2014 D-I College Championships - Women's Division Preview
Erick Starkey
Posted: May 22, 2014 08:53 AM
Pool A
Ohio State Fever comes in as the number one overall seed and a favorite to finish toward the top of the whole tournament. Fever have proven themselves throughout the season and have already encountered some of their in-their pool competition this season. Fever beat Kansas by 10 points at February’s Queen City Tune-Up and defeated Victoria 10-7 at the Northwest Challenge in late March. Michigan Flywheel has high hopes for pool play, as they have beaten Kansas twice so far this year but also have two losses to Victoria. Virginia seems to be the wildcard as, of the teams in the pool, they have only played Kansas, beating them twice, but Hydra has not faced any of the higher-seeded competition in their pool. Ohio State and Virginia both played at the 2013 College Championships where Fever finished tied for third, and Hydra finished tied for fifth. Ohio State is expected to win the pool, and Michigan will likely be looking to get revenge against Victoria to take second in the pool with the Vixens finishing third.
Pool B
Oregon Fugue is coming off of their first-place finish at 2013 College Championships. They have only lost three games this season and have seemed to not skip a beat from 2013 to 2014. At the Stanford Invite, the home team came close to beating Fugue but couldn’t pull out the win; Stanford lost 10-9. At the Northwest Challenge, Oregon proved their dominance as they beat Stanford again, but this time by an eight-point margin. Fugue has faced Western Washington three times over the course of the season and have beaten them solidly in each of the contests. Stanford and Western Washington have met twice this season; each has one win against the other, which makes it seem as though their third battle of the season, during Saturday pool play, will be for second place in the pool. Tufts and Colorado College have not faced anyone in the pool this year, so they are looking to turn heads and pull off some upsets. Tufts hopes to draw from their 2013 College Championships experience when they finished tied for fifth overall. Stanford is the third team in Pool B to have competed at the 2013 College Championships; they finished behind Oregon and Tufts, tied for 13th.
Pool C
Central Florida has proven themselves throughout the year by only losing four games over the course of the season. They also earned tournament wins at Florida Winter Classic, Women's College Centex, Florida Conferences and Southeast Regionals. They have beaten Northeastern twice this season, once by four and once by only two. Central Florida also bested British Columbia by four at the Stanford Invite. Carleton College is coming in as the two seed in Pool C but have losses to British Columbia, Northeastern and split games with Colorado this season. Northeastern has a win against Colorado already this year and looks to do it again in pool play. Pool C seems to be the pool with the most parity. Central Florida looks to take control, but after the first spot, all the other seeds seem to up for anyone. None of these teams lack high-level experience. Four of the five teams competed at the 2013 College Championships. Colorado is the exception. Kali was last at the College Championships in 2010.
Pool D
Washington earned a spot at the College Championships after placing second in the Northwest Region behind Oregon. They have only played two teams in their pool: Whitman, who hails from the same region, and UCLA. Washington and Whitman are very familiar with one another. They faced off five times throughout the season, and Washington took home four victories. Element also has two wins over UCLA this season. California-Santa Barbara holds three 2014 tournament titles, so they are no stranger to winning. They too have played Whitman, who they beat, and UCLA, who they have beaten twice this year. Cornell is the only team in Pool D who has not played another of their early round competitors. The top three seeds in Pool D all competed at the 2013 College Championships, and they hope to use that experience to finish in the top three spots in the pool which is what is expected.
Upset Alert
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Carleton College is the sixth overall seed and the second seed in Pool C. They have high expectations coming off of their second-place finish at the 2013 College Championships. Syzygy’s seed landed them in a pool where they have lost to three of the four other teams. They lost to Colorado and Northeastern by three points apiece and lost to British Columbia by 11 points. Of the 10 games Carleton has played against other College Championships teams, Syzygy lost six. If they cannot step up their game play against tough competition, they may find themselves missing out on the championship bracket.
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Dark Horse
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Coming into the College Championships as the sixth team from the Northwest Region, the Vixens are not necessarily expected to make a huge splash on the national scene. Victoria has been placed in possibly the best pool for them. They are the third seed in Pool A but have beaten Michigan, the second seed, twice already this season. Ohio State is a tough match up for any team, but other than Central Florida and Northeastern, the Vixens have given Ohio State their closest game of the season. Coming in as the third seed in Pool A, Victoria may fly under the radar, and if history repeats itself, they have a chance to climb into the second spot.
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Games to Watch
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Washington Element (4) v. California-Santa Barbara Burning Skirts (5); Friday, May 23, 4:30 p.m.
With the fourth and fifth seeds in the same pool, it creates a big pool play matchup. The heavyweights of Pool D will face off in the game that could decide who takes first in the pool and earn a first round bye in the championship bracket. With close games against similar opponents like Stanford and Western Washington throughout the season, these two teams appear to be close in ability, which will create a large-scale battle for first in the pool. |
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British Columbia Thunderbirds (10) v. Northeastern Valkyrie (15); Friday, May 23, 2:30 p.m.
British Colombia is the fourth team from the Northwest Region, and Northeastern earned the second bid out of the Northeast. They sit as the third and fourth seeds, respectively, in Pool C. This game may decide which team makes it to the championship bracket and which team falls to the consolation bracket. |
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Michigan Flywheel (8) v. Victoria Vixens (12); Saturday, May 24, 12:30 p.m.
Victoria and Michigan have already met twice this season, both times at the early season Presidents' Day Invitational. The Vixens took home victories in both matchups. With Michigan being the higher overall seed, they will be looking to get revenge and stay above the Vixens in the pool. This game will likely decide the second and third seeds in Pool A. |
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Stanford Superfly (7) v. Western Washington Chaos (11); Saturday, May 24, 2:30 p.m.
Another rematch from earlier this season that will happen in pool play - Superfly and Chaos have traded wins over each other this season. Western Washington handled business against Stanford at the Stanford Invite, winning by 10, but Superfly bounced back and beat Chaos by one at the Northwest Challenge, so geography certainly doesn't seem to play a role in this match up. As the second and third seeds from Pool B, this game may decide who will take second behind Oregon in the pool. It will be interesting to see who has the edge in completely neutral territory. |
Fast Facts
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12 of the 20 teams from 2013 College Championships made it to the 2014 College Championships.
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The Northwest Region earned a record six bids in 2014. The South Central and Southwest are sending three teams; the Northeast is sending two, with all other regions sending one team each.
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Oregon won the 2013 and 2010 College Championships, Washington won the College Championships in 2012, and California-Santa Barbara took home the title in 2011.
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All pool play rounds as well as the pre-quarterfinals and quarterfinals will be played at Heritage Oak Park in Mason, Ohio, with the semifinals and finals being played at the Mason High School stadium.
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ESPN3 is broadcasting the semifinals on Sunday, May 25, and the finals on Monday, May 26, with NGN broadcasting four other games on Friday and Saturday. ESPNU will re-air the a semifinals highlights show and both finals match ups on Wednesday, May 28, starting at 8 p.m. ET.
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