Women's College Volleyball Semifinals tonight at 1600h PST on ESPNU
First matchup: #3 Texas +115 vs. #2 Stanford -155 (Lines from 5Dimes, match starts at 1600h PST)
Now, I'm not going to sit here and pretend to know the first thing about volleyball, women's or otherwise. But I do know one thing, that Stanford has been in the Women's tournament every year since it started, which happened to be the year I was born (1981). I have to believe this is the reason that Stanford is such a heavy favorite, plus their fame for women's sports dominance.
Stanford is 14-6 overall against Texas, including a 4-2 edge in tournament tilts. Stanford won the last contest between the two teams, winning 3-2 on Aug. 31 of this season. Stanford has won 26 of their past 27 matches, including the past 15 in a row. Texas is on a 13-match winning streak, while also taking 23 of their last 24 matches.
I say the value is with Texas tonight, it's not easy to beat the same team twice in a year, especially when both are renowned for consistent defense.
Pick: Texas +115
Second matchup: #4 Nebraska -120 vs. #1 Penn State -120 (Match starts at 1900h PST)
Penn State is the other team that has been to the Tournament every year since its inception. Seven times in the past 10 years, the team that held the #1 ranking in the AVCA poll heading into the tournament ended up winning the championship. Penn State was ranked #1 this season before the tournament started and will attempt to accomplish the feat for the second year in a row and become the eighth team in 11 years to accomplish the feat.
Penn State is 5-11 all time against Nebraska. Nebraska has won six of the eight NCAA Tournament matches. Nebraska won the last overall meeting on 9/2/07, 3-0 in Lincoln. Penn State is coming into the NCAA Finals on a tear that has never been seen before in NCAA Division I volleyball. Dating back to last season, the Nittany Lions have won 61 consecutive matches and 109 consecutive sets, both NCAA records.
The tournament this year is being held in Omaha, on the Cornhuskers home court. Few teams in the country own as big of a home-court advantage as Nebraska does. The Cornhuskers have won their past 87 home matches in a row. That ties the NCAA Division I record for consecutive home wins.
This game is a toss-up, as the odds indicate. I'm going with the home team, simply because I feel women's sports rely more heavily on spectator enthusiasm than men's sports do. I love the way Penn State plays volleyball, but all good things must come to an end. I think they come to an end tonight in Omaha.
Pick: Nebraska -120
I culled much of this information from the NCAAsports.com website, so please forgive the plagiarism, but I don't follow this sport well enough to have generated this write-up on my own. I hope it assists anyone interested in playing these matches. I figure this will be far more aesthetically pleasing than tonight's NFL matchup.
Now, I'm not going to sit here and pretend to know the first thing about volleyball, women's or otherwise. But I do know one thing, that Stanford has been in the Women's tournament every year since it started, which happened to be the year I was born (1981). I have to believe this is the reason that Stanford is such a heavy favorite, plus their fame for women's sports dominance.
Stanford is 14-6 overall against Texas, including a 4-2 edge in tournament tilts. Stanford won the last contest between the two teams, winning 3-2 on Aug. 31 of this season. Stanford has won 26 of their past 27 matches, including the past 15 in a row. Texas is on a 13-match winning streak, while also taking 23 of their last 24 matches.
I say the value is with Texas tonight, it's not easy to beat the same team twice in a year, especially when both are renowned for consistent defense.
Pick: Texas +115
Second matchup: #4 Nebraska -120 vs. #1 Penn State -120 (Match starts at 1900h PST)
Penn State is the other team that has been to the Tournament every year since its inception. Seven times in the past 10 years, the team that held the #1 ranking in the AVCA poll heading into the tournament ended up winning the championship. Penn State was ranked #1 this season before the tournament started and will attempt to accomplish the feat for the second year in a row and become the eighth team in 11 years to accomplish the feat.
Penn State is 5-11 all time against Nebraska. Nebraska has won six of the eight NCAA Tournament matches. Nebraska won the last overall meeting on 9/2/07, 3-0 in Lincoln. Penn State is coming into the NCAA Finals on a tear that has never been seen before in NCAA Division I volleyball. Dating back to last season, the Nittany Lions have won 61 consecutive matches and 109 consecutive sets, both NCAA records.
The tournament this year is being held in Omaha, on the Cornhuskers home court. Few teams in the country own as big of a home-court advantage as Nebraska does. The Cornhuskers have won their past 87 home matches in a row. That ties the NCAA Division I record for consecutive home wins.
This game is a toss-up, as the odds indicate. I'm going with the home team, simply because I feel women's sports rely more heavily on spectator enthusiasm than men's sports do. I love the way Penn State plays volleyball, but all good things must come to an end. I think they come to an end tonight in Omaha.
Pick: Nebraska -120
I culled much of this information from the NCAAsports.com website, so please forgive the plagiarism, but I don't follow this sport well enough to have generated this write-up on my own. I hope it assists anyone interested in playing these matches. I figure this will be far more aesthetically pleasing than tonight's NFL matchup.
