NCAA volleyball tournament: 16 players to watch in regionals

Mimi Colyer, Oregon. The 6-foot-3 junior is one of the most mesmerizing outside hitters in the tournament. She already has been in two NCAA regional finals in her first two years at Oregon, and she brought that knowledge to this year's tournament. In the second round against fifth-seeded TCU, Colyer led the Ducks with 19 kills. Her high contact point and her sheer power can leave opponents defenseless. She was named the AVCA Northwest region player of the year. If Oregon has any chance of knocking off Pitt, the No. 1 overall seed, they will need Colyer to show off her fierceness and wisdom.

Andi Jackson, Nebraska. There's not a more dynamic slide attacker in the country. The springy middle hitter brings speed, power and boom to the Nebraska lineup. Despite hitting a bit of a rough patch during the final games of the regular season, Jackson had eight kills, three blocks and hit .538 against Florida A&M in the first round. Nebraska, which features one of the most balanced attacks in the country, needs to work its middle hitters to keep defenses guessing, and that means more swings for Jackson, who is hitting .435 on the year. When Pitt coach Dan Fisher was asked in November to name a player he would like to add to his team for the tournament, he picked Jackson. That's saying something.

Lexie Almodovar, Dayton. The redshirt senior averages a whopping 5.02 kills per set this season, and she has continued to fire away in the tournament. In a scintillating five-set thriller against No. 4 Baylor, the 5-foot-8 outside hitter recorded 34 kills -- a career high -- and became the first player in program history to surpass the 2,000-career kill mark. She also had eight digs and two aces that night. The back-to-back Atlantic 10 player of the year will look to help Dayton continue the trend of tournament upsets.

Izzy Starck, Penn State. The Nittany Lions have had some of the greatest setters in the college game, and Starck is the latest to join that list. The Big Ten's freshman of the year's parents also were college volleyball players and her sister Anjelina is a senior outside hitter with the Nittany Lions. Izzy Starck has started every match for Penn State and averages 11 assists per set. As well as she runs the offense, Starck also has been a strong defensive player. She is second on the team in digs and third in blocks. In Penn State's early-round NCAA wins against Delaware State and North Carolina, the Nittany Lions hit .456 and .368 with a combined 73 assists from Starck.

Aubrey Hamilton, Marquette: The fifth-seeded Golden Eagles lost in the Big East tournament final to Creighton, but they have made the most of their at-large bid. The Golden Eagles upset fourth-seeded Utah in the second round after beating Florida Gulf Coast in the first round. And outside hitter Aubrey Hamilton was a big reason why. One of three Marquette players named all-Big East, Hamilton had a team-high 20 kills against Utah. Her mother, Heidi Bunek-Hamilton, played basketball for Notre Dame in the 1980s. And Aubrey began her volleyball career with the Irish. But after two seasons, she transferred back to her home state of Wisconsin and has been a standout at Marquette the last three years.