Tournament Format
2012 Willamette Volleyball Classic will be divided into four age divisions - 12s, 14s, 16s, 18s.
Each team registered for the tournament will be seeded within their age groups, based on Power League results and tournament results from the 2012 club season.
These initial seeds will be used to place teams into their initial pool assignments to start the tournament.
POOL PLAY (SATURDAY)
All pool play will take place Saturday, May 12.
Pools are grouped in two ways. Each pool has three teams in it, and each team within a pool plays each other once. The top 6 pools in each age group (consisting of the highest 18 seeds), are grouped as a “power pool.” The next 6 pools in each age group (consisting of seeds 19-36), are grouped as a second “power pool,” and the process is repeated until each team is in a “power pool.”
A team finishing first in their three-team pool will have the opportunity to move up to the next highest “power pool” in the age group. For example, if a team in the second “power pool” wins their three-team pool, they will be promoted to the top “power pool.” Conversely, teams who finish last in their “power pools” will be relegated to a lower “power pool.”
Within each three-team pool, teams have the opportunity to gain a higher seed by finishing ahead of those teams seeded higher than them. For example, a pool has three teams in it who are seeded as follows:
Team A - #5 seed ...... Team B - #10 seed ...... Team C - #15 seed
Team A finishes pool play with a 1-1 record. Team B finishes with a 2-0 record, and Team C finishes with an 0-2 record. In this case, Team B assumes the #5 seed, having won the pool. Team A, having finished second, assumes the #10 seed. Team C, having finished third, keeps their #15 seed.
Each team will play in two complete pools on prior to Sunday (four matches). After the completion of a team’s second pool, they will have a seed that they will carry with them into Sunday’s bracket play.
BRACKET PLAY (SUNDAY ONLY)
Within each age group, teams will be split into groups of six for bracket play. The top six seeds will play in the Gold Bracket, the next six seeds will play in the Silver Bracket, and so on until each team is assigned a bracket.
In each bracket, the top two seeds will receive a bye in the first round of play. The third and sixth seeds will play each other in the first round, as well as the fourth and fifth seeds. The winner of those matches will play the second seed and the first seed, respectively, in the bracket semifinals. The losers of those first round matches play each other in a consolation match.
The bracket semifinalists play each other as described above. The winners of those two matches will play each other for the bracket championship. The losers of those two matches will play each other in a 3rd place match.
MATCH LENGTH
Each pool play match will be played as a best-of-three match. The first two sets will be played to 25 points. The third set will be played to 15 points. In all matches, teams must win by two points and there is no point cap.
In bracket play, first round matches, semifinal matches, and championship matches will be played in the same format as pool play matches (best-of-three). The consolation match and the third-place match will be played as a three-set match, with all sets played to 15 points. In all matches, teams must win by two points and there is no point cap.
