# 2012 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament

The 2012 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament started on November 29, 2012, and ended on December 15 at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky with Texas winning the national championship. The NCAA selection show was televised on Sunday, November 25, 2012.
With its appearance in the Final Four, Michigan became the second unseeded team to make it that far since seeding began in 1997 (and in 2000 in its current method).
Texas won their second NCAA volleyball championship in school history, defeating first-time finalist Oregon (winner over Penn State in its semi-final) in a three-set final match sweep.

## Qualifying teams

The champions of the NCAA's 31 conferences qualify automatically. Twenty-two conferences hold tournaments, while the other nine award their automatic bid on the basis of being the league's regular-season champion. Those that do not hold tournaments are the Atlantic Coast, Big 12, Big West, Big Ten, Ivy League, Mountain West, Pac-12, Southeastern and West Coast Conferences. The other 33 bids are apportioned on an at-large basis. Only the top 16 teams overall are seeded.

### Records

Purdue Regional :
| Seed | School | Conference | Berth Type | RPI | Record |
| | Binghamton | America East | Automatic | 250 | 13-17 |
| | Bowling Green | Mid-American | Automatic | 53 | 21-10 |
| | Colorado State | Mountain West | Automatic | 34 | 21-7 |
| | Creighton | Missouri Valley | Automatic | 26 | 28-3 |
| | East Tennessee State | Atlantic Sun | Automatic | 134 | 23-12 |
| 9 | Florida State | Atlantic Coast | Automatic | 8 | 27-3 |
| | Hofstra | Colonial | Automatic | 152 | 21-13 |
| 16 | Kentucky | Southeastern | At-Large | 19 | 20-10 |
| | Liberty | Big South | Automatic | 124 | 25-7 |
| | Marquette | Big East | At-Large | 33 | 27-6 |
| 8 | Minnesota | Big Ten | At-Large | 9 | 24-7 |
| | Notre Dame | Big East | At-Large | 38 | 20-9 |
| | Ohio State | Big Ten | At-Large | 25 | 22-10 |
| 1 | Penn State | Big Ten | Automatic | 2 | 29-2 |
| | Purdue | Big Ten | At-Large | 29 | 21-10 |
| | Yale | Ivy League | Automatic | 66 | 18-5 |
Nebraska Regional :
| Seed | School | Conference | Berth Type | RPI | Record |
| | Arizona State | Pac-12 | At-Large | 42 | 20-13 |
| 12 | BYU | West Coast | Automatic | 11 | 26-3 |
| | Central Arkansas | Southland | Automatic | 49 | 30-4 |
| | Dayton | Atlantic 10 | Automatic | 20 | 26-4 |
| | Hawaii | Big West | Automatic | 17 | 26-2 |
| | Kansas State | Big 12 | At-Large | 23 | 21-8 |
| | Maryland-Eastern Shore | Mid-Eastern Athletic | Automatic | 158 | 28-5 |
| 4 | Nebraska | Big Ten | At-Large | 5 | 23-6 |
| | New Mexico State | Western Athletic | Automatic | 91 | 22-10 |
| | Northern Colorado | Big Sky | Automatic | 65 | 24-10 |
| | Northern Iowa | Missouri Valley | At-Large | 44 | 24-9 |
| | Oklahoma | Big 12 | At-Large | 27 | 21-10 |
| 5 | Oregon | Pac-12 | At-Large | 10 | 25-4 |
| | Pepperdine | West Coast | At-Large | 35 | 20-11 |
| | Santa Clara | West Coast | At-Large | 45 | 20-11 |
| 13 | Washington | Pac-12 | At-Large | 16 | 23-6 |
Texas Regional :
| Seed | School | Conference | Berth Type | RPI | Record |
| | Arkansas | Southeastern | At-Large | 30 | 22-9 |
| | Cleveland State | Horizon | Automatic | 71 | 23-6 |
| | Colgate | Patriot | Automatic | 176 | 17-13 |
| | College of Charleston | Southern | Automatic | 48 | 26-7 |
| | Fairfield | Metro Atlantic | Automatic | 145 | 22-8 |
| 14 | Florida | Southeastern | Automatic | 12 | 25-4 |
| 11 | Kansas | Big 12 | At-Large | 7 | 25-6 |
| | Miami (FL) | Atlantic Coast | At-Large | 22 | 25-5 |
| | NC State | Atlantic Coast | At-Large | 43 | 22-9 |
| | San Diego State | Mountain West | At-Large | 41 | 23-7 |
| | St. Mary's | West Coast | At-Large | 32 | 17-10 |
| 3 | Texas | Big 12 | Automatic | 3 | 23-4 |
| | Texas A&M | Southeastern | At-Large | 15 | 24-5 |
| | Tulsa | Conference USA | Automatic | 47 | 26-9 |
| 6 | USC | Pac-12 | At-Large | 13 | 27-5 |
| | Wichita State | Missouri Valley | At-Large | 40 | 22-9 |
California Regional :
| Seed | School | Conference | Berth Type | RPI | Record |
| | Belmont | Ohio Valley | Automatic | 167 | 18-16 |
| | California | Pac-12 | At-Large | 39 | 15-15 |
| 15 | Iowa State | Big 12 | At-Large | 18 | 20-7 |
| | IPFW | Summit | Automatic | 57 | 25-6 |
| | Jackson State | Southwestern Athletic | Automatic | 252 | 24-11 |
| | LIU-Brooklyn | Northeast | Automatic | 127 | 25-7 |
| 10 | Louisville | Big East | Automatic | 4 | 29-3 |
| | Loyola Marymount | West Coast | At-Large | 46 | 18-12 |
| | Michigan | Big Ten | At-Large | 31 | 23-11 |
| | Michigan State | Big Ten | At-Large | 36 | 23-9 |
| | North Carolina | Atlantic Coast | At-Large | 14 | 25-5 |
| | San Diego | West Coast | At-Large | 24 | 21-6 |
| 2 | Stanford | Pac-12 | Automatic | 1 | 27-3 |
| | Tennessee | Southeastern | At-Large | 21 | 22-7 |
| 7 | UCLA | Pac-12 | At-Large | 6 | 22-7 |
| | Western Kentucky | Sun Belt | Automatic | 28 | 32-3 |
All together, the Big Ten and Pac-12 got six at-large bids in addition to their automatic, the West Coast Conference got five, the Big 12 and the Southeastern four, the Atlantic Coast three, the Big East and Missouri Valley two, and the Mountain West received one at-large bid. The other 22 conferences only got their automatic qualifiers in.

## Bracket

The first two rounds were held on campus sites (the home court of the seeded team). Regional semifinals and finals were held at pre-determined sites. In 2012, those sites were hosted by Purdue, Nebraska, Texas, and California, all of whom made the tournament. Unlike the NCAA basketball tournament, where teams cannot be placed into regionals that they host, the selectors in the volleyball tournament were required to place qualifying teams in their 'home' regionals, in order to reduce travel costs.

### Purdue Regional

| First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | | Regional finals | Regional finals | Regional finals |
| 1 | Penn State | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Binghamton | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Binghamton | 0 | 1 | Penn State | 3 | | | | | | | |
| University Park, PA | University Park, PA | University Park, PA | 1 | Penn State | 3 | | | | | | | |
| University Park, PA | University Park, PA | University Park, PA | | Bowling Green | 0 | | | | | | | |
| | Yale | 2 | | Bowling Green | 0 | | | | | | | |
| | Bowling Green | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Bowling Green | 3 | | | | 1 | Penn State | 3 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 16 | Kentucky | 0 | | | | |
| | Ohio State | 3 | | | | | | | 16 | Kentucky | 0 | | | | |
| | Notre Dame | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Notre Dame | 0 | | Ohio State | 1 | | | | | | | |
| Lexington, KY | Lexington, KY | Lexington, KY | | Ohio State | 1 | | | | | | | |
| Lexington, KY | Lexington, KY | Lexington, KY | 16 | Kentucky | 3 | | | | | | | |
| 16 | Kentucky | 3 | 16 | Kentucky | 3 | | | | | | | |
| | East Tennessee State | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | East Tennessee State | 0 | | | | | | | | 1 | Penn State | 3 |
| | | | | | | | | | | 8 | Minnesota | 1 |
| 9 | Florida State | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | 8 | Minnesota | 1 |
| | Hofstra | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Hofstra | 0 | 9 | Florida State | 2 | | | | | | | |
| Tallahassee, FL | Tallahassee, FL | Tallahassee, FL | 9 | Florida State | 2 | | | | | | | |
| Tallahassee, FL | Tallahassee, FL | Tallahassee, FL | | Purdue | 3 | | | | | | | |
| | Colorado State | 0 | | Purdue | 3 | | | | | | | |
| | Purdue | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Purdue | 3 | | | | | Purdue | 1 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 8 | Minnesota | 3 | | | | |
| | Creighton | 3 | | | | | | | 8 | Minnesota | 3 | | | | |
| | Marquette | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Marquette | 0 | | Creighton | 1 | | | | | | | |
| Minneapolis, MN | Minneapolis, MN | Minneapolis, MN | | Creighton | 1 | | | | | | | |
| Minneapolis, MN | Minneapolis, MN | Minneapolis, MN | 8 | Minnesota | 3 | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Minnesota | 3 | 8 | Minnesota | 3 | | | | | | | |
| | Liberty | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |

### Nebraska Regional

| First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | | Regional finals | Regional finals | Regional finals |
| 5 | Oregon | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Northern Colorado | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Northern Colorado | 0 | 5 | Oregon | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Eugene, OR | Eugene, OR | Eugene, OR | 5 | Oregon | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Eugene, OR | Eugene, OR | Eugene, OR | | Dayton | 0 | | | | | | | |
| | Pepperdine | 2 | | Dayton | 0 | | | | | | | |
| | Dayton | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Dayton | 3 | | | | 5 | Oregon | 3 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 12 | BYU | 1 | | | | |
| | Oklahoma | 3 | | | | | | | 12 | BYU | 1 | | | | |
| | Arizona State | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Arizona State | 2 | | Oklahoma | 0 | | | | | | | |
| Provo, UT | Provo, UT | Provo, UT | | Oklahoma | 0 | | | | | | | |
| Provo, UT | Provo, UT | Provo, UT | 12 | BYU | 3 | | | | | | | |
| 12 | BYU | 3 | 12 | BYU | 3 | | | | | | | |
| | New Mexico State | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | New Mexico State | 0 | | | | | | | | 5 | Oregon | 3 |
| | | | | | | | | | | 4 | Nebraska | 1 |
| 13 | Washington | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | 4 | Nebraska | 1 |
| | Central Arkansas | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Central Arkansas | 0 | 13 | Washington | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Seattle, WA | Seattle, WA | Seattle, WA | 13 | Washington | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Seattle, WA | Seattle, WA | Seattle, WA | | Hawaii | 2 | | | | | | | |
| | Santa Clara | 0 | | Hawaii | 2 | | | | | | | |
| | Hawaii | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Hawaii | 3 | | | | 13 | Washington | 0 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 4 | Nebraska | 3 | | | | |
| | Kansas State | 0 | | | | | | | 4 | Nebraska | 3 | | | | |
| | Northern Iowa | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Northern Iowa | 3 | | Northern Iowa | 0 | | | | | | | |
| Lincoln, NE | Lincoln, NE | Lincoln, NE | | Northern Iowa | 0 | | | | | | | |
| Lincoln, NE | Lincoln, NE | Lincoln, NE | 4 | Nebraska | 3 | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Nebraska | 3 | 4 | Nebraska | 3 | | | | | | | |
| | Maryland-Eastern Shore | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |

### Texas Regional

| First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | | Regional finals | Regional finals | Regional finals |
| 3 | Texas | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Colgate | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Colgate | 0 | 3 | Texas | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Austin, TX | Austin, TX | Austin, TX | 3 | Texas | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Austin, TX | Austin, TX | Austin, TX | | Texas A&M | 1 | | | | | | | |
| | North Carolina State | 1 | | Texas A&M | 1 | | | | | | | |
| | Texas A&M | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Texas A&M | 3 | | | | 3 | Texas | 3 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 14 | Florida | 0 | | | | |
| | Miami | 2 | | | | | | | 14 | Florida | 0 | | | | |
| | College of Charleston | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | College of Charleston | 3 | | College of Charleston | 0 | | | | | | | |
| Gainesville, FL | Gainesville, FL | Gainesville, FL | | College of Charleston | 0 | | | | | | | |
| Gainesville, FL | Gainesville, FL | Gainesville, FL | 14 | Florida | 3 | | | | | | | |
| 14 | Florida | 3 | 14 | Florida | 3 | | | | | | | |
| | Tulsa | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Tulsa | 0 | | | | | | | | 3 | Texas | 3 |
| | | | | | | | | | | 6 | USC | 0 |
| 11 | Kansas | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | 6 | USC | 0 |
| | Cleveland State | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Cleveland State | 1 | 11 | Kansas | 1 | | | | | | | |
| Lawrence, KS | Lawrence, KS | Lawrence, KS | 11 | Kansas | 1 | | | | | | | |
| Lawrence, KS | Lawrence, KS | Lawrence, KS | | Wichita State | 3 | | | | | | | |
| | Wichita State | 3 | | Wichita State | 3 | | | | | | | |
| | Arkansas | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Arkansas | 2 | | | | | Wichita State | 0 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 6 | USC | 3 | | | | |
| | St. Mary's | 3 | | | | | | | 6 | USC | 3 | | | | |
| | San Diego State | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | San Diego State | 2 | | St. Mary's | 0 | | | | | | | |
| Los Angeles, CA | Los Angeles, CA | Los Angeles, CA | | St. Mary's | 0 | | | | | | | |
| Los Angeles, CA | Los Angeles, CA | Los Angeles, CA | 6 | USC | 3 | | | | | | | |
| 6 | USC | 3 | 6 | USC | 3 | | | | | | | |
| | Fairfield | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |

### California Regional

| First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | | Regional finals | Regional finals | Regional finals |
| 7 | UCLA | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | LIU-Brooklyn | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | LIU-Brooklyn | 0 | 7 | UCLA | 1 | | | | | | | |
| Los Angeles, CA | Los Angeles, CA | Los Angeles, CA | 7 | UCLA | 1 | | | | | | | |
| Los Angeles, CA | Los Angeles, CA | Los Angeles, CA | | Michigan State | 3 | | | | | | | |
| | Michigan State | 3 | | Michigan State | 3 | | | | | | | |
| | San Diego | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | San Diego | 2 | | | | Michigan State | Michigan State | 0 | | | | |
| | | | | | | Michigan | Michigan | 3 | | | | |
| | Tennessee | 2 | | | | | | | Michigan | Michigan | 3 | | | | |
| | Michigan | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Michigan | 3 | | Michigan | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Louisville, KY | Louisville, KY | Louisville, KY | | Michigan | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Louisville, KY | Louisville, KY | Louisville, KY | 10 | Louisville | 1 | | | | | | | |
| 10 | Louisville | 3 | 10 | Louisville | 1 | | | | | | | |
| | Belmont | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Belmont | 1 | | | | | | | | | Michigan | 3 |
| | | | | | | | | | | 2 | Stanford | 1 |
| 15 | Iowa State | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | 2 | Stanford | 1 |
| | IPFW | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | IPFW | 2 | 15 | Iowa State | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Ames, IA | Ames, IA | Ames, IA | 15 | Iowa State | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Ames, IA | Ames, IA | Ames, IA | | North Carolina | 2 | | | | | | | |
| | California | 1 | | North Carolina | 2 | | | | | | | |
| | North Carolina | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | North Carolina | 3 | | | | 15 | Iowa State | 0 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 2 | Stanford | 3 | | | | |
| | Western Kentucky | 3 | | | | | | | 2 | Stanford | 3 | | | | |
| | Loyola Marymount | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Loyola Marymount | 0 | | Western Kentucky | 0 | | | | | | | |
| Stanford, CA | Stanford, CA | Stanford, CA | | Western Kentucky | 0 | | | | | | | |
| Stanford, CA | Stanford, CA | Stanford, CA | 2 | Stanford | 3 | | | | | | | |
| 2 | Stanford | 3 | 2 | Stanford | 3 | | | | | | | |
| | Jackson State | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |

## Final Four

| National Semifinals | National Semifinals | National Semifinals | National Championship | National Championship | National Championship |
| 1 | Penn State | 1 | | | |
| 5 | Oregon | 3 | | | |
| 5 | Oregon | 3 | 5 | Oregon | 0 |
| | | | 3 | Texas | 3 |
| 3 | Texas | 3 | 3 | Texas | 3 |
| | Michigan | 2 | | | |
Final Four All-Tournament Team:
* Bailey Webster - Texas (Most Outstanding Player)
* Hannah Allison - Texas
* Hayley Eckerman - Texas
* Sha'Dare McNeal - Texas
* Alaina Bergsma - Oregon
* Liz Brenner - Oregon
* Lexi Erwin - Michigan

## Record by conference

| Conference | # of Bids | Record | Win % | R32 | S16 | E8 | F4 | CM | NC |
| Big Ten | 7 | 19–7* | .731 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 2 | – | – |
| Pac-12 | 7 | 14–7 | .667 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | – |
| Big 12 | 5 | 10–4 | .714 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Southeastern | 5 | 5–5 | .500 | 3 | 2 | – | – | – | – |
| West Coast | 6 | 3–6 | .333 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| Missouri Valley | 3 | 4–3 | .571 | 3 | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| Atlantic Coast | 4 | 2–4 | .333 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Atlantic 10 | 1 | 1–1 | .500 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Big East | 3 | 1–3 | .250 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Big West | 1 | 1–1 | .500 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Mid-American | 1 | 1–1 | .500 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Southern | 1 | 1–1 | .500 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Sun Belt | 1 | 1–1 | .500 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Mountain West | 2 | 0–2 | .000 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Other | 17 | 0–17 | .000 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
* Three of the Big Ten's losses were to fellow Big Ten schools (so they are also counted as wins).
The columns R32, S16, E8, F4, CM, and NC respectively stand for the Round of 32, Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight, Final Four, Championship Match, and National Champion.
The America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Colonial Athletic, Conference USA, Horizon League, Ivy League, Metro Atlantic, Mid-Eastern Athletic, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot League, Southland, Southwestern Athletic, Summit League, and Western Athletic Conferences all qualified one team which lost in the first round.

## NCAA tournament record

There is one tournament record broken in 2012 that still stands today:
* Services aces, tournament (individual record) – Micha Hancock, Penn State – 22 aces (10 vs. Binghamton, 5 vs. Bowling Green, 2 vs. Kentucky, 5 vs. Minnesota.)