Volleyball video features players who've been 'Diggin' It'

In conjunction with the 20th anniversary of the Division I Women's Volleyball Championship, NCAA Productions and the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) have selected the six all-time NCAA women's volleyball players of the past two decades.

A poll of past and current Division I women's volleyball head coaches was conducted to select the best six players who will be featured in the highlight video, "Diggin' It,"

the official NCAA Women's Volleyball Highlight Video.

The top six all-time players, in alphabetical order, are:

Tara Cross, Long Beach State University, 1986-89;

Misty May, Long Beach State University, 1995-98;

Bev Oden, Stanford University, 1989-92;

Danielle Scott, Long Beach State University, 1990-93;

Kerri Walsh, Stanford University, 1996-99; and

Natalie Williams, University of California, Los Angeles, 1989-92.

Coaches were allowed to vote only once and were asked to select their top six players, regardless of position, from 1981 to the present. They were asked to vote based solely on accomplishments during college years (regular season and NCAA championship tournament). The AVCA tabulated 127 ballots and reported the results to NCAA Productions. Twenty-six former and present players were on the original ballot, which was narrowed down to the final six.

The highlight video, which will be released January 15, will review 20 years of NCAA women's volleyball, in chronological order, with a special emphasis on teams that have won multiple championships. Interviews with past and present players and coaches will be included in the video.

The VHS tape can be ordered by calling the NCAA at 317/917-6833.

Leagues plan 'Mat-Jam'

Three conferences have announced that they will combine their conference wrestling championships in an effort to reduce costs, increase interest and create an exciting atmosphere for student-athletes and fans.

The Atlantic Coast, Southern and Colonial Athletic Conferences will hold their conference championships in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, March 3. Each conference meet will qualify student-athletes for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.

The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) assisted in putting the event together.

"I think this is a great move for wrestling and college athletics in general," said Mike Moyer, executive director of the NWCA. "We look forward to helping make this a first-class event."

NCAA sited honored

Expidant, a firm hired by the NCAA to create www.ncaabasketball.net, won a Bronze NewMedia Invision Award for the site's design and functionality.

The site was chosen by a panel of journalists, creative directors, digital designers and industry experts from 1,100 entries from 18 countries.

That's service

Angie Nordquist, a junior volleyball player at Valparaiso University, became just the 15th player in NCAA history to serve 15 consecutive points. It occurred during the second game of the match against Western Illinois University. After Western

Illinois took a 1-0 lead, Nordquist served six points. After a timeout, she served six more. After yet another timeout, she finished off the game with the last three points. The Crusaders won the match, 15-7, 15-1, 13-15, 15-10.

--Compiled by Kay Hawes

Number crunching

The state of Florida swept the top three spots in Division I-A football when it came to strength of schedule for the 2000 season. Strength of schedule is the total winning percentage of a team's Division I-A opponents, not including the opponent's game against that team. The Florida Gators' opponents in 2000 won more than 65 percent of their games. Florida State and Miami (Florida) were close behind, with their opponents winning almost 64 percent of the time.

Looking back

A look back at some of the State of the Association speeches given at past NCAA Conventions:

2000 Convention -- "When we say in our mission that we must maintain intercollegiate athletics as an integral part of higher education, we are talking about academic standards. It's fundamental for higher education to maintain the connection between classroom performance and athletics participation, and we must increase graduation rates for student-athletes. Those rates -- especially in football and basketball -- are not high enough. We must do a better job of fulfilling our academic responsibility.

In this new year, I'll recommend that we continue to look at ways to strengthen the continuing-eligibility requirements to better ensure academic success of student-athletes. But frankly, institutions must then discipline themselves to recruit for more than just the freshman year -- and to only admit students who are committed and can stay the course."

-- NCAA President Cedric W. Dempsey

1996 Convention -- "(Another) issue I want to address is the growing incidence of improper agent involvement with student-athletes. From 1989 through 1992, we had only one reported incident per year. In 1993, that increased to three incidents and even dropped to two in 1994. But in 1995, there have been 17 cases reported. ... It's clear, the time has come for a concerted effort to address this issue. ... This effort must not only involve the collegiate community, but also secondary schools, the professional leagues and their player associations, and every state legislature. We cannot let the action of a few unscrupulous agents destroy the basic fiber of this organization. But neither can we ignore the role we have played in creating a climate in which some student-athletes will risk their eligibility for relatively modest benefits. Our approach to these and other issues facing the Association must be realistic and honest."

-- NCAA Executive Director Cedric W. Dempsey

1991 Convention -- "We should view these new dollars (from the recent CBS contract) as a real opportunity to create major reform without legislation. Let's go back to playing for the trophy, eliminate the incentives to break rules because of dollars, and reduce pressure on both coaches and athletes. Let's eliminate the comment about the $300,000 free throw. Let's reward integrity, quality education and good graduation rates, as well as a strong commitment to intercollegiate athletics through broad-based programs."

-- NCAA Executive Director Richard D. Schultz