Stanford Close To Sure Thing For Finals In Arena Penn State, Nebraska, Florida Also Early Favorites

There’s no telling which four Division I teams will play in the Arena on the final weekend of the NCAA volleyball season. But the safe bet begins with Stanford.

Or so it seemed before the No. 1-ranked Cardinal lost to No. 2 Penn State 15-8, 15-13, 15-9 Saturday night at Stanford, Calif., in the State Farm/NACWAA Classic.

It was Stanford’s first loss at home since 1993.

Still, the Cardinal, national champs in 1992, ‘94 and ‘96, feature a senior class with a 93-7 record, dating back to 1994, and a 62-6 mark against ranked opponents.

Those numbers support Stanford’s top ranking and the Cardinal should be stronger when All-American sophomore Kerri Walsh returns from shoulder surgery.

Hawaii (35-3), last year’s national runner-up, received the No. 11 ranking. The Rainbows lost all but one starter.

Here’s a look at some of the top teams and their top players who have a good chance of making it to Spokane:

No. 2 Penn State (31-3).

The Nittany Lions return five starters. First-team All-American senior middle blocker Terri Zemaitis was third in the country in blocks last season (1.85 per game). Junior setter Bonnie Bremner earned second-team honors and finished 13th in the country in kill percentage at .389.

Penn State lost to Nebraska in last year’s Eastern Regional finals.

No. 3 Nebraska (30-4).

The Huskers’ four returning starters include All-American junior Fiona Nepo. Their top gun is two-time first-team All-American Lisa Reitsma. Nepo, who plays opposite the setter in the rotation, averaged 5.05 kills per game last year.

No. 4. Florida (37-2).

The Gators, a Final Four team who lost to Hawaii last season, return four starters including senior setter Nikki Shade. Senior outside hitter Aurymar Rodriguez, a second team All-American; senior middle blocker Nina Foster; and junior outside hitter Jenni Keene also are back.

No. 5 Michigan State (26-7).

Val Sterk, the leader in kill percentage in the country last year (.449) graduated and is playing for the U.S. national team. But the Spartans, a NCAA quarterfinalist last year, return their setter and three starting hitters including Jenna Wrobel, a two-time all-Big Ten player.

No. 6 Long Beach State (33-3).

This Big West power (which plays host to Idaho on Nov. 6) is anchored by middle blockers Nique Crump and Benishe Dillard and setter Misty May. Dillard, a junior, was a member of the USA Volleyball World University Games team. Crump was third in the nation in kill percentage last year (.418).

Others who merit a close watch (with number of returning starters in parenthesis):

Washington State (5), Brigham Young (5), Texas (4), Pacific (5), UC Santa Barbara (5), Texas A&M (5), Ohio State (4), USC (3), UCLA (3), Loyola Marymount (3), Notre Dame (5), Pacific (5), Washington (4).

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: NCAA’S FINEST EN ROUTE Close to 5,000 tickets in the 11,000-seat Arena have been sold for the NCAA Division I volleyball championships. The first semifinal match on Dec. 18 is tentatively set for 6 p.m., with the second match to follow. The Dec. 20 championship match is tentatively scheduled for noon. Tickets are available at G&B Select-A-Seat or by calling 1-800-325-SEAT. The two-day package prices are $35, $25 and $15. Tickets for the Sept. 5-6 Spikeoff Spokane also are available at G&B Select-A-Seat or by calling 1-800-325-SEAT. The event features host Gonzaga, No. 7 Washington State, No. 17 Notre Dame and Utah. The price is $15 for the entire event.