As we head into final four weekend of the 2016 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship, VolleyMob caught up with U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team coach and ESPN commentator, Karch Kiraly, at the Sports Anaheim press conference in California on Monday, December 12. Kiraly shared his thoughts about the new tournament format for 2016 and the excitement it has generated. He marveled that, despite “essentially sell-out” crowds at each of the four regional host sites, the games were less one-sided than predicted, “[leading] to more exciting volleyball than most people would have expected.”
Kiraly went on to talk about the importance of collegiate volleyball for the U.S. Women’s National Team, noting that “the college landscape … is essentially where all of the USA’s talent develops.” He is expecting several graduating seniors to “spend some time at the USA gym” at the team’s training facility in Anaheim next summer, where they will encounter “a whole new level of competition.”
Watch the full interview below:
Three of the top four teams from the last year’s tournament are back in the semi-finals this year: 2015-champion Nebraska and runner-up Texas, and Minnesota. Stanford, who lost in the second round to Loyola Marymount a year ago, will play in its 20th final four next weekend.
Follow all the action from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, beginning with the semi-final matches on December 15, 2016: Stanford vs Minnesota will take place at 7:00 p.m. EST, followed by Nebraska vs Texas at 9:30 p.m. EST.
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