Volleyball Regular Season Wraps up with Seeding for Tournament Still to Be Determined

Horizon League volleyball reaches the final week of the regular season with qualification and seeding still to be determined for the six-team conference tournament that starts next Friday at regular season champion Milwaukee.

Milwaukee and Cleveland State have clinched the top two seeds in the tournament and the top five teams in conference standings entering the weekend have secured spots in the tournament.  Weekend play will determine the final tournament entrant as well as seeding for the bottom four qualifiers.  And, just to keep things interesting, Milwaukee will play two road matches looking to make a bit of Horizon League history.

Here's a look at the final seven matches of the conference season:

Butler (14-13, 10-5) at Wright State (6-22, 5-10) – Friday at 7 p.m. ET
Aside from Milwaukee, no team has been hotter in the Horizon League than Butler. The Bulldogs have won nine of their last 10 matches as they rebounded from a 1-4 conference start to put themselves in position to be the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament. The Raiders have also come on towards the end of the season, winning three of their last four matches, to make a push at making the conference tournament. Wright State needs a win Friday and losses by Green Bay in both of its weekend matches to qualify for the tournament. A win for Butler clinches the No. 3 seed in the tournament for the Bulldogs.

Green Bay (10-16, 6-8) at Youngstown State (4-23, 2-12) – Friday at 7 p.m. ET
Green Bay goes to Ohio with its magic number to secure its place in the conference tournament down to one. A Phoenix  win in either one of their last two matches or a Butler win over Wright State clinches a spot for Green Bay. Youngstown State has picked up its play as of late. The Penguins knocked off conference tournament-bound UIC last weekend in five sets and have won two of their last three matches. In three of its last four home conference matches, YSU has won at least one set, so the Phoenix know they will be in for a battle on Friday night as they try to secure a conference tournament bid.

Loyola (4-20, 1-13) at Cleveland State (18-7, 11-3) – Friday at 7 p.m. ET
Cleveland State closes the regular season with its final two matches at home. The Vikings have nothing to play for seeding wise as they have clinched the No. 2 seed and a bye in next week’s conference tournament. CSU clinched its position last week with victories over tournament-bound Valparaiso and UIC. In the match against UIC, junior Kara Koch set a school-record with 35 kills. Loyola, one of the youngest teams in the conference, has struggled under first-year head coach Chris Muscat, but the Ramblers future looks bright behind freshmen Laura Purcell (3.05) and Mary Kate Styler (2.71), who rank first and third among freshmen in the League in kills per set.

Milwaukee (21-4, 14-0) at Valparaiso (19-12, 9-6) – Friday at 8 p.m. ET
Valparaiso needs a win its final conference match of the season to have a chance at moving up to the No. 3 seed in the tournament. The Crusaders also are one win away from winning their 20^th match of the season, which would extend their streak of 20 win seasons to 10. Milwaukee has already clinched the regular season title and the right to host the conference tournament. The Panthers rank no worse than second among Horizon League teams in hitting percentage, opponent hitting percentage, assists, kills and blocks.

Loyola (4-20, 1-13) at Youngstown State (4-23, 2-12) Saturday at 2 p.m. ET
Saturday marks the final match of the season for both squads as neither will advance to the Horizon League tournament. Youngstown State won the first meeting between the two teams, 3-1. Both teams have built depth for the future. The Ramblers return six players who have played in at least half of their sets, while Youngstown State will return eight players who appeared in at least half of the sets played.

Green Bay (10-16, 6-8) at Cleveland State (18-7, 11-3) Saturday at 4 p.m. ET
Depending on how the Green Bay-Youngstown State and Butler-Wright State matches go on Friday night, the Phoenix could be playing for their spot in the conference tournament when they face the Vikings. Cleveland State won the first match between the two programs, 3-0. In CSU’s win over UIC last week, Koch wasn’t the only Viking to set a school-record as senior Amy Grabiec’s 39 digs were also a new school mark.

Milwaukee (21-4, 14-0) at UIC (14-13,  7-8) Saturday at 7 p.m. ET
The Panthers and the Flames have both clinched their spots in next week’s conference tournament, but they both still have something to play for. UIC can clinch the No. 5 seed with a win, while the Panthers.