MINNEAPOLIS >> The question had to be asked … as it has been for the past few years when the season has ended.

Was it Dave Shoji’s last match as Hawaii’s volleyball coach?

Saturday’s second-round loss at Minnesota was disappointing on many levels for Shoji, who turns 70 today. But it’s been the continued cold treatment by the NCAA selection committee — colder than the minus-4 degrees in Novy Urengoy, Russia, yesterday where Shoji’s two sons play professionally — that has him contemplating about returning for his 43rd season.

“That won’t be the deciding factor, but it’s really disappointing for the team to work so hard and not get rewarded,” Shoji said. “I will take some time off, talk with my family and my team, and make an announcement probably by the end of the week.

“Right now, I’m feeling down about it for the team, the university and the state. We have not been respected by the committee, and that’s a disappointment. I’ve been looking around the country, seeing those (first two rounds) and we could have won a bunch of them.

“I guess it’s all about the money, but then they send us and (USC) here. I don’t know why we had to travel this far. The team deserved better.”

The odds of a non-power five conference team making it to a regional are slim, given how many berths are awarded to the power conferences. Out of the 64 teams, both the Big Ten and Pac-12 had eight teams selected, the Big 12 six, the SEC four and ACC three, which equaled 29 bids. That left 35 bids for the 27 non-power conferences, with only three of those conferences getting multiple teams in: the Missouri Valley and Mountain West with three, the West Coast with two.

Of the 16 seeds, only BYU was from a non-power conference. Of the 16 teams left for this week’s regionals, BYU is joined by only Creighton of the Missouri Valley.

In the current format, the top 16 seeds are awarded hosting duties for the first and second rounds, with the highest remaining seed in each of the four pods hosting the regional. For nearly the past 10 years, the regionals sites were pre-determined.

“I don’t mind playing at home, but I see the the pros and cons to it,” Minnesota coach Hugh McCutcheon said. “I think attendance will be better this year.

“I know that the (selection committee) is a lot smarter than I am, but we had a surprisingly tough pool. There were very good teams here and I feel fortunate to have come out on top.”

Shoji has come out on top 1,202 times and is second only to Penn State’s Russ Rose in Division I women’s victories (1,213). The question is, does Shoji return for more?

Note

Four teams that Hawaii played this season remain alive in the tournament: Wisconsin, Washington, UCLA and Arizona. The only one the Wahine defeated was Arizona.