2002 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament
Encyclopedia
The 2002 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament began on December 5, 2002 with 64 teams and concluded on December 21 when Southern California defeated Stanford
3 games to 1 in New Orleans, Louisiana
for the program's second NCAA title.
It was Southern California's first national title since 1981, while Stanford was the defending champion at the time. Semifinalists Hawaii was making the program's first NCAA final four appearance since 1996 while Florida made the program's first final four appearance in four years.
Santa Barbara
Gainesville
Lincoln
Final Four – New Orleans Arena
When Florida took the first set, it was the first time in 6 NCAA Semifinal appearances that a Florida team was able to win a single set. However, the rest didn't go their way as USC won the next three to advance to the national championship. In the deciding fourth set, USC took the 16-8 lead before Florida came back to cut the lead to 19-17, but the Gators were unable to take the lead before USC won the fourth set, 30-24 and the match.
Stanford got a chance to defend their 2001 NCAA title after dismantling Hawaii, 3-0. The 3-0 loss was only Hawaii's second loss of the season, with their other loss coming to Stanford in a 3-0 sweep in the preseason. Ogonna Nnamani
led Stanford with 15 kills, while Hawaii was led by Kim Willoughby
who had 22 kills.
USC dethroned defending NCAA national champion Stanford in a 3-1 match to finish the season 31-1, with their only loss coming to Stanford. In set one, USC had 22 kills while Stanford had just 8, leading them to a 30-27 victory. In set two, Stanford came back to take 9 of the first 12 points en route to the easy 30-23.
USC sprinted to the 19-10 lead in set 3, before the Cardinal cut the advantage at 20-17. USC's offense proved to be too much, as they won it 30-24. In set 4, USC cruised out to an early 6-1 lead and then 17-11. The lead soon disappeared, with Stanford tying it up at 19, before USC pulled away again to win the fourth set 30-26 and take home to national title. It was USC's first national championship since 1981, the first year that NCAA started to sponsor women's volleyball.
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
3 games to 1 in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
for the program's second NCAA title.
It was Southern California's first national title since 1981, while Stanford was the defending champion at the time. Semifinalists Hawaii was making the program's first NCAA final four appearance since 1996 while Florida made the program's first final four appearance in four years.
Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, CaliforniaSanta Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
Regional
GainesvilleGainesville, FloridaGainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
Regional
LincolnLincoln, NebraskaThe City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
Regional
Stanford Regional
Final Four – New Orleans ArenaNew Orleans ArenaNew Orleans Arena is an indoor arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is located in the city's Central Business District, adjacent to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome....
, New Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
Southern California vs. Florida
| Teams | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 |
| USC | 24 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| FLA | 30 | 25 | 26 | 24 |
When Florida took the first set, it was the first time in 6 NCAA Semifinal appearances that a Florida team was able to win a single set. However, the rest didn't go their way as USC won the next three to advance to the national championship. In the deciding fourth set, USC took the 16-8 lead before Florida came back to cut the lead to 19-17, but the Gators were unable to take the lead before USC won the fourth set, 30-24 and the match.
Stanford vs. Hawaii
| Teams | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 |
| STAN | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| HAW | 25 | 27 | 24 |
Stanford got a chance to defend their 2001 NCAA title after dismantling Hawaii, 3-0. The 3-0 loss was only Hawaii's second loss of the season, with their other loss coming to Stanford in a 3-0 sweep in the preseason. Ogonna Nnamani
Ogonna Nnamani
Ogonna Nneka Nnamani is an American indoor volleyball player, currently playing professionally for VK Prostějov in Prostějov, Czech Republic....
led Stanford with 15 kills, while Hawaii was led by Kim Willoughby
Kim Willoughby
Kim Marie Willoughby is an American indoor volleyball player. She is 5'10" and is an outside hitter. In 2007, she played professionally for the Italian Serie A League Familia Chieri. In April 2008, she joined the U.S. national team...
who had 22 kills.
National Championship: Southern California vs. Stanford
| Teams | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 |
| USC | 30 | 23 | 30 | 30 |
| STAN | 27 | 30 | 24 | 26 |
USC dethroned defending NCAA national champion Stanford in a 3-1 match to finish the season 31-1, with their only loss coming to Stanford. In set one, USC had 22 kills while Stanford had just 8, leading them to a 30-27 victory. In set two, Stanford came back to take 9 of the first 12 points en route to the easy 30-23.
USC sprinted to the 19-10 lead in set 3, before the Cardinal cut the advantage at 20-17. USC's offense proved to be too much, as they won it 30-24. In set 4, USC cruised out to an early 6-1 lead and then 17-11. The lead soon disappeared, with Stanford tying it up at 19, before USC pulled away again to win the fourth set 30-26 and take home to national title. It was USC's first national championship since 1981, the first year that NCAA started to sponsor women's volleyball.