr 15, 2007 3:30:24 GMT -5
Predictions?
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Post by baywatcher on Apr 15, 2007 11:14:57 GMT -5
Predictions:
PLAY IN GAME: Rhodes back and seemingly playing at full strength gives CSUN advantage and win.
QUARTERS: BYU/CSUN; Haven't seen BYU play, except for a match on scratchy video, but home court would seem too strong for a very good team; BYU to semis based on home court and better team.
UCI/Hawaii: UCI has looked dedicated over last month of season; should prevail over a Hawaii team that has gained confidence against the tail end of the MPSF the last few weeks. UCI has a balanced attack and hawaii back row defense appeared disorganized earlier in year; don't think it's together enough to repeatedly dig up UCI attack. UCI goes on to play BYU.
UCLA/UCSB: George and Gugu do a fair job of deflecting enough balls to hold down Patak hitting percentage (then soaking fingers to contain swelling); Klosterman hits high percentage over smaller UCSB lefts; Ker handles Patak serve well enough for quick side-outs; UCLA wins.
SEMIS: Pepperdine v. UCLA; Can't help but think Pepperdine is due to lose one of the close contests they have been playing; on the other hand, UCLA took out Pepperdine in the semis last year and I'm sure Pepperdine has not forgotten. Two years ago Pepperdine was in the same position, with an assured Final Four spot if they won the tournament or not, but still won out over desperate teams with no ticket to Final Four. Pepperdine defense able to handle well placed Klosterman attempts. Left handed Carroll gives George a confused time, Pepperdine middles outplay UCLA, and Parfitt makes a big play somewhere along the line. UCLA gives them a run, but Pepperdine wins in 5.
BYU v. UCI: Again, haven't seen BYU play, but in this year of the great team effort (Pepperdine) UCI teamwork developed in last two years is victorious over BYU stars and freshman setter. Also very close match.
FINAL: Pepperdine loses close match to UCI, with all games decided by 2-3 points. More a function of it's about time than any talent or coaching discrepancy. Smith and Harrell are quick enough to keep Guardino hittiing percentage below .500, as opposed to usual 11-0-15 Guardino usually posts. UCI middles are quick enough to get out to help on Carroll. Jablonsky serve a difference maker (although from box scores it hasn't been lately).
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Post by volleyfred on Apr 15, 2007 13:24:38 GMT -5
Play-in:
CSUN beats USC in 3.
First round:
BYU beats CSUN in 5.
UCI beats UH in 4.
UCLA beats UCSB in 5.
Second round:
Pepperdine beats UCLA in 4.
UCI beats BYU in 5.
Finals:
Pepperdine beats UCI in 4.
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Post by volleyfred on Apr 16, 2007 1:20:41 GMT -5
I know this, Pepperdine is in the FF no matter what happens.
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Post by kalena12 on Apr 16, 2007 2:36:13 GMT -5
i dont like the way uci has been playing lately. do you really think theyve got it in them to win the mpsf tournament?
play in
usc over csun in 5
quarter
byu over usc in 3
uh over uci in 5
ucla over ucsb in 3
semis
ucla over pepp in 5
byu over uh in 4
finals
ucla over byu in 4
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Post by sistahsledge on Apr 16, 2007 4:56:27 GMT -5
Obviously, if Pepp doesn't win the MPSF, the FF will be set with the three conference champs and Pepp as the at-large
The fun starts if Pepp wins the MPSF then all the other teams start campaigning for the at-large.
If UCI or BYU is runner-up to Pepp, then that should settle it. However, if UCI and BYU falter in the first round and USC, UH, or CSUN makes it to the final but lose to Pepp, who gets the at-large? A team with a better season record or the one that performed well in the tournament? Are there set rules for selecting the at-large or is it voted by a committee?
The way the MPSF season has played out this year, any team can have an off night and any team can catch fire. The conference is always competitive but it seems even more unpredictable than usual this year.
The real travesty would be if Ohio doesn't win the MIVA but are awarded the at-large because they're hosting and have a superficially pretty win/loss record. Has that scenario ever happened?
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Post by Durian on Apr 16, 2007 10:52:14 GMT -5
BYU all the way, they are pulling their heads out and going to be pretty impressive.
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Post by CityTechLegend on Apr 16, 2007 11:07:57 GMT -5
(Thanks volleyfred for the format....I copied and pasted his response to this thread with my changes.)
Play-in:
USC beats CSUN in 5...(going out on a limb. I think Ferguson will have them prepared)
First round:
BYU beats USC...3.
UCI beats UH...4.
UCLA beats UCSB...5.
Second round:
UCLA beats P-Dine....5 (Again out on a limb only because you can never count out an Al Scates playoff team)
BYU beats UCI....5 (This would really be a push only because either team can win, it a matter of who brings their AAA game for me)
Finals:
BYU beats UCLA in 5.........
But then again that is only my opinion.
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Post by banthony2 on Apr 16, 2007 13:32:52 GMT -5
I think with what we saw back in 05, the atlarge belongs to either UCI or BYU if Pepperdine wins. Their 5 losses are better than the 9 or 10 by UCSB or UCLA. Even if those teams get further than UCI or BYU, they have to win it to get the nod.
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Post by donkeykong on Apr 16, 2007 23:10:59 GMT -5
BYU all the way, they are pulling their heads out and going to be pretty impressive. It would be great if the Cougars could do that, but you have to remember they will probably have Ivan and Cala on the court at the same time. When the going gets tough for them, they start pointing fingers!! |
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Post by thor on Apr 17, 2007 0:15:04 GMT -5
Enough already... Stop hating and/or envying. If anything, one could write that BYU looks a lot more like a team this year in comparison to last year, more team effort and less pointing fingers. It will be an interesting tournament, very hard to predict the winner.
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Post by thorjr69 on Apr 17, 2007 0:53:44 GMT -5
#6 University of Hakala vs. #3 UCI
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Post by CityTechLegend on Apr 17, 2007 1:01:15 GMT -5
Enough already... Stop hating and/or envying. If anything, one could write that BYU looks a lot more like a team this year in comparison to last year, more team effort and less pointing fingers. It will be an interesting tournament, very hard to predict the winner. I agree with this statement. Last years team by all accounts (here VT) wasn't much of a TEAM. It seems as though they have settled their differnces and started to just play instead of arguing with each other. |
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Post by lalalaluuuke on Apr 17, 2007 10:46:10 GMT -5
Enough already... Stop hating and/or envying. If anything, one could write that BYU looks a lot more like a team this year in comparison to last year, more team effort and less pointing fingers. It will be an interesting tournament, very hard to predict the winner. I agree with this statement. Last years team by all accounts (here VT) wasn't much of a TEAM. It seems as though they have settled their differnces and started to just play instead of arguing with each other. Yes, especially considering they just finished with the 4th best record in the program's history. Considering the 3 teams that finished with better records all won National titles, this says a lot about this very young team. They are going to be contending for a long time with the talent they have right now. They will have more time to mesh and get better together while other teams will be regrouping in the next couple of years. Can you imagine how hard it must be to mesh a team with so many fiery and different cultured personalities? I can't imagine it being an easy task. |
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