Now that the big match is over and chips have fallen, it is time to analyze the stats of the Final Four's best players to see who truly earned the title of Player of the Match.

Up for consideration are the two senior OH stars -- Penn State's Megan Hodge and Texas's Destinee Hooker. Hodge earned National Player of the Year honors with Hooker as a close second, just as the two teams were in the national rankings all season long.

Before the match, Karch predicted that the two great hitters would cancel each other out. That was not the case. Here is how it broke down for the two hitters:

Megan Hodge, Penn State

Set 1: 1 kill, 3 errors, 8 attack attempts, -.250 hitting percentage

Set 2: 4 kills, 0 errors, 12 attack attempts, .333 hitting percentage

Set 3: 6 kills, 4 errors, 21 attack attempts, .095 hitting percentage

Set 4: 7 kills, 2 errors, 24 attack attempts, .208 hitting percentage

Set 5: 3 kills, 2 errors, 8 attack attempts, .125 hitting percentage

Destinee Hooker, Texas

Set 1: 5 kills, 1 error, 12 attack attempts, .333 hitting percentage

Set 2: 11 kills, 3 errors, 17 attack attempts, .471 hitting percentage

Set 3: 7 kills, 2 errors, 18 attack attempts, .278 hitting percentage

Set 4: 6 kills, 2 errors, 22 attack attempts, .182 hitting percentage

Set 5: 5 kills, 2 errors, 7 attack attempts, .429 hitting percentage

Both had slow starts in Set 1, both hitting below .200 for the first half of the set. Destinee pulled it together, coming to life and staying hot long enough for Texas to take the first two sets. She was elevating, bombing, mixing up her shots, getting kills from the front and back row and basically making mincemeat out of Penn State's block and defense.

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They did it. The Penn State Nittany Lions did what no other women's volleyball team has ever been able to do. They won three straight titles. Despite all the pressure and the speculation and the challenges, they did it. They can now take their place as the best collegiate women's volleyball team of all time.

What this team accomplished was so improbable that we may never see the likes of it again. And that is not an overstatement. Even more unlikely is the manner in which they achieved it. Two straight undefeated seasons. 102 straight wins. Say what you like, but Penn State must be given its proper acclaim. This was a tremendous feat.

We also have to give it up for Texas though. The Longhorns put up quite a fight. They made the match one of the most exciting I've seen in a long time. To come out so fast and get Penn State on the ropes with an 0-2 deficit was a surprise. But a team with the experience of Penn State was not going to go out like that. Even though their senior stars struggled, the youngsters stepped up and they played through it like true champions.

Unfortunately for Texas, history will only remember the unprecedented accomplishments of this mighty Penn State team. It will never adequately reflect how close the Longhorns were to taking it all away. That's a shame because truth be told, a few points here or there and the outcome might have been different.

For those on the losing side of a game that big and that tight, it's the stuff nightmares are made of. But Texas played hard and well and can take pride in the performance they put together on Saturday night.

So a great season of college volleyball has come to an end and Penn State keeps the crown for yet another year. Congratulations to both teams for an amazing final match.

Did anyone else notice that Karch gave Penn State Head Coach Russ Rose some advice on stopping Destinee Hooker during his mid-match interview?

As the teams were heading into the locker room after the second set with Penn State down 0-2 for the first time in forever, announcers Karch Kiraly and Beth Mowins pulled Rose aside and asked him what was going wrong.

It was all pretty standard stuff until Karch said, "Coach...it seems your outside blockers aren't helping very much when Destinee Hooker is coming out of the middle back area. Are you going to try to correct that a little?"

Rose answered that when they did help out she would tip for the point. It was true, Destinee was killing them. That could not have been a surprise to Rose, a veteran coach and wise tactician.

But sometime in the next couple of games, the Penn State blockers found their way over to block Hooker's back row attempts and the game changed. They slowed her down a bit and won the next three sets.

It struck me as odd because I have never heard a commentator dole out such specific advice like that. Did it change the game? I doubt it. Like I said, Russ is a smart coach and probably would have figured it out on his own. Was it strange? You betcha.

We're in for some good matches this weekend down in Tampa. The best semi-final match-up is Penn State vs. Hawaii. I think the Rainbow Wahine are hungry and still want to prove they deserved better than a #12 seed, so I think they will perform well against the Nittany Lions. If they serve well and get Penn State out of system, they may be able to score points. Hawaii will play loose and without the pressure that Penn State has on its shoulders. But Penn State is the stronger team and they'll win this match in four sets.

Texas should be able to take Minnesota fairly easily. The only question mark is whether they will play up to their potential or if their confidence issues will come home to roost. I think they'll come ready to play and I predict that Texas wins this match in three sets.

That leaves only the finals. Texas vs. Penn State, the match we've all been waiting for. The pressure is definitely on Penn State, but that doesn't seem to phase them. They do what they need to do to win and they are on a mission. On paper, I think they win this match. But that did not stop me from picking Texas in my own personal bracket. I love a good upset and I think Texas has the goods to make it happen. I admit, it is a bit of a long shot, but I pick Texas in five.