Tonight SFA beat North Texas 3-2 in match that featured a truly epic 3rd set. By truly epic, I mean epic in the sense of NCAA history of 25-point sets. SFA won the 3rd set tonight by a score of 39-37. You read that right: 39-37.
This post will be a running collection of facts and tidbids I find concerning long sets in NCAA history, but for now we begin with this:
Tonight's set ties for the 2nd longest set during the 25-point set era in NCAA Division I history. The longest set - in terms of points - ever played in 25-point format in DI Volleyball is:
Manhattan vs. Rider on October 23 of last year. Manhattan won a set in that match 45-43.
The second longest is:
Oregon vs. Oregon State on October 27 of last year. Oregon won a set in that match 39-37 and
Stony Brook vs. Central Connecticut State on 8/30/2008. Stony Brook won a set in that match 39-37 also.
So, our set tonight ties those two matches and makes for the longest set in Southland Conference history in the 25-point set era.
Keep in mind that this is only the third year of 25-point format in collegiate volleyball.
I am also assuming (possibly incorrectly) that there has not been a longer set played so far this year in NCAA DI Volleyball. That would be very tough to check given that record books are only released once per year by the NCAA which is where I got all my facts listed above. However, I have already sent an email to the contact person for DI Volleyball records at the NCAA. If she replies, I will pass along any information I learn.
The record book is public domain and can be found here (see page 26):
http://web1.ncaa.org/web_files/stats/w_volleyball_RB/2010/D1.pdf
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Update on Thursday, 9/16/10 8:30 PM:
The following is (the relevant portion of) an email correspondence with Jenn Rodgers at NCAA Statistics:
Original E-mail:
Jenn,
Tonight in Nacogdoches, Texas, Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) beat the University of North Texas 3-2 and the 3rd set was won by SFA by a score of 39-37. According to the 2010 Record book for Division I NCAA Volleyball this ties for the 2nd longest set - in terms of points scored by the winning team in the set - in the 3 year history of 25-point set scoring.
Please reference page 26 of the 2010 Division I record book.
I am writing to ask you if you are aware of any set in Division I Volleyball this year that has gone longer than 39-37? Have you been notified of such or is there a way I could search to find out among NCAA box scores?
Obviously, this set makes for the longest set in 25-point set format involving a Southland Conference Team.
Thanks for any information you can provide..
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Reply received today....
Hi Greg – thanks for the note… I will add this to the list of updates for the 2011 book. In terms of longer sets being played this year, I’m not aware of any. Georgia/Northern Colo. played a 38-36 third set. With our system, I do not have the ability to search for set scores though, just the overall match outcome, so I can’t confirm 100% that this is the longest set played.
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