Heres the official selection handbook

[diamond]

For those who want to reform the system, here is the source document for the selection committee. Good place to start for those with energy to call for protests, banners and accountability.

www2.ncaa.org/media_and_events/ncaa_publications/championship_handbooks/fall/volleyball/womens/

[pineapple]

Thanks, Diamond!

[Barefoot In Kailua]

The guidelines are that they should limit flights but the NCAA is being terribly inconsistent. Last year they flew both Ga Tech and Illinois to Honolulu. The year before that Hawai'i is sent to Nebraska. This year the Wahine gets sent to Colorado. If they want to limit flights the NCAA should do away with seedings and regionalize the whole tournament. Do a North, South, East, West sort of deal. Where every team will stay within it's geographic area and face off against tourney teams in their region. No more flying UCSB and Stanford to Florida. No more flying Ga Tech to Hawai'i. If the NCAA will not commit to a regionalized tourney, than they should not try to defend it's bogus travel restrictions. Sure the West teams will get screwed in the process but so what? The flight restrictions are already screwing some of them.

Btw thanks Diamond.

[bigfan]

Bik what happns if one of the teams that gets screwed is the Wahine? It will only compound problems like you suffered this year.

[Barefoot In Kailua]

bigfan said:

BiK what happns if one of the teams that gets screwed is the Wahine? It will only compound problems like you suffered this year.

They usually get screwed anyways. The NCAA needs to be consistent. If they are consistent and Hawai'i continues to get screwed, I'd honestly have less to complain about.

[bucky415]

Tech and Illinois got sent to Hawaii for the regional, though, not the first two rounds. It does seem like they are okay with teams flying for the regionals; it is just the first two rounds that are really a joke in regard to travel.

[diamond]

I reviewed the previoulsy published list of the committee members. Do I read it right? Are they all women? Is it politically correct to ask for gender diversity? Or is it women's volleyball and the question ends there?

[BearClause]

diamond said:

I reviewed the previoulsy published list of the committee members. Do I read it right? Are they all women? Is it politically correct to ask for gender diversity? Or is it women's volleyball and the question ends there?

I think they're all senior women's administrators. They're all women. Go fig.

[GatorVball]

What they need to do is seed the teams, 1-64( 1-16 in each bracket) and set up a pod system, like they have in men's basketball. Men's hoops has no problem sending teams like Gonzaga to Atlanta or Duke out West for the tournament, volleyball should be no different. Why is it that east coast teams can travel to the west coast, and vice versa, for pre conference tournaments during the regular season, but the committee just refuses to do that come the postseason? it makes no sense at all.

Or, they could borrow a page from women's hoops(which doesn't make as much money as men's and is more comparable to volleyball), where they have 16 predetermined 1st and 2nd round sites each year(they had no problem sending Florida to New Mexico for their 1st 2 rounds, as an example). Send 4 teams to each, then the winners from each advance to 4 regionals at predetermined sites, like we have now. Last year, there were several host sites in women's hoops where the host team didn't qualify for the tournament. I'm sure it hurt attendance, but it was the best thing for the sport, to be as fair as possible. It shouldn't all be about money. It has to be what is fair to the teams and to determining a true national champion.

[simplycurious]

GatorVball said:

What they need to do is seed the teams, 1-64( 1-16 in each bracket) and set up a pod system, like they have in men's basketball. Men's hoops has no problem sending teams like Gonzaga to Atlanta or Duke out West for the tournament, volleyball should be no different.

Apples & Oranges here GatorVball. Men's basketball is at the top of the food chain along with football. Therefore, you can't suggest that a (mostly) non-revenue producing sport like VB (again, I know a few programs can argue the 'non-revenue' issue here, but most can not) do the same thing as a revenue producing sport. I'm not saying I agree with the committee, just that this solution won't work. However, since you mentioned Women's basketball below as a better comparison (which is mostly ok, but still isn't quite as fair a comparison due to their pecking order amongst women's sports at most universities), I'll move on to my next point.

GatorVball said:

Why is it that east coast teams can travel to the west coast, and vice versa, for pre conference tournaments during the regular season, but the committee just refuses to do that come the postseason? it makes no sense at all.

Here again I think it comes back to money. It's something that's planned for in people's budgets when they schedule their season (and paid for by the university), however when post-season comes and the NCAA is picking up the tab...well, we all know that's a different story - isn't it!