Perfection in sports is rare. The Penn State Women’s Volleyball team came close in 2008, going 38-0 and dropping only two sets all season (those two coming in the classic NCAA Semifinal match against Nebraska in Omaha), en route to winning a second consecutive NCAA Division 1 Women’s Volleyball National Championship.
In 2009, Penn State extended its streak of consecutive sets without a loss to 141, before losing a set to Iowa at Rec Hall on October 2nd, followed by another dropped set on October 7th, (this time to Ohio State), and then two more against Michigan on October 16th, and ended with a 2009 total of eight sets lost. The 2009 Penn State team ended its season with a third consecutive NCAA Division 1 Women’s Volleyball National Championship.
How do those teams stack up to other teams that have made the Final Four? To answer that question, we took a look at the records of all the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Final Four teams from 1998 on (admittedly, a somewhat arbitrary choice) — total wins, total losses, sets won, and sets lost.
Only four NCAA Champions (in this admittedly limited sample) have dropped fewer than 10 sets in their Championship season (Penn State with a 114-2 record in 2008, Penn State with a 114-8 record in 2009, Long Beach State at 108-8 in 1998, and USC at 105-8 in 2003). The most sets lost by a Final Four team through 2014? Wisconsin’s 2013 Finalist, with 53.
So take a look — one feature we like is that you can click on a team logo and go straight to the team’s website.
If you find an error . . .
A final note. We tried our best to ensure that these statistics are accurate, but to err is human, and we are decidedly human, so if sharp-eyed readers notice any mistakes in this table, please let us know. We’ll be very grateful.
Wins & Losses (Matches and Sets): Final Four Teams from 1998 to 2014 (Click team logos for more info)
Year | NCAA Finish | Team | Conf. | W | L | Sets Won | Sets Lost |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | Champ | Penn State | B1G | 36 | 3 | 112 | 15 |
2014 | Finals | BYU | WCC | 30 | 5 | 95 | 26 |
2014 | Semi | Stanford | Pac 12 | 33 | 2 | 101 | 27 |
2014 | Semi | Texas | Big 12 | 27 | 3 | 84 | 21 |
2013 | Champ | Penn State | B1G | 34 | 2 | 106 | 21 |
2013 | Finals | Wisconsin | B1G | 28 | 10 | 94 | 53 |
2013 | Semi | Washington | Pac 12 | 30 | 3 | 91 | 28 |
2013 | Semi | Texas | Big 12 | 27 | 3 | 83 | 30 |
2012 | Champ | Texas | Big 12 | 31 | 4 | 98 | 23 |
2012 | Finals | Oregon | Pac 12 | 30 | 5 | 96 | 29 |
2012 | Semi | Michigan | B1G | 27 | 12 | 94 | 52 |
2012 | Semi | Penn State | B1G | 33 | 3 | 104 | 21 |
2011 | Champ | UCLA | Pac 12 | 30 | 6 | 97 | 31 |
2011 | Finals | Illinois | B1G | 32 | 5 | 100 | 43 |
2011 | Semi | Florida State | ACC | 28 | 7 | 90 | 39 |
2011 | Semi | USC | Pac 12 | 29 | 5 | 91 | 25 |
2010 | Champ | Penn State | B1G | 32 | 5 | 103 | 20 |
2010 | Finals | California | Pac 12 | 30 | 4 | 95 | 23 |
2010 | Semi | Texas | Big 12 | 28 | 6 | 89 | 34 |
2010 | Semi | USC | Pac 12 | 29 | 5 | 91 | 36 |
2009 | Champ | Penn State | B1G | 38 | 0 | 114 | 08 |
2009 | Finals | Texas | Big 12 | 29 | 2 | 91 | 13 |
2009 | Semi | Hawaii | WAC | 32 | 3 | 100 | 17 |
2009 | Semi | Minnesota | B1G | 28 | 9 | 88 | 41 |
2008 | Champ | Penn State | B1G | 38 | 0 | 114 | 02 |
2008 | Finals | Stanford | Pac 10 | 31 | 4 | 95 | 23 |
2008 | Semi | Nebraska | Big 12 | 31 | 3 | 97 | 21 |
2008 | Semi | Texas | Big 12 | 29 | 4 | 94 | 24 |
2007 | Champ | Penn State | B1G | 34 | 2 | 104 | 18 |
2007 | Finals | Stanford | Pac 10 | 32 | 3 | 101 | 24 |
2007 | Semi | California | Pac 10 | 26 | 8 | 87 | 36 |
2007 | Semi | USC | Pac 10 | 29 | 5 | 91 | 35 |
2006 | Champ | Nebraska | Big 12 | 33 | 1 | 101 | 14 |
2006 | Finals | Stanford | Pac 10 | 30 | 4 | 92 | 19 |
2006 | Semi | UCLA | Pac 10 | 33 | 4 | 104 | 24 |
2006 | Semi | Washington | Pac 10 | 29 | 5 | 92 | 26 |
2005 | Champ | Washington | Pac 10 | 32 | 1 | 98 | 10 |
2005 | Finals | Nebraska | Big 12 | 33 | 2 | 101 | 15 |
2005 | Semi | Tennessee | SEC | 19 | 12 | 70 | 49 |
2005 | Semi | Santa Clara | WCC | 27 | 5 | 88 | 30 |
2004 | Champ | Stanford | Pac 10 | 30 | 6 | 98 | 35 |
2004 | Finals | Minnesota | B1G | 33 | 5 | 105 | 34 |
2004 | Semi | Washington | Pac 10 | 28 | 3 | 89 | 23 |
2004 | Semi | USC | Pac 10 | 23 | 6 | 76 | 32 |
2003 | Champ | USC | Pac 10 | 35 | 0 | 105 | 08 |
2003 | Finals | Florida | SEC | 36 | 2 | 109 | 08 |
2003 | Semi | Hawaii | WAC | 36 | 2 | 109 | 16 |
2003 | Semi | Minnesota | B1G | 26 | 11 | 85 | 49 |
2002 | Champ | USC | Pac 10 | 31 | 1 | 95 | 12 |
2002 | Finals | Stanford | Pac 10 | 32 | 5 | 102 | 27 |
2002 | Semi | Hawaii | WAC | 34 | 2 | 102 | 12 |
2002 | Semi | Florida | SEC | 34 | 3 | 105 | 17 |
2001 | Champ | Stanford | Pac 10 | 33 | 2 | 101 | 21 |
2001 | Finals | Long Beach State | Big West | 33 | 1 | NA | NA |
2001 | Semi | Nebraska | Big 12 | 31 | 2 | 94 | 14 |
2001 | Semi | Arizona | Pac 10 | 25 | 5 | 79 | 25 |
2000 | Champ | Nebraska | Big 12 | 34 | 0 | 102 | 13 |
2000 | Finals | Wisconsin | B1G | 33 | 4 | NA | NA |
2000 | Semi | Hawaii | WAC | 31 | 2 | 95 | 16 |
2000 | Semi | USC | Pac 10 | 29 | 3 | 87 | 20 |
1999 | Champ | Penn State | B1G | 36 | 1 | 110 | 15 |
1999 | Finals | Stanford | Pac 10 | 31 | 3 | 95 | 18 |
1999 | Semi | Pacific | Big West | 32 | 3 | NA | NA |
1999 | Semi | Long Beach State | Big West | 31 | 4 | 95 | 23 |
1998 | Champ | Long Beach State | Big West | 36 | 0 | 108 | 08 |
1998 | Finals | Penn State | B1G | 34 | 1 | 104 | 06 |
1998 | Semi | Nebraska | Big 12 | 32 | 2 | 99 | 16 |
1998 | Semi | Florida | SEC | 35 | 3 | 107 | 24 |
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