Volleyball does not qualify for NCAA tournament
November 30, 2008 | Volleyball
The University of Wisconsin volleyball team will not be competing in the 2008 NCAA Tournament. The Badgers found out on Sunday night that they were not one of the 64 teams selected to compete in post-season play.
'There was a slim chance we would get in but sometimes it depends upon other conferences,' explained Coach Pete Waite. 'There were a few upsets in conference tournaments across the country and that bumps out higher seeds and that pushes anyone on the bubble out. I think that's what happened to us and what happened to Indiana also.'
The Big Ten Conference landed only five teams in the tournament, after having at least six teams in post-season play since the bracket was expanded to 64 teams in 1998. Four of the teams are seeded among the top-10 teams in the tournament, including top-seeded Penn State. Minnesota is seeded sixth, Illinois is seeded ninth and Purdue is seeded 10th. Michigan also made the tournament.
'When you look at strength of teams, we're stronger than a lot of other teams in the tournament,' said Waite. 'At times, the strength of our conference helps us and other times hurts us.
'I think (the conference is) stronger and I said that from the beginning of the year. It's tough in a year when we're down, having lost a lot of personnel but at the same time the conference was up, which make it tougher for us. I think the Minnesota match and the Purdue match; if we'd have gotten those close five-game matches, we would have been in.'
The last time Wisconsin did not qualify for the NCAA tournament was in 1995 when only 48 teams were selected. The Badgers won the now-defunct National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) that season.
Prior to this season, Wisconsin had appeared in 16 NCAA tournaments, including the last 12 years in a row. The Badgers are 29-16 (.644) in the post-season classic.
The Badgers finish tied for seventh in the final Big Ten standings at 7-13, their worse league mark since going 7-11 in 1988 before Penn State joined the league. Wisconsin also finishes with its worst overall record since 1992 at 17-15.
The complete 64-team bracket can be found here .
