As 2017 winds down, VolleyMob is taking a look back at the past year in volleyball with a month by month recap of the year that was. March was highlighted by a pair of FIVB World Tour events, standout men’s volleyball efforts, international indoor league titles and much more.
- After one round of play in the European Men’s Champions League, the field was down to 12 teams.
- The Ohio State men kept things rolling in March, winning their MIVA record 41st straight match.
- Canadian duo Julie Gordon and Camille Saxton claimed gold at the Shepparton FIVB World Tour event without a dropping a single set, including a straight-set victory over Germans Kim Behrens and Anni Schumacher in the finals.
- Slovenia found a new coach for its men’s national team in Slobodan Kovac, who won gold in Sydney with Yugoslovia and most recently coached with Halkbank Ankara in Turkey.
- USA Women’s National Team Tryouts wrapped up with 235 athletes competing for spots on the national team as well as 60 spots on collegiate national teams.
- Ball State men’s volleyball alum and member of the legendary Shondell family, Steve Shondell was inducted into the National High School’s Hall of Fame for his work at Muncie Burris High School from 1976-2009.
- King (TN) men set a school record for wins, topping Southern Virginia and Lindenwood, to notch the 16th and 17th on the season.
- The No. 6 UC Irvine men snapped No. 1 Ohio State’s 42-match win streak with a road sweep.
- The location of the 2017 Swatch World Tour Championships was announced, with Hamburg, Germany earning the hosting rights for the August event.
- Four Asian teams earned their spots at the FIVB Girls U18 World Championships in August.
- USA Volleyball announced it was getting into the collegiate beach game by hosting a pairs championship in May.
- The University of Oregon was in the market for a new women’s volleyball coach after ousting its staff after player complaints.
- On the beach, No. 1 USC extended its win streak to 36 matches with a pair of wins over No. 4 Florida State and Nebraska, moving to 6-0 in 2017.
- Lynn Beattie and Melissa Coutts made history at the Sydney Two Star, notching the first ever victory for a Scottish side in tour history.
- In Canada, Trinity Western won its second straight U Sports men’s championship.
- Canadians Julie Gordon and Camille Saxton won their second straight FIVB tour gold, taking home the Sydney Two-Star title.
- Alvaro Filho and Saymon Santos won the Brazilian Beach Volleyball Tour title on points.
- Alaina Bergsma Coble notched an American record 55 points as KGC Ginseng Corporation topped IBK Industrial Bank in the Korean V-League semifinals, tying Nicole Fawcett’s mark from 2013.
- Clemson filled its women’s volleyball coaching opening with Iowa assistant coach Michaela Franklin.
- BYU’s Ben Patch returned from injury to notch his 1,000th career kill against Long Beach State.
- In NORCECA action, Mexico won the U19 men’s Pan American Cup title, earning a spot in the 2017 U19 World Championships.
- As if an NCAA indoor title and a crossover to the beach weren’t enough, Stanford’s Jenna Gray to added javelin to her Spring slate.
- No. 13 Penn State upset the No. 1 Ohio State men in five sets in a non-conference battle. The loss was just the second of the season for the Buckeyes.
- Shanghai won the men’s Chinese Volleyball League title with a five-set win over Beijing BAIC Motors. The title was the 13th for Shanghai in the last 20 years.
- On the women’s side, a new champion was crowned as Jiangsu Zenith Steel of Nanjing won their first ever Chinese Volleyball League title, topping Zhejiang Rural Commercial Bank.
- The NEC Red Rockets won their seventh women’s Japan V. Premier League title, topping Hisamitsu Springs.
- History was made as Tia Thompson, a 32-year old transgender woman from Hawaii, was approved to compete in the women’s division of USA Volleyball.
- No. 1 Ohio State clinched the MIVA men’s volleyball title at 13-0 with a sweep of McKendree. The title was the 26th for the Buckeyes.
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