Taylor 2nd team All-American, Maglio HM
sad Taylor got snubbed again for first team
https://www.avca.org/awards/all-regional-all-america-awards/2016-division-i-allamerica.html
Hawaii senior opposite Nikki Taylor repeated as a second-team All-American and junior middle Emily Maglio was among the honorable mentions on the AVCA’s Division I women’s volleyball All-America teams announced today.
Both Taylor and Maglio also are beach volleyball All-Americans.
Taylor, the two-time Big West player of the year, was No. 2 nationallly in aces per set, No. 5 in points per set and No. 14 in kills per set nationally heading into the NCAA tournament. She finished No. 12 in kills (1,377) and No. 8 in aces (117) on the UH program’s career lists.
Nationally, Maglio was No. 14 in hitting percentage and No. 30 in blocks per set. She led the Big West in hitting percentage at .400.
Also named from Hawaii were Adora Anae (Utah/Kahuku), second team; Kalei Mau (Arizona/St. Francis/Kaiser) third team; Penina Snuka (Arizona/Kahuku), third team and Carly Kan (Missouri/Punahou) HM
and once again only one player from a non-power five conference makes the first team, again from BYU.
Nikki got roobed again. For the second time in a row.
Congrats to both Taylor and Maglio for their well deserved AA recognition status. IMO, there is no better OP than Nikki in the country and she deserved 1st Team AA status.
There was a time, prior to the corrupting influence of the the Power 5 conference, when the AVCA’s AA team actually reflected the best players in the country. Today, only one non-Power 5 Conference player made the 1st team AA list.
It looks like UCLA may have pulled a Stanford and failed to submit AA noms on time. No AAs this year, including their star libero. Such a shame and an embarrassment for the program.
Congratulations to Nikki and Emily for the honors. I think the committee got each of their placements off by one.
NCAA = No Clue At All
If Nikki didn’t get hurt in the game against Minnesota and performed great as she usually does vs this caliber of competition. Wondering how this could have affected her rating amongst those that vote for AA awardees?
I’ve been looking at the AVCA selections and have some thoughts (those who are uninterested should skip this and my other posts below). First, the AVCA selection committee is comprised 100% of head WVB coaches, not administrators who have less knowledge of the sport. True, the coaches are all in the NCAA, but at least the members are more knowledgeable than administrators. For years, folks have argued that an alternative to the RPI, such as the AVCA poll, should be used to seed the tournament to get a more knowledgeable view involved. Well, for All-America selections, AVCA coaches are making the decisions. Doesn’t mean there are biases, but this should be considered before criticizing the selections.
Interestingly, the 7 woman/4 man committee (for those who think gender matters) is composed of 6 “Power 5” reps (including the chair) and 5 from the other conferences. So if there is a bias toward the “Power 5” conferences, this would be one indication (each “Power 5” conference is represented on the committee). Two of the 11 members have played against UH within the last year (Missouri State and TCU). I won’t conclude on anything above, but just some thoughts for folks to consider.
I also looked at the selections statistically. If you take the last AVCA poll, 41 out of 42 AAs came from teams who received votes (exception is Baylor). The Big10 had 38% of all AAs (excluding HMs), Pac12 24%, and Big12 17%. “Non-Power” had 10%. When compared to the number of teams in the AVCA poll, Big10 had 19%, Pac12 25%, Big12 14%, and “Non-Power” 25%. This doesn’t necessarily mean there is a bias toward giving the Power teams more AA selections–after all, many of the top teams are in the Big10 have multiple top players (MN, NE, WI had 11 total selections).
Of the first team, 12 selections were from the AVCA top 10, the other 2 from #13 Penn St. (perhaps some bias here, but PSU did take NE to 5 on NE’s home court). I’d like to think the committee wanted to reward players from the top-ranked teams. Excepting #10 BYU, all the teams in the top ten were from the Big10/Pac12/ACC/Big 12.
Big10 had 13/16 selections on the first/second teams. Big12 was 5/7 (Texas/Kansas mostly), Pac12 was 6/10. Considering the Big10/Pac12/Texas/Kansas had the top teams all year, none of this surprises me. Interestingly, the ACC/SEC comprised 17% of the AVCA ranked teams and 12% of AA selections. So not a lot of “Power love” for these two conferences. One reason I dislike the use of Power 5 in WVB. IMO, there is a Power 2 plus Texas, Florida, BYU and a few other teams that have played well recently. But Power 5 is where the money comes from and an easier target, even though such money hasn’t helped ACC/SEC as much as the Big10/Texas.
Top 10 AVCA ranked teams had 55% of all selections (exclude HM), teams 11-20 had 21%, and everyone else 19%. So a clear indication the top teams were getting a lot of AAs, which is something you would expect. “Non-Power 5” teams with selections are BYU (2), UH, and Creighton, totaling 4. ACC/SEC combined had 5. Again, not a lot of love here for these two conferences.
7. videos are due a week after the tournament starts. this year it was Dec. 8.
I don’t think it made a difference that Hawaii was out in the second round. They were out in the regional final and Taylor still got second team last year.
As far as Nikki Taylor is concerned, she is 1st team caliber, but there are only 14 spots to go around. The first team opposites are Nwanebu, Payne and Rolfzen. Add in Holston (Fla) and Cole (Mich), and you have 6 top opposites to choose from. All had stellar statistics and had good arguments for being 1st team AA. IMO, what hurt Taylor was the season’s start and end with injuries, so she had a limited resume of matches against top teams, and playing in a weak BW, which probably inflated her statistics relative to OPPs who played against superior competition in the Big10/Big12. No one wants to read this, but at some point you have to reward players who play against better teams. If the situation was reversed and UH was a top 3 team in a top 3 RPI conference, everyone would be clamoring for multiple AA selections, and criticize any player who played against lesser competition.
Does this mean the 1st teamers are truly the best players? Not necessarily, but the All-America teams are a subjective view of who had the best year, considering competition and how well a team performed. Easier to make the first team if your team is a top-ranked team who went far in the tournament. And mostly the Power 2 type teams fit that mold.
Interestingly, there are six underclassmen who made the Pan Am Cup. Taylor, Holston, Alhassan, JWOrantes, Carlini, and Payne. 3 made 1st team, two 2nd team and 1 3rd team. Nothing conclusive, although 5 of 6 are from the Big10/Big12/SEC.
Yes, it is unfortunate that Taylor didn’t get the first team recognition, but IMO this was not a big snub. There were lots of good players all over the country and only 14 spots. Not apologizing for the AVCA, but had Taylor, Greeley and Mitchem been completely healthy, the team would have won more matches, would not have been sent to the #2 subregional, and gone on to the elite 8. And I believe Taylor would have been a first teamer. Rather than lamenting what could have been, I prefer to focus on Nikki’s second AA accolade and wish her the best as she pursues pro/national team play.
11. I think her numbers warranted first team especially considering that she is a six-rotation player and several of the first-teamers only play three rotations, meaning they are playing half the match and are able to rest while they are out. Taylor is out there pretty much full time.
She had the numbers last year. still got second team with UH going to the elite 8. not lamenting that she didn’t get it. just continues the trend of how the NCAA is treating the ‘lesser’ conferences.
Taylor was very gracious in discussing getting second team again.
I shot video but don’t think it will get put up until later tonight.
12. Valid point on 6-rotations, but Payne and Rolfzen are 6-rotation players, not sure if Nwanebu is. The counter to her stats line is that a lot of her success came against weaker competition in the BW. She had good matches against UW and USC, not so much UCLA. I think the lack of a resume against top teams hurt her.
First team had 3 MB, 3 RS, 5 OH, 2 S and 1 L. If you don’t replace one of the opposites (Nwanebu? She hit .385, ok blocking, 1+ dig/set, against good competition), then who do you take out? Also, I think the committee looks for positional balance to an extent, whether or not it is an appropriate constraint. 4 opposites may have been too much for them.
I agree. While the AVCA coaching panel makes the AA selections, the NCAA sets the post season tournament course which regularly favors the Power 5. The NCAA still claims to believe in fair play in college sport. However, their action show they have long caved into the Power 5 threats starting in 2014 when the Power 5 Conference threaten to leave the NCAA unless it got a certain autonomy to write its own rules. IMO, the NCAA has since skewed everything to placate and cater to those 64 or so TV football/basketball contract enriched schools so as to keep them in the NCAA. It is a sad commentary on the NCAA and says even more about those greedy, selfish and self serving Power 5 schools.
12. Agree that the lesser conferences are not getting a lot of love. Difficult to make top AA teams when you play in a weak conference. That is today’s reality, and for the foreseeable future IMO unless teams from lesser conferences start performing better against the Power 2 et al, at the beginning of the year and in the tournament. If you are a top tier player on a team in a lesser conference, the odds are stacked against you. You need other good players on your team so opponents don’t focus on stopping you; so your team can win most games; play well against Power 2s of the world; etc.
14. Agree. Part of me says go off and make your own athletic association, Power 5. It’s really about football anyway, as that is where the money comes from. Football money been killing sports like WVB, WSoc, WSB. Used to have teams from lesser conferences winning the sport (Portland and Santa Clara in WSoc, Fresno St in WSB, LBSU/UH/Pacific in WVB). Not anymore. Power domination in those sports: SEC rules softball; Big 10 rules volleyball; WSoc divided among 3/4 Power conferences.
Lost in some of this is that Maglio made HM, which I think is a great honor for her considering she was HM in the region selections. Really happy she got some recognition…she has come a long way since signing with UH as a relative unknown.
I think Nikki will prove down the line to have better pro career than some of the 1st. team members, but Maverick ‘s analysis is correct. Taking all of the factors involved including the Big 5 influences, our membership in a relatively weak conference, our failure to advance, and Nikki being “Out of sight, out of mind”, she might have been lucky to make the second team. Politics have always played a major part in any type All-American awards when subjectivity rules over statistics.
18. the problem i have with the ‘failure to advance’ is it’s not a team honor, it’s an individual honor. UH made it to the elite 8 last year and she still was second team, ranked top 16 nationally in three categories. last season she put up big numbers outside of conference play so the ‘weak conference’ isn’t an excuse.
Hall said they tried to emphasize the point that she was 6-rotation player which should count for something.
not trying to belabor this. As Hall said, it is what it is and it’s other people’s opinions and votes.
17 agree about Maglio. they had changed some of the rules. it used to be that everyone on the all-region made it to some AA team. That she went from HM region to HM AA is a great honor.
BTW, someone had asked about Berg. Her contract is up and she’ll be heading back to her businesses in LA
In regards to All American Honorable Mention, wasn’t it last year when the AVCA decided not to make the Regional Honorable Mention selections an automatic AA HM. I recall Tai making Regional HR but not AA Honorable mention. Did AVCA change back to the traditional method or am I having one of those senior moments?
Congratulations Nikki and Emily!
19. Team performance, including that in the post-season, plays a role in post-season award selections for lots of sports, and women’s volleyball is no different in that respect…in particular, NPOY is heavily influenced by how far a team progresses in the tournament.
Last year is the bigger snub than this year given UH beat Florida, PSU and A&M, although UH’s regular season non-conference schedule last year was not strong at all, including two matches against Bakersfield…this year’s was far better. Note that UH’s RPI rank was higher this year than last, despite having several more losses.
I get the frustration, tho…
Head Coach on leave, Asst. Coach gone. So much going on in the Wahine program.
Unfortunately, I think injuries also sunk Nikki’s chances for 1st team AA. I can understand that the coaches need to consider actual production rather than potential talent. She missed big matches against Wisconsin, K-State, Arizona and Minnesota. While she played against UCLA, she nearly flatlined with .054 hitting. If she just played her usual game in those matches she missed, it probably would have been a different story.
Awwww so bummed Lindsey is going back to L.A. She was so nice wen I met her earlier in the season, wish she would/could stay. Best of luck to her, I think she made a great impact on the team in place of Robin ah mow santos. BTW, still kinda bummed we didn’t get to honor Robin before she left. Congrats Nikki & Emily. NCAA is scrubs plain and simple and will always be…. It is what it is….
25. Berg was on a one-season contract. Leaving as scheduled.
And in case you missed it Shoji was the Top Play of the Day on ESPN sports center tonight, courtesy of Neil Everett. Old footage, tho, showing Hartong in the background.
Based on other colleges’ info, I’ve gathered that this is the beach team’s (partial) schedule. Apparently, no early East Coast trip this year. I would expect UCLA to be in there somewhere, but I’m glad the team will only have one chance to lose to USC during the regular season. IIRC, last season, the team was 1-3 against the former and 0-4 against the latter.
3/3-4 (Tucson): Arizona State, Arizona, Jacksonville State
3/10-11 (Honolulu): Stetson and presumably others
3/17-18 (Honolulu): Southern Cal, Nebraska, Arizona, Florida State, Utah
3/26 (Stanford): Stanford, Irvine Valley
3/29 (Malibu): Pepperdine
4/1-2 (Huntington Beach): CSUN, Sac State / Long Beach State, Cal Poly
4/7-8 (Honolulu): Pepperdine
[4/13 (Kauai?): Aloha Invitational]
4/28-29 (Pismo Beach): Big West Championship
Just saw the Shoji play of the day segment. Nice thought from Everett.
Congratulations to Nikki and Emily, well deserved.
Nikki might also consider other options, like coaching. Her multiple injuries may act up at any time; hurting her performance and marketability. Of even greater concern is the continuous elbow pain (Shoji noted the condition will always be there when she plays.)
Anyone know if theres a posted video of the top plays? I usually watch but I missed it last night
33. You mean the Shoji clip? Try this link: https://www.facebook.com/HawaiiWVB/videos/765985843552209/
Watching Stanford vs Minnesota semifinal match. Lots of high level VB so far. Impressed with Stanford, they are young, great height, good quicks and a lot of power.
What a 1st set, Cardinal 26 – 24, with 4 freshman
#17 Yeah, news about Shoji and Taylor has momentarily consumed all the air but a lot of respect is due Maglio for her stellar year. Emily held her own at the highest level against some of the best MHs in the nation. Looking forward to seeing how Emily develops as one of the key go-to-players next year. Congrats Emily for achieving AA status – a pretty remarkable achievement especially coming into the program as a virtual unknown.
And while we all really miss watching Greeley play up front this year, we are still wishing her the best next year. Whatever the position, Kalei is fun to watch.
Stanford handled Minnesota easily in the second set. What does that say about the Wahine? Makes me wonder whether they will be ready to handle the likes of Minnesota and Stanford in the future.
Depends on recruits. IMO, the days of up coaching unknowns/lower-rated recruits and being able compete with programs that consistently get multiple top 50 recruits is over. Way over. Stanford’s freshman recruiting class is one of the best all time. Texas has a really good one next year. I think folks need to adjust their expectations. UH is a top 20 program, but no longer top 10.
13. Taylor had better overall stats vs. Big West stats.
Cumulative overall stats: 4.54 kps, .278, 0.61 saps, 2.31 dps, 1.14 bps, 5.76 pps
BW-only stats: 4.17 kps, .276, 0.50 saps, 2.21 dps, 1.29 bps, 5.37 pps
So the argument that her stats were inflated by weaker Big West competition doesn’t hold water. Besides, weak competition or not, Taylor is a first-team AA player. Anyone can see it. There is no one else quite like her. Nwanebu and Holston might have better hitting percentage, but no one can match Taylor’s overall game, nor her value as the team’s go-to player. With or without Mitchem, UH rode Taylor all season long.
#39 that is why the NaWahine next coach must be willing to battle the Power 5 for the top players. Sure it’s an uphill battle but the recruiting war is already lost with no effort.
22. tongo, they keep changing the AVCA All-America selection rules. It used to be that all All-Region team honorees that were not selected to the three AA teams ended up on the AA honorable mention list. All-Region HM were not eligible for AA HM. But then in 2008, they changed it so that even All-Region HM were eligible for any of the three AA teams. Kanani Danielson was All-Region HM but was named to the AA third team. Some time after that, they changed it back to the old rules.
It was in 2011 (correct me if I’m wrong), that even All-Region HM became eligible for AA HM honors (but not AA first-third team). Brittany Hewitt was All-Region HM and was voted AA HM. Still, they changed rules after so that everyone on the AA HM list was voted on by the committee, which meant that every single player on the AA HM list was selected, and not just “leftovers” from the All-Region teams.
Minnesota and Wilhite flopped so hard.
Stanford in 4, just looked dominant tonight. You just can’t coach a 6’8″ middle that is really athletic, she’s simply that good. It’s like Maglio on “steroids” and she’s just a freshman, wow! Yeah, makes you wonder how the Wahine can catch up skill, size and power wise with the Gophers and Cardinal next season? Now to watch the Texas – Nebraska semi.
Those stanford tall women are slow nebraska will probably dispatch them easily , minnesota choked.
What I mean by not being able to coach someone 6’8″ is that this physical & athletic size is a gift. Coaching at any level does not factor so much, this kind of talent is just that good. A coach is blessed to be able to work with this!
The only 6’8 player stanford has is junior Lutz and she is painfully slow.
I feel bad for Minnesota this was probably their best chance at a title ever. I doubt they will get as good homegrown talent as they had on this team, ever again.
Tapp twins, Wilhite, Selinger Swenson, Lohman,
that’s like UH losing with Danielson, Otineru, Kamanao and Taylor all on the same team..
GO STANFORD!
Great blocking by Stanford turned Minnesota’s balanced attack into the Wilhite show…
Sometimes, it just may simply be the match up where the Cardinals match up well against the Gophers. In the preseason, Stanford beat Minn. 3-1 at the farm – just like tonight. At the end of the day, Minn. super fast offense did not do well against a very tall Stanford front line with 6’8″ Lutz, 6’6″ Plummer, and 6’3″ Ajanaku.
You got to give credit to Dunning for moving the tall but slow 6’8″ Lutz from MH to OP this year effectively minimizing her slow feet. Lutz has hit well at OP and will be even better next year.
It’s a shame Bedhart Ghani will be riding the bench her final two years at Texas, She’s too good, and should be at the pins her talent is being wasted in the middle.
40. Hot, your analysis is stone cold because you are using the wrong basis of comparison. The inflated stats comes from playing in the Big West versus playing in the Big 10/Big12/Pac12. If I am comparing opposites Rolfzen with Taylor, a big question I ask is, what is the level of competition? Rolfzen played twice against Penn St., Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio St., and once against Wisconsin, Michigan St., and Purdue. UH’s toughest conference opponent was LBSU. So the logical assumption is that part of Taylor’s success was the lesser competition in the Big West. Taylor would not have performed as well if she had to face Rolfzen’s in-conference competition. But let’s review the stats. If you look at Taylor’s performance against like-kind competition (UW, UCLA, UCLA), she hit .197, far below any average you have presented. In fact, if she had to play a Pac12/Big10 type schedule, I believe she would have hit less efficiently, be required to take more hit attempts, and worn down over the course of the season, which would have further eroded her performance (she would be called upon to do more in longer matches, and not have been given rest breaks that she got this year).
Against the 3 teams above, she had 5.31 kps, .197, .38 saps, 2.08 dps, 1.00 bps, 6.23 pps. Other than kps and pps, all of Taylor’s stats are below the BW averages you cited. And the main reason her kill and point stats were higher in these matches is that the team relied more heavily on her for offensive production: 14.46 att/set versus 9.83 in the BW and 10.01 for all opponents excepting UW/UCLA/USC. So it is reasonable to assume she would have taken anywhere from 42 to 70 attempts per match in a Power conference schedule. UH also would not have had anywhere near the number of sweeps it did in the BW, so she would have had to play more sets, have more attempts, fewer rest breaks, etc. That would have worn her down, and reduced her effectiveness.
Stat inflation exists and is a valid consideration.
P.S. Rolfzen also faced Texas, Florida, and Creighton OOC.
41. I couldn’t agree with you more.
I hate to admit it but I am glad we are not playing Texas tonight.
Why? Playing tonight means your team is in the final 4 with a potential to make it to the championship match. I WISH HAWAII WAS PLAYING TONIGHT.
Stanford and Texas played/ing inspired volleyball tonite.
Well, whatever the reason, the Big 10 was put in its place tonight. I am kinda glad because its a poke in the NCAA’s eye.
Interesting Final Four…the two younger teams will play for the championship…take that, Big 10!
Huskers looked a step or two behind Texas all night…
#45, sorry but your prediction has no chance this year. Texas totally dominant tonight. See two similar teams with so much fire power slugging it out in the final. Wow, there were some rockets launched in both semis. Hard to imagine how the Wahine can match up with these types of physical fire power. The quicker teams and higher seeds are now gone.
I heard wrong with regard to the big middle for the Cardinal, thought she was a freshman. But I didn’t see a slow and looping middle, I saw good foot work and athleticism. At least there is one more match to see.
i am content with who is playing for the championship. honestly wish it was Hawaii but ah, we can’t all get what we want. i think Stanford and Texas indeed played really inspiring volleyball tonight and that i was shocked at just how bad Minnesota & Nebraska looked against both teams. Rooting for Stanford all the way, but if it’s Texas than i am okay with that as well. best thing is knowing Nebraska won’t repeat as champions again and that for another year Minnesota is denied the chance to play for the title. i would be okay tbh if the championship changed hands every season. lol
Not so surprised that the Huskers lost, but I was shocked that Minnesota was so flat tonight…Up until tonight the Gophers looked like a well-oiled machine…
I was pulling for Minn. as they have a homegrown team with 10 players from the state. Gophers have never won the championships. This year’s team was laden with 9 seniors of which three are starters – Wilhite and the Tapp twins. All three senior starters are from Minn. It may be a while before they challenge again. Time for Coach McCutcheon to do some ice fishing in one of the 10,000+ lakes and ponder what could have been.
My selection of Minnesota and Nebraska winning didn’t happen…I actually do want a West Coast team to win (Stanford) and I respect that program of Coach Dunning. They are really discipline and humble players.
I think Nikki ‘s future in the Pro League with depend on her injuries. The last couple of years Nikki has been injury prones. I agree with Maverick on his assessment about accomplishing big feats in a weaker conference. Just look at 8th place USC from the Pac12….Nikki would be really good if she played in the Pac 12 or Big 10 but every team in that conference has a Nikki -type player. I know Emily Hartong made 1st Team All American 1 or 2 years in a row in a weak conference. I think she was recognized because she played great every match and was never injured. Again, Hawaii needs to win the National Championship to ever get the respect we want. Again we are THOUSANDS of miles from the rest of the USA (as they would say) WE are respected as a great volleyball program but still need to PROVE that we are a POWER PROGRAM as good as the Pac 12 , Big 10, etc…Individual Accolades from the Islands will factor in when we make the committee and foreigners of the USA know that the 808 State belongs and has arrived again after almost 30 years.
Minnesota had the worst road record (.667) of the final four. Against Stanford’s block, they needed to stay in-system to split the block. Stanford was the more comfortable looking team most of the night. Their serve-receive and passing was everything they wanted, while Minnesota looked like they missed not being home.
For Texas, it was a grudge match. Once they had Nebraska down, they were not going to let them back up. Nebraska looked a bit wore out and worried after the first set. Texas is good, but I think Stanford could be a difficult match-up for them.
Gee Wiz #56, thanks, I didn’t think of that.
The trend of college sports toward power conferences in all sports is slowly trending up as we see now in D1 women’s volleyball. One player of a mid-major school in the 14 selected players on the 1st team. Nikki arguably the top player on a mid-major team, a second team selection again. It’s not trending for mid-major teams like UH to get a break from the selection committees for AA selections, seeds and placement for tournaments. And now the forming for 2017 of a basketball NIT like tournament, the National Invitation Volleyball Championships for women’s volleyball. The trend continues……………..
68. saw that on VT. I guess you could call it the DII championships for mid-major universities. At least schools like the Beach, Cal Poly and Pepperdine can look forward to participating in some sort of season ending championship tournament play.
68,69. The new tourney appears to reflect the growth and popularity of women’s volleyball, as a third-party thinks it can make money on the second 64 teams in the post-season. Don’t think quality of play will be particularly good, and UH should do whatever it can to avoid this tourney (i.e, win Big West, have 2-bid Big West). IMO, being a participant would not be an honor for UH’s program, but an indication of how far it has fallen. The only benefit I can see, other than more exposure for average teams and for the sport, is the possibility of non-Power teams beating the middling teams of the Power conferences (even winning the tournament), and possibly convincing the NCAA selection committee that its bias toward the Power conferences should be tempered. Unlikely, but you can always hope.
Thanks, Cindy, for taking and posting the video of Nikki Taylor. She is well-spoken and has been a good representative for the program and the school. It will be interesting who steps up from among the players to fill that role in the future. Don’t want to put you on the spot, but do you have any predictions?
http://hawaiiwarriorworld.com/?p=40679
new thread up
71. glad it finally made it up.
as for predictions, much depends on how good the incoming freshmen are and if they decide to move Maglio to Opp.
68. an NIT for women’s volleyball would not be a good idea for the sport. IMHO. just another excuse for the NCAA to make the ‘minor’ conferences one-bid leagues.
they tried an NIVT in the 90s. when UH didn’t make it to the NCAA in 92, Wahine were invited. NCAA field only 32 through 92. Shoji turned that invitational bid down.