Dustin

I don't really care how good Notre Dame BB is. The point is, NDSU went on national television and beat a household name. That says something. UND had their chance with Butler, and blew it.

My wife is a UND employee, and she said the volleyball coach position has not been posted internally either.

His Chippewas teams have been about 0.500 since he's been OC, but based on the game scores, defense is the problem, not offense. He's been around FBS programs, including a one year stint at Michigan State. I could not find any NFL experience.

If there were problems with "the system," it wasn't obvious on the floor. Who knows what might come out later, but my perception (as a fan, with no insider information) is that overall the core of the team was satisfied with the way they were coached. Our roster is huge, with many players only seeing time when the set/game/match was already decided. The fact that some would decided it's not worth it is not a surprise to me.

I mentioned this over on the other thread, but I wouldn't be too quick to dismiss Dan Brown (current associate head coach). He's been working with Hardee at UND since 2010, so he's familiar with Hardee's system, and knows how to recruit (serves as recruiting coordinator) the players for it. Under Hardee, he served as the defensive coordinator, which Hardee always said (paraphrasing) "we want to use our defense to create offense." He also has been exposed to U of Minnesota VB (a perennial power) through a volunteer assitant coach position. These girls are his players, and giving them some stability after what just happened I think is paramount.

Probably an Erin Joki connection. Hopefully our recruiting isn't affected too badly by the state of the program.

I'm not saying that our program doesn't deserve a national search for a coach, but I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss Hardee's staff. From what I can tell, current and future UND volleyball players like Hardee's system. It atttracted the top local talent (Munkeby, Dooley, Fraase), good recruiting from around Minnesota (Husfeldt, Robinson, Pioske, amongst many others), and even some West Coast connections (Moser, Gentili). His system produced a very good product on the court, and I would hate to think that that wasn't worth anything. That being said, I too think Faison will do what needs to be done to keep this program at its current level, and maybe even escalate it.

My guess is that the hit-and-run wasn't the only thing; it just started the internal review which in turn uncovered more. Sad day for UND volleyball. Hardee seemed to get the most out of his teams - I want that again.

I don't know what yellowknife claims to know, but based on the reported facts this far, I would be suprised if this would result in a resignation or firing. In the article, it says that Hardee was driving a van, and was on the way to the airport to come home with the team. It was 5:05 am, so I highly doubt alcohol was involved. For all I know, Hardee may not have even realized he hit another vehicle, which could easily happen depending on the size and type of van, especially in a parking lot. Right now, all we know is he the subject of investigation.

Idaho State gets Hawaii.

Idaho State swept Portland State, so that makes me feel a little better. As far as Hardee goes, I love his confidence, even if he is arrogant. He's still building his volleyball empire, and I do think he can get the program to NCAA berths - hopefully as soon as next year.

It took 5 games, but Montana did prevail against NAU.

ISU will be UND's opponent. Bengals win 3-1.

Don't quite know if I'd consider this a confirmation, but on undsports.com, they have reported that starting next year, the regular season champ will host the conference tourney. http://www.undsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=13500&ATCLID=209325913 Can't wait for the Betty to start hosting Big Sky tournaments!!

From bigskyconf.com: The team was selected by the league's coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own student-athletes.

I don't which team I would want UND to play. If ISU wins, we'll be trying to beat a team for the third time - always tough. If UNC wins, that team has a knack for getting us off our game.

Midco would start dictating game times. This is the way major college games are scheduled all around the country.

If Midco and NDSU were to sign a contract, I don't think it would be at the expense of UND's coverage. If anything, having more live content to show bolsters their credibility as a sports network, and could further the chances of getting included on the satellite dishes, which would be good news for all of the Dakota schools.

I know!

I've been watching for plane tickets ever since I realized this about 2 months ago, but did not find any deals. Not sure what the alumni population is in Oregon, but hopefully they'll take advantage of the situation.

Could someone say what the big deal is with the conference opponents' logos on the wall? I like how the teams are in alphabetical order, and the big ND just happens to be in the middle.

I guess we're gonna have to win this tourney the hard way. Tough draws for UND.

I was hoping that, considering the importance of the game, the crowd would have been a little bigger. Thursday nights seem to be tough draws. Hopefully senior day on Saturday will bring a better attendance.

I wouldn't be surprised if some give verbals in the next few weeks since the high school seasons are just about done. I wonder who Hardee has been watching?

Updated tournament info: UND and PSU will be the top two seeds (order still TBD) and receive byes into the semi-finals. ISU and NAU will be the third and fourth seeds (order still TBD), and UM and either SAC or UNC will round out the tourney qualifiers. If SAC wins its final game (@UM), they're in. If SAC loses and UNC loses, SAC is still in. If SAC loses, and UNC wins, UNC will be in. My personal opinion is that I would love UNC to miss the tournament, because they have the potential to be a big-time spoiler.