2004 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament
Encyclopedia
The 2004 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament began on December 2, 2004 with 64 teams and ended December 18 when Stanford
defeated Minnesota 3 games to 0 in Long Beach, California
for the program's sixth NCAA title.
Stanford, who was the tournament's 11th overall seed, became the lowest seed to win the national title. Minnesota was making the school's first national championship match appearance. Stanford's six NCAA national championship is the most of any other program in Division I.
Ogonna Nnamani
, the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, set an NCAA tournament record for kills in a tournament, as she had 165 in six matches, including 29 against Minnesota in the final. Nnamani also set the NCAA tournament record for kill attempts at 356. Stanford setter Bryn Kehoe became the first freshman setter to lead a team to a national championship.
Louisville
Minneapolis
Green Bay
Final Four – Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, California
Behind 18 kills from Minnesota's Erin Martin, the Golden Gophers knocked out two-time defending NCAA Champion USC with a 3-1 decision to advance to their first NCAA Championship match in school history.
Stanford, the surprise of the tournament, came through with a 3-1 win over Pac-10 champion Washington. Ogonna Nnamani
had 33 kills to lead Stanford to the championship match. During the regular season, Stanford and Washington split the match ups, with Washington sweeping the Cardinal in Seattle and Stanford returning the favor in Palo Alto by defeating the Huskies in five.
Behind 29 kills from Nnamani, Stanford completed their NCAA run by sweeping the Golden Gophers. Stanford easily won the first set, 30-23. The second was much closer, with Stanford going on a late run the win the second set, 30-27.
The third set was not competitive, which may have been due to an injury. Late in the second set, Minnesota's All-American libero, Paula Gentil, collided with a teammate while trying to dig a ball which left her unable to move on the court for over five minutes. Gentil was able to get up, but could not return to the match with a neck injury. Stanford won easily, 30-21.
Stanford's surprising run was due to the fact that they started out the season 15-6 and was ranked out of the top ten for in the beginning of the season. However, the Cardinal found momentum in the middle of the season, winning their last 15 matches including an upset of then-#1 and undefeated Washington in five sets.
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...
defeated Minnesota 3 games to 0 in Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
for the program's sixth NCAA title.
Stanford, who was the tournament's 11th overall seed, became the lowest seed to win the national title. Minnesota was making the school's first national championship match appearance. Stanford's six NCAA national championship is the most of any other program in Division I.
Ogonna Nnamani
Ogonna Nnamani
Ogonna Nneka Nnamani is an American indoor volleyball player, currently playing professionally for VK Prostějov in Prostějov, Czech Republic....
, the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, set an NCAA tournament record for kills in a tournament, as she had 165 in six matches, including 29 against Minnesota in the final. Nnamani also set the NCAA tournament record for kill attempts at 356. Stanford setter Bryn Kehoe became the first freshman setter to lead a team to a national championship.
LouisvilleLouisville, KentuckyLouisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
Regional
MinneapolisMinneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
Regional
Green BayGreen Bay, WisconsinGreen Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
Regional
Seattle Regional
Final Four – Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
Southern California vs. Minnesota
| Teams | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 |
| MIN | 30 | 29 | 30 | 30 |
| USC | 25 | 31 | 26 | 20 |
Behind 18 kills from Minnesota's Erin Martin, the Golden Gophers knocked out two-time defending NCAA Champion USC with a 3-1 decision to advance to their first NCAA Championship match in school history.
Stanford vs. Washington
| Teams | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 |
| STAN | 30 | 23 | 30 | 30 |
| WASH | 25 | 30 | 27 | 24 |
Stanford, the surprise of the tournament, came through with a 3-1 win over Pac-10 champion Washington. Ogonna Nnamani
Ogonna Nnamani
Ogonna Nneka Nnamani is an American indoor volleyball player, currently playing professionally for VK Prostějov in Prostějov, Czech Republic....
had 33 kills to lead Stanford to the championship match. During the regular season, Stanford and Washington split the match ups, with Washington sweeping the Cardinal in Seattle and Stanford returning the favor in Palo Alto by defeating the Huskies in five.
National Championship: Stanford vs. Minnesota
| Teams | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 |
| STAN | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| MIN | 23 | 27 | 21 |
The third set was not competitive, which may have been due to an injury. Late in the second set, Minnesota's All-American libero, Paula Gentil, collided with a teammate while trying to dig a ball which left her unable to move on the court for over five minutes. Gentil was able to get up, but could not return to the match with a neck injury. Stanford won easily, 30-21.
Stanford's surprising run was due to the fact that they started out the season 15-6 and was ranked out of the top ten for in the beginning of the season. However, the Cardinal found momentum in the middle of the season, winning their last 15 matches including an upset of then-#1 and undefeated Washington in five sets.
NCAA Tournament records
There are four NCAA tournament records that were set in the 2004 tournament.- Kills, tournament (individual record) - Ogonna Nnamani, Stanford University - 165 total kills (18 vs. Jacksonville, 30 vs. Florida, 28 vs. Texas, 27 vs. Wisconsin, 33 vs. Washington, 29 vs. Minnesota).
- Total attempts, tournament (individual record) - Ogonna Nnamani, Stanford University - 356 total attempts (36 vs. Jacksonville, 89 vs. Florida, 56 vs. Texas, 49 vs. Wisconsin, 78 vs. Washington, 48 vs. Minnesota).
- Solo blocks, tournament (individual record) - Ogonna Nnamani, Stanford University - 15 solo blocks (2 vs. Jacksonville, 3 vs. Florida, 2 vs. Texas, 2 vs. Wisconsin, 5 vs. Washington, 1 vs. Minnesota).
- Total digs, tournament (individual record) - Paula Gentil, University of Minnesota - 173 total digs (25 vs. Long Island, 21 vs. Yale, 38 vs. Ohio State, 41 vs. Georgia Tech, 33 vs. Southern California, 15 vs. Stanford).