Volleyball's final regular season test a tough one -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 

GEORGIA TECH COMES TO TOWN TO CLOSE OUT CARDS REGUAR SEASON AND CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

First off, what's up with the 5 p.m. start on this one tomorrow? Yes, I know, some are fortunate to get a shortened work day on the day before Thanksgiving, but more than a few will probably  have to struggle to get to this one by first serve. It's an important match for the Cards, let's not forget that Buzz's squad took it took the Cards in 4 sets earlier this month in Atlanta. 

There is no ACC Volleyball post-season tournament. I was asked ut that, and if I knew why. I don't but the lack of the ACC playing a post-season tournament isn't a rarity among conferences. Seven conferences (AAC, ACC, SEC, PAC12, BIG10, BIg 12 and West Coast) forego the post-season tournament each year. In the 32-team automatic qualifier for the 64 team tournament, most of...if not all...of the conferences listed above will get in more than one school. 

Georgia Tech is 22-5 on the season comng into the match and four of those are ACC losses...twice to Pitt and twice to Miami.It's pretty certain that the Techsters are in the NCAA Tournament, but a win over Louisville -- a second time and this time on their court -- would be advantageous to their ranking and seedings,

We are 99.9% sure Louisville is in the NCAA Tournament. The only thing that would seemingly preventt the Cards from getting in would be if a giant meteor were to fly into our city and wipe out the campus and the KFC YUM! Center.  But, NASA hasn't alerted us of anything like that upcoming, although they have issues warnings about the rockets that come form the forearms of Anna DeBeer, Aiko Jones and Charitie Luper. 

On a more serious note, once a team beats you, and they are on the schedule to play you again, they hae the self confidence, as a rule, to beat you again. They've exposed your weaknesses, flaunted their strong points againstt you and backed you, not them, into a corner. 

You've also got to wonder why this one is on campus at the LNFCU, where about 27 people get in to watcj matches, s compared to beingg downtown at the FC YUM Center. I did a quick calender check to see if the YUM! was booked tonight, and there is nothing scheduled in there. Uofl is fond of saying they move the big events to the YUM! for Volleyball. Well? Isn;t this a big event? My guess is that they couldn't get ACC to how it and that's why it is on line at ACCNX. 

Your top four in the conference:

Florida State	15-2	.882	8-0	7-2	W6	22-8	.733	10-3	9-4	3-1	9-1	W7
Pitt	14-2	.875	8-0	6-2	W3	23-4	.852	12-1	10-2	1-1	8-2	W3
Louisville	14-3	.824	8-0	6-3	L1	23-4	.852	13-1	7-3	3-0	8-2	L1
Georgia Tech	13-4	.765	7-2	6-2	W1	22-5	.815	9-2	9-3	4-0	7-3	W1

Maybe because it just a batttle for third place. But, a darn good volleyball match. It's a shame more people can't get in to see it "live"....

JARED ANDERSON PHOTOS

paulie