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Aishwarya Kumar
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Michael Voepel
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Michael Voepel
ESPN.com
- Michael Voepel is a senior writer who covers the WNBA, women’s college basketball and other college sports. Voepel began covering women’s basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996.
The NCAA volleyball tournament enters its regional round on Thursday and Friday with a few unexpected teams sticking around for an extended stay.
The four No. 1 seeds all advanced — although Pitt got pushed to extra points in the first set by Oklahoma, Penn State had to play four sets against North Carolina and Louisville was down match points against Northern Iowa. Nebraska had an easier time, sweeping its six sets over the first two rounds.
The bracket lost a No. 2 seed (SMU) and two No. 3 seeds (Kansas and Arizona State). According to ESPN’s Stats and Information, since seeding began in 2000, there have been 102 teams to earn a top three seed. Only four of those have failed to reach the regional semifinals — three of them were this year.
Amid the upsets and the upset bids, many of the sport’s biggest stars delivered, and a few new ones emerged.
Elena Scott tied a season-high with 26 digs for Louisville, which advanced to the regional semifinals on a kill by…
