Termine » ed, I felt like I saw the pitches well. I just

The NCAA volleyball championship will be held in Big Ten territory again this season, with the final four taking place in Columbus, Ohio, on Dec. 15 and 17. Last year, the season concluded in Omaha, Nebraska, with the Big Red favorites from down the road in Lincoln taking the title.The Huskers will start this season ranked No. 1, but there will be plenty of challengers on Nebraskas road to a possible repeat. Here are five questions to ponder as we get set for the season.1. Will it be Nebraska vs. Texas again in the final?The Huskers swept the Longhorns in the championship match last December, and the teams begin this season ranked 1-2 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll. So we might indeed see them in the 2016 final.However, since the NCAA volleyball tournament began in 1981, theres been only one instance of the same teams playing in back-to-back championship matches: Penn State and Stanford in 2007 and 08, with the Nittany Lions winning both.We dont have to wait until the NCAA tournament, though, for a Nebraska-Texas matchup; they play Saturday at the VERT Challenge in Eugene, Oregon.Any time Nebraska plays Texas, its a huge game, Huskers setter Kelly Hunter said. Last year we played them early on, and it didnt go our way. Then we saw them again at the end of the year. So its about who gets better throughout the course of the year.We finished on a high note, so were expected to start on a high note. And we have that expectation of ourselves.The Huskers, who won 16 consecutive matches to end last season, return 10 players, including the junior Hunter, the senior Rolfzen twins: Kadie (outside hitter) and Amber (middle blocker), and sophomore hitter Mikaela Foecke, the most outstanding player of the 2015 championship. Among the Huskers additions is junior middle blocker Briana Holman, who was a first-team All-American at LSU before transferring to Nebraska, and senior outside hitter Andie Malloy, who transferred from Baylor.Texas lost three seniors who were the glue last season, including Big 12 player of the year Amy Neal. But the Longhorns, whove advanced to the final four seven of the last eight years, never lack for talent. Among the standouts they have back are setter Chloe Collins and fellow senior Paulina Prieto Cerame, their returning leader in kills with 337 last year. Joining her at outside hitter are two players who were expected to be big contributors last year but were sidelined by injuries: Ebony Nwanebu and Micaya White.Texas is again the Big 12 favorite, but the Longhorns have some company near the top of the poll from Kansas. The Jayhawks -- who made a breakthrough last year by going to their first final four -- are ranked No. 5. They will try to challenge Texas stranglehold on the Big 12 and the league player of the year award, which a Longhorn has won the last seven seasons. This year, the preseason pick for that honor is actually a Jayhawk: junior right side hitter Kelsie Payne.2. Will the Big Ten be the toughest conference?When Nebraska coach John Cook says it might be harder to win a Big Ten title than an NCAA championship, its not just pro-conference hyperbole. The NCAA title requires six victories. The Big Ten title requires coming out on top after a 20-match gauntlet that typically includes several NCAA tournament-qualifying teams. Last year, the Big Ten had nine squads in the postseason.Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011 and won the conference title that year. Since then, the Big Ten title has gone to Penn State (2012 and 13), Wisconsin (2014), and Minnesota (2015). Those three schools join Nebraska in the preseason top 10, with Illinois, Ohio State, and Purdue also in the top 25.Seven-time NCAA champion Penn State finished fourth in the Big Ten in 2015, falling to Hawaii in the NCAA regional semifinals. But the Nittany Lions had won six of the previous eight NCAA titles, so they were due to have something of a rebuilding season, even though that term really never fits how good Penn State always is.Will it be another survival-of-the-fittest endurance test in the Big Ten? Of course, and it will be no surprise to see at least two teams from that conference in the final four. Thats been the case three of the last four years.3. Can Stanford make a title run?Before she became queen of the sand, Kerri Walsh Jennings was an indoor volleyball star, leading Stanford to two NCAA titles. That was during a stretch from 1992-97 when the Cardinal won four of six national championships. Stanford added two more titles in 2001 and 2004.But Stanford hasnt won an NCAA title in the past 11 years, and has made just one final four appearance in the last seven seasons. Its not for lack of success in the Pac-12, though. In the last 10 seasons, Stanford has won or shared the conference title seven times. (In all, Stanford has 16 Pac-12 crowns since league play began in 1986.)But the Cardinal have had several big disappointments over the past decade in the NCAA tournament, including last seasons 3-0 second-round loss to Loyola Marymount on Stanfords home court at Maples Pavilion.With four starters returning from a team that finished third in the Pac-12 in 2015, Stanford is picked to win the conference title this year. But can the Cardinal climb to the very top spot in volleyball?It will help to have back middle blocker Inky Ajanaku, who missed 2015 with a knee injury. And outside hitter Hayley Hodson, who was the national freshman of the year last season, should be even better as a sophomore.Of course, just like with the Big Ten, the Pac-12 always has a pileup of very good teams who go to the NCAA tournament. Last year, seven from the Pac-12 made the postseason, but for the first time ever, there was no West Coast/Hawaii presence in the final four. It looked as if top-seeded Southern Cal was headed to Omaha, but the Trojans collapsed late in the fifth set against Kansas in the regional final, losing six consecutive points and the match.USC lost 2015 AVCA national player of the year Samantha Bricio to graduation, but still has plenty of talent, including sophomore Alyse Ford and junior Brittany Abercrombie.For what its worth, the AVCA poll has USC and Washington as the top-ranked Pac-12 teams, tied for seventh, with Stanford at No. 11.4. Will Texas A&M top the SEC again?The boss of this conference has, for the most part, been Florida. And the Gators are going to be in the thick of things again this season, especially with middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan and right-side hitter Alex Holston returning. Florida, which is a perennial contender, lost in a regional final last year to Texas. The Gators will open this season against No. 1 Nebraska on Friday.But the 2015 SEC champion was Texas A&M, led by setter/right side Stephanie Aiple and middle blocker Jazzmin Babers. The Aggies were picked by the SEC coaches to win the conference again in 2016, with the Gators picked to finish second. The AVCA poll, however, favors Florida at No. 10, with Texas A&M at No. 16.Last year, Texas A&M fell in the NCAA second round at home against Hawaii, and the Aggies definitely hope for a better postseason showing in 2016.5. Who are among the best of the rest?Hawaii?is No. 6 in the AVCA preseason poll and picked to win the Big West again. The Rainbow Wahine went 16-0 in conference play last year, then fell to Minnesota in a regional final.Colorado State has won the last seven Mountain West titles and is picked to make it eight in a row this year. But the Rams, ranked No. 25, may be challenged in the league by Boise State, which has preseason player of the year Sierra Nobley.The ACCs final four breakthrough came in 2011 with Florida State. The conference is still looking for a follow-up trip. North Carolina was chosen as the 2016 ACC favorite, followed by the Seminoles, Miami, and last years regular-season champion, Louisville. The highest ranked of the ACC teams is Florida State at No. 17.BYU, ranked No. 13, will be going for its third consecutive West Coast Conference title. Among the challengers is Loyola Marymount, which is ranked No. 21. Creighton advanced to the regional semifinals for the first time last season, and looks to build on that. The No. 18 Bluejays are the Big East favorites, having won the conferences regular-season and tournament titles last year. Bruce Bowen Jersey . 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Pau Gasol Jersey . After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91. PHOENIX -- In the shadows of University of Phoenix Stadium, where he won a college football national championship with the?Florida Gators?in 2007, Tim Tebows sternest baseball test yet got off to a quiet start.After fouling off a pair of full-count pitches from Washington Nationals prospect Austin Voth, Tebow grounded out to second base in his first Arizona Fall League at-bat. He went on to finish 0-for-3 with a pair of groundouts and a squibber in front of the plate, as his Scottsdale Scorpions beat the Glendale Desert Dogs 9-6 before an announced crowd of 912 at Camelback Ranch on Tuesday.Obviously, I wish I could have done a little bit more at the plate and got a couple of hits, Tebow said after his AFL debut. But it was fun. Youve got to knock a little rust off. ... Each day is not just about the result. Its about: What are you learning? How are you improving? How are you going to be able to take that over into spring training?On opening day in the league for top prospects, Tebow also caught a routine fly ball and slammed into the wall while pursuing another shot. He logged five innings in left field.Where my face went into the wall? Tebow said with a laugh when asked about his ill-fated catch attempt. I knew it was hit well, so I just tried to make a play on it. I was going pretty hard and thought I had another step or two and ran into the wall. But Ive been hit harder, so Im OK.The attendance at the spring training facility of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox represented about three times the normal crowd for an AFL game. Afterward, Tebow signed autographs for fans down the third-base line.When one fan had a seizure, Tebow opted to stay with him until paramedics arrived.I just remember just being very disoriented, Brandon Berry told The Associated Press by phone. Then I saw Tim.The 30-year-old said he was OK at home in nearby Avondale, Arizona, after being released from the hospital.Berry said he didnt remember much after the seizure, except that he told the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner that he cheered for Georgia -- an SEC rival of Tebows?Florida Gators.Daniel Kelly, a Tebow fan from Casa Grande, Arizona, said he met Berry early in the game. Kelly was getting a baseball autographed by Tebow when the seizure began.Hes just shaking violently, Kelly told the AP. Were like, Get a paramedic! Get a paramedic!Kelly said he and his wife, Samantha, began to pray. Kelly then looked up to see that Tebow was also praying while placing a hand on Berrys leg.Kelly said Berry appeared unconscious for about 30 seconds before coming to with a coughing fiit.dddddddddddd. Officials from the stadium tended to him while awaiting paramedics from the Phoenix Fire Department.Kelly said it was near 100 degrees at the stadium and that Berry was with him in the sun for most of the game.Berry said he has been having seizures since 2013 and was diagnosed with a pituitary tumor in January. He said he had an MRI on Tuesday to monitor his condition before going to the game.Berry said he isnt a Tebow fan but that he went to the game to take in the spectacle of seeing a superstar, albeit from another sport.Like seeing somebody like Chipper Jones when I grew up watching, said Berry, originally from Hayesville, North Carolina.As for the game itself, Tebow did not have the same magic in his AFL debut as when he was reintroduced to baseball two weeks ago in the instructional league.In Port St. Lucie, Florida, on Sept. 28, Tebow homered on the first pitch he saw. The long ball came in the 29-year-old Tebows first formal baseball game since a state semifinal as a junior in high school.Tebow signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets for $100,000 last month, following a professional football career that included stops with the?Denver Broncos and New York Jets.Scottsdale manager Tom Goodwin was encouraged by Tebows performance on Tuesday, which included seeing 14 pitches over three at-bats.Day 1. I thought it was a good day. I really did -- obviously seeing the pitches, Goodwin said. This is the first game I got a chance to see him. The plate discipline is going to be key for him -- to try to zero in and get a good pitch. I think hell be able to do that a little bit more as he gets used to being out there and playing.As Tebow added, I felt like I saw the pitches well. I just rolled over a couple -- pitches I should have done more with.Tebow is expected to play Wednesday and Thursday in the AFL before departing for his college football broadcasting duties with ESPN. He is part of the crew for Alabama-Tennessee on Saturday.Meanwhile, considering he was playing within walking distance of one of his greatest football moments, Tebow was asked if the proximity made him miss that sport.I have good memories in that stadium, Tebow said. You definitely miss football sometimes. Im thankful I get to talk about it every weekend. And thats fun. There are times youre like, Man, I still love the sport. Its super fun. But this is also a lot of fun.Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Jerseys NFL Cheap Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic China Jerseys Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping NFL Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping ' ' '