When the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament starts today, everybody in Madison will be focused on the Wisconsin Badgers and their attempt to win a National Championship.
However, that storyline does not interest me in the least, for there are as many as four other subplots to this regional that make this one unique compared to all the other first- and second-round sites.
The most noticeable aspect of the opening two rounds is the regionalization of the teams. With four schools from the San Diego area playing against each other, four Florida schools in the same bracket and every other bracket broken down by region, a certain spice is in the tournament that has been lacking.
In Wisconsin's bracket, the Badgers host Michigan State, a rival Big Ten school that UW has beaten twice already; Notre Dame; and in-state rival UW-Milwaukee which should have a chip on their shoulder given the low seeding they received from the NCAA.
\I think it's going to be a solid weekend with some great matches,"" UW Head Coach Pete Waite said.
From my perspective, putting teams from similar regions should produce more than a few upsets before the Sweet 16.
But there are plenty of other intriguing things about the four teams in Wisconsin's regional. While watching the Notre Dame-Michigan State match, keep an eye on the two head coaches'Notre Dame's Debbie Brown and Michigan State's Chuck Erbe.
Other than coaching against each other Friday night, they share a deeper bond. Erbe was at the helm of the University of Southern California Trojans when Brown served as USC team captain from 1976-'77.
Erbe guided Brown and her teammates to a 38-0 record in 1977 that stood as the only unbeaten season in Division I volleyball history until Long Beach State went 42-0 in 1998.
Since they took over their respective jobs, the Irish and Spartans have met four times. Brown took the opener, but Erbe's Spartans have won the last three times, including last year.
I am not a soothsayer, but I like the Spartans' chances of advancing because of the quality teams they have beaten recently. Take Michigan State in a five-set thriller.
In the evening match, when Wisconsin and UW-Milwaukee face off, you might want to take a count of the number of fans in the Field House, especially the number of fans who make the trip here from Milwaukee.
""We're pretty sure that it's more [fans] than ever before,"" Panthers Head Coach Kathy Litzau said.
It may not set UW records for most fans in the Field House, but if nothing else, the old barn ought to be rocking.
Give me more than 5,000 screaming fans and a Badger victory in three tough games and I will be more than satisfied.
Which leads me to Saturday, and if my projections are correct, there will be no love lost as Wisconsin and Michigan State square off for the third time.
As the saying goes, it is very difficult to defeat a team three times in a season. In this case, the irresistible force'Michigan State'will run into the immovable object'Wisconsin.
Who wins? Just as they have done all year long, Badgers in a sweep.
