roadwarrior
06-24-2004, 12:11 PM
From today's Fargo Forum:
For several months, North Dakota State head volleyball coach Zaundra Bina had to sell a product she didn't have: a Bison team that counted as a legitimate Division I opponent.
NCAA rules requires a team to play 19 Division I opponents in order to be counted as a Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) power poll team. The Bison released their schedule Wednesday that includes 24 Division I opponents.
"It was the biggest administrative challenge of my career," Bina said. "In the beginning, I was just selling air."
NDSU begins a Division I transition this fall.
Opponents had to trust the Bison coach that NDSU would get 19 Division I matches. If it became apparent that NDSU would come up short, opponents most likely would have dropped the Bison in favor of an RPI counter.
Playing a team that is not a counter does not count toward its record.
"Then we would have had to start over," Bina said. "It was risky, but it was fun, too. We weren't willing to give up."
Bina's Division I schedule quest began about a year ago. Most of the Division I opponents were scheduled in December, but some were added this spring.
The biggest boost was provided by an old friend. Marquette University head coach Patti Rolf, a former NDSU standout and a member of the school's Hall of Fame, accepted the Bison into the Marquette University Tournament in early September.
It's the old story: Marquette has everything to lose and NDSU has very little.
"It's probably not the smartest thing I've ever done," Rolf said. "I think it's a good move for them and an OK move for us."
Rolf likened it to an interview she saw of a rock band giving upstart singers a chance to be a warmup act.
"So I thought, you know what, it's OK," she said. "In reality, we're playing a lot of games and if we can't get it done against other teams. …"
Now that NDSU has at least 19 Division I matches, playing the Bison won't count against Marquette's RPI.
The same goes for NDSU opponents Kansas, Kansas State, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Missouri-Kansas City, Creighton University (Neb.), Butler University (Ind.) and Chicago State. NDSU will also play in the fourth annual Independent Tournament that comprises Division I independent teams Northern Colorado, Indiana Purdue-Fort Wayne, Texas-Pan American, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and South Dakota State.
The downside is a lack of home matches: five. The Bison have two exhibitions and matches against Minnesota State-Moorhead, Northern Colorado and SDSU.
"We're jumping into D-I and for me to tell those teams they can come here, it's laughable," Bina said. "We have to establish a relationship with people before they'll come back here."
Bina said some of this year's Division I opponents, like Wisconsin-Green Bay, will come to Fargo in 2005. There will also be new opponents; Bina said NDSU will open its season at the University of Minnesota.
For several months, North Dakota State head volleyball coach Zaundra Bina had to sell a product she didn't have: a Bison team that counted as a legitimate Division I opponent.
NCAA rules requires a team to play 19 Division I opponents in order to be counted as a Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) power poll team. The Bison released their schedule Wednesday that includes 24 Division I opponents.
"It was the biggest administrative challenge of my career," Bina said. "In the beginning, I was just selling air."
NDSU begins a Division I transition this fall.
Opponents had to trust the Bison coach that NDSU would get 19 Division I matches. If it became apparent that NDSU would come up short, opponents most likely would have dropped the Bison in favor of an RPI counter.
Playing a team that is not a counter does not count toward its record.
"Then we would have had to start over," Bina said. "It was risky, but it was fun, too. We weren't willing to give up."
Bina's Division I schedule quest began about a year ago. Most of the Division I opponents were scheduled in December, but some were added this spring.
The biggest boost was provided by an old friend. Marquette University head coach Patti Rolf, a former NDSU standout and a member of the school's Hall of Fame, accepted the Bison into the Marquette University Tournament in early September.
It's the old story: Marquette has everything to lose and NDSU has very little.
"It's probably not the smartest thing I've ever done," Rolf said. "I think it's a good move for them and an OK move for us."
Rolf likened it to an interview she saw of a rock band giving upstart singers a chance to be a warmup act.
"So I thought, you know what, it's OK," she said. "In reality, we're playing a lot of games and if we can't get it done against other teams. …"
Now that NDSU has at least 19 Division I matches, playing the Bison won't count against Marquette's RPI.
The same goes for NDSU opponents Kansas, Kansas State, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Missouri-Kansas City, Creighton University (Neb.), Butler University (Ind.) and Chicago State. NDSU will also play in the fourth annual Independent Tournament that comprises Division I independent teams Northern Colorado, Indiana Purdue-Fort Wayne, Texas-Pan American, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and South Dakota State.
The downside is a lack of home matches: five. The Bison have two exhibitions and matches against Minnesota State-Moorhead, Northern Colorado and SDSU.
"We're jumping into D-I and for me to tell those teams they can come here, it's laughable," Bina said. "We have to establish a relationship with people before they'll come back here."
Bina said some of this year's Division I opponents, like Wisconsin-Green Bay, will come to Fargo in 2005. There will also be new opponents; Bina said NDSU will open its season at the University of Minnesota.