Volleyball Voices

NCAA Women's Volleyball: This Weekend in Texas Longhorn Volleyball News, Quotes and Rankings

No. 2 Texas Volleyball sweeps Kansas in regular-season finale 

The 2009 Big 12 Champions hit .526 for the match and swept past Kansas in their final conference match of the season

AUSTIN, Texas – The second-ranked and Big 12 Champion Texas Volleyball team wrapped up regular-season play with a 3-0 win over Kansas, Saturday night at Gregory Gymnasium. The Longhorns 25-20, 25-15, 25-19 victory on senior night improved UT to 24-1 on the year and 19-1 in Big 12 play, while the Jayhawks dropped to 16-14 overall and 8-12 in league action.

 

On senior night, Longhorn seniors Ashley Engle, Destinee Hooker and Heather Kisner did not disappoint, capping off their four-year home career on an Engle to Hooker kill in the third set.  Texas hit .526 on the night to equal the third-best single match hitting performance in program history.

 

Texas grabbed a 5-1 lead to start the first, but Kansas took advantage of a pair of UT service errors and narrowed the edge to 8-7. The Horns answered with a 5-1 run fueled by two kills from junior All-America outside/opposite hitter Juliann Faucette that put Texas ahead, 13-8. KU tied the set at 15 before two more kills by Faucette keyed a 4-0 run and forced set-point at 24-18. A Kansas service miscue eventually closed out the stanza 25-20.

 

Kansas kept the tally tight to start the second frame before a 7-0 Texas run headlined by three double-blocks by Faucette and sophomore middle blocker Rachael Adams put UT in front 17-8. A triple-block by Faucette, Hooker and junior middle blocker Jennifer Doris pushed the lead to 20-10 and back-to-back kills by freshman utility Sha’Dare McNeal ended the set 25-15.

 

In the third, Texas jumped out to an early 5-1 lead and quickly pushed its lead to 9-3 on a service ace by Doris. Kansas rallied to close the margin to 9-7, but the Horns responded with kills from Engle and Doris to move the lead to 18-12. A solo block by Faucette pushed the tally to 22-15 and an Engle/Hooker hook-up ended the set 25-19.

 

Hooker headlined the Texas attack on the night with 14 kills on .522 hitting, while Faucette added 13 kills on .571 hitting and chipped in six total blocks. Engle dished out 25 assists and added five digs and three blocks in the victory. Doris connected for seven kills on eight swings and posted two service aces and a pair of blocks.

 

Texas now awaits its NCAA fate, which will be announced at 2 p.m. Central on Sunday, Nov. 29 on ESPNNews.

 

POST-MATCH NOTES

·         Texas’ win improves its all-time record against Kansas to 27-4.

·         The Horns’ win extended their home winning streak to 20 matches, dating back to Nov. 1, 2008.

·         UT hit .526 in the match, equaling the third-best hitting mark in Texas history.

·         The Longhorns out-blocked the Jayhawks 8.5-to-1.0 on the night and out-hit KU .526-to-.204.

·         The 2009 senior class picked up its 104^th career win against KU, tying for the most wins by a class during the Jerritt Elliott era.

·         Texas received the 2009 Big 12 Championship trophy following its victory.

 

POST-MATCH QUOTES

Head Coach Jerritt Elliott

On the senior’s performance tonight: It was great to be able to showcase our senior class in front of such a great crowd. They have done so much for this program. They returned the pride of Texas Volleyball. They have performed very well in order to win three Big 12 Championships and get back to the NCAA’s. More importantly they are better people off the court, and the way that they represent this program has set what the standard will be for Texas Volleyball from here on out.

 

On the future for the team: We are going to work hard to reach the goal that we have all set, and that is to win the national championship.

 

On the road to this point: It has been a lot of work to get to this point and there were a lot of great players that bought in prior to them getting here, and I don’t want to forget about those players. They created a path which gave Destinee (Hooker), Ashley (Engle) and Heather (Kisner) the confidence to come here, seeing that this program was on another level. This class was a huge get for us.

 

On this senior class: This class was a huge get for us. Nobody knew about Destinee. Heather we just fell in love with the first time we saw her moving around and throwing her body around. And Ashley everybody knew about, but to get her to come here instead of UCLA or a California school was a real confidence builder for everyone, and it had huge implications for getting Juliann (Faucette) and many of the other players we have. So the result of them was what you see on the court. They won the Big 12 outright and they want to take the final four, and there will be nothing more gratifying for me as a coach. We’ve been before, but this class wants it really bad and they have an opportunity to experience what that is like.

 

On the final match at home: It meant a lot. I have been trying to hold my emotions, trying to be the stronger one, but I sent them some texts and talked to them personally, because you lose that focus early in the season, but I really enjoy being around these seniors, they mean a lot to me. They are just great people and they will always be a part of my family’s life and in a sense I think they have resurrected Texas Volleyball. I want to thank them for choosing Texas, and tell them how lucky myself and the staff have been to be able to coach them on a daily basis. And I want to thank them for how they have represented The University of Texas.

 

Senior setter Ashley Engle

On what the program has become over the last few years: I think the support from the city and the University in general has grown so much. We love playing here. The fact that tonight we had one of the largest crowds just felt great.

 

On winning the Big 12: The victory just shows that our hard work has been paying off, and that it was all worth it, up to this point

 

On the team’s expectations post season: To an extent we have the same goals of ultimately winning the whole thing but with the seasons that we had and the experience that we have gained I think it is a different mentality. We are going to go in there and show everyone what we can do and we are really confident in the way that we’ve been playing so far.

 

Senior outside hitter Destinee Hooker

On going to the NCAA tournament: Going into the tournament is familiar to us because we have been there three times and we know what it feels like to sit in that locker room after a loss. And I think because we have been through that, we are going to be able to step out on the court and really focus on our game.

 

Senior Libero Heather Kisner

On winning the Big 12 outright: It definitely feels great. Knowing that we won the title outright and that we aren’t sharing the title with anyone else is just so much greater.

 

 

 

Hook'em

Volleyball earns a No. 1 seed in NCAA Tournament

The second-ranked Texas Volleyball team has earned the No.2 national seed in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

AUSTIN, Texas -- The second-ranked Texas volleyball team will make its 26th NCAA Tournament appearance this coming weekend when it hosts the first and second rounds of the 2009 NCAA Tournament at Gregory Gym.

Texas (24-1, 19-1 Big 12) earned the No. 2 seed in the tournament and the No. 1 seed in the Omaha Regional. The Horns will welcome Rice, TCU and UT’s first-round opponent, Texas State to Gregory Gym on Thursday and Friday, Dec. 3 and 4 as the Horns host for the sixth straight season.

 

TCU will face Rice on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. and the Longhorns will take on Texas State at 6 p.m. or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first match. The winners of the two matches will meet on Friday at 6:30 p.m.

Tickets to the NCAA Tournament first and second rounds can be purchased at any Texas Box Office location beginning Sunday, Nov. 29 at 5 p.m. (Central). All-session ticket packages are $6 (students), $12 (reserved general admission) and $20 (reserved seating). Individual session tickets will go on sale beginning Friday.

The winner of the Austin Sub-Regional will advance to the Omaha Regional, where it will face the winner of the Baton Rouge (LSU) Sub-Regional in the NCAA “Sweet 16”. Regional matches will be played Dec. 11-12.

Texas earned the Big 12’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, and was one of six teams from the Big 12 Conference to earn an invite. UT, which won the league title outright is joined by seventh-seeded Iowa State, 10^th-seeded Nebraska, Baylor, Oklahoma and Texas A&M in the 64-team draw.

The Longhorns have won their last 20 matches on their home floor.

Texas State (21-12, 13-3 Southland) earned an automatic bid to the tournament after winning the Southland Conference championship. TCU (26-6, 13-3 Mountain West) gained an at-large bid to the tournament after finishing second in its conference tourney. Rice (23-8, 11-5 Conference USA) earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after winning its conference tournament.

In 2008, Texas earned its fifth straight bid to the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the national semifinals for the first time since 1995.

Texas has been selected to host first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament 20 times and UT is 42-9 all-time in NCAA matches played in Austin. Texas is undefeated in first-round contests at 25-0.

Tickets

Purchase at TexasBoxOffice.com; by calling 800-982-BEVO or 512-471-3333; in person at the UT Athletics Ticket Office in Bellmont Hall (Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. CT); and in person one hour prior to game time at the Gregory Gymnasium box office.

 

All Session prices are as follows:
Reserved All-Session Ticket: $20

General Admission Adult All-Session Ticket: $12

General Admission Youth/UT Student All-Session Ticket: $6

 

Single day tickets won't be available until (First Day of Tournament) at 9 a.m. (Central).  These tickets can be purchased either online, by phone or in person.

Tickets will only be available at will call for this event.  Tickets can be picked up at Bellmont Hall beginning Tuesday, Dec. 1.  They will be at Bellmont until one hour prior to the event start time.  At that time, they will be available at will call at Gregory Gymnasium.

 

 

This Week in Texas Volleyball

24-1 overall (19-1 Big 12)

Ranking: No. 2 AVCA Coaches Poll / No. 2 Volleyball Magazine Poll

 

This week:

NCAA Austin Sub-Regional

No.2 seed Texas hosts Texas State on Thursday, Dec. 3 at 6 p.m. Central

with a win against Texas State

Texas hosts winner of TCU/Rice on Friday, Dec 4 at 6:30 p.m. Central

 

Last week:

Texas defeated Oklahoma, 3-0

Texas defeated Kansas, 3-0

 

This week’s media availability: (In advance of the NCAA First & Second Rounds)

This week’s lone media availability is Tuesday, Dec. 1 at 12:45 pm at Gregory Gymnasium. Please contact me if you wish to attend so I can coordinate players and coaches arriving early to do interviews prior to practice. Contact info:spencer.kitley@athletics.utexas.edu or (512) 848-8157. The next availability will be at the post-match press conference on Thursday evening.

 

TOURNEY INFO

The second-ranked Texas volleyball team will make its 26th NCAA Tournament appearance this coming weekend when it hosts the first and second rounds of the 2009 NCAA Tournament at Gregory Gym.

 

Texas (24-1, 19-1 Big 12) earned the No. 2 seed in the tournament and the No. 1 seed in the Omaha Regional. The Horns will welcome Rice, TCU and UT’s first-round opponent, Texas State to Gregory Gym on Thursday and Friday, Dec. 3 and 4 as the Horns host for the sixth straight season.

 

 

 

Hook'em

 

NCAA Women's Volleyball: This Weekend in Tennessee Lady Vols Volleyball News, Quotes and Rankings

LADY VOLS SELECTED TO HOST NCAA TOURNAMENT FIRST AND SECOND ROUNDS

NCAA Tournament Selection is UT’s Fifth in Last Six Seasons

 

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – For the fifth time in six years and 11th time in school history, the University of Tennessee volleyball team (23-7) will be participating in the NCAA Tournament as it has been selected to host the first and second rounds in Thompson-Boling Arena on Dec. 4-5. The Lady Volunteers will welcome No. 13 and 11th-seeded Minnesota, Duke and Louisville to Rocky Top.

 

The Gophers and Cardinals will open the competition at 5 p.m. Friday afternoon before Tennessee squares off against the Blue Devils in the nightcap at 7 p.m. The winner of both contests will advance to a second-round showdown at 7 p.m. on Saturday night for the right to move on to the NCAA Regional in Minneapolis, Minn.

 

“We are extremely excited about getting the opportunity to host,” UT Head Coach Rob Patrick said. “Anytime you are in the NCAA Tournament you know every match is going to be a battle and Duke is no exception to that. They have a really strong team and I expect them to be very tough. Overall, I like our draw, especially because we get to host and we have played pretty well on our home floor.”

 

The Big Orange has hosted six previous times in school history, with three of those coming in consecutive seasons from 2004-06. UT has amassed a 7-1 record in those matches, three of which were contested in Alumni Gym, while the other five took place in Stokely Athletics Center. This year's Tennessee-Duke matchup marks a rematch of the opening round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament when the Blue Devils traveled to Knoxville where they knocked off the host squad in four sets.

 

The Lady Vols hope to benefit from the having the opportunity to host the opening rounds as they have been spectacular on their home court this season, putting together an 12-1 record with victories over three participants in this year's NCAA Tournament in Lipscomb, Florida and Kentucky. UT also defeated Louisville and Notre Dame and Kentucky on the road to give itself a 6-5 record over 2009 NCAA Tournament teams.

 

Tennessee is one of four Southeastern Conference teams selected to host the first and second rounds, as No. 15-seed LSU, 16th-seeded Florida and Kentucky also earned the honors. The Tigers and Gators will host Tulane and the College of Charleston, respectively, while the Wildcats will take on Michigan State in the opening round.

 

The full bracket for the 2009 NCAA Tournament can be found atwww.ncaasports.com.

 

### LADY VOL VOLLEYBALL ###

 

 

JETER GIVES LADY VOLS FOUR CONSECUTIVE SEC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARDS

Sophomore Earns the Weekly Honors for the First Time in Her Career

 

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Although Nikki Fowler’s history-making, three-week reign as Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Week came to an end on Monday, the award didn’t have to travel far to reach its new recipient as University of Tennessee sophomore Kayla Jeter claimed the honors for the first time in her career. The Solon, Ohio, native was also named Lady Vol Athlete of the Week following a dominating performance in UT’s victory over No. 10 Kentucky last Wednesday.

                                                                                 

The 5-11 outside hitter was nearly unstoppable in the Orange and White’s heart-pounding, 3-2 triumph over the Wildcats, blasting out a career-high 23 kills, while hitting at a scorching .422 clip (23-4-45). She also added a pair of blocks, a dig and an ace to the winning effort.

 

The victory marked the Lady Vols’ second over a top-15 squad in the span of five days and gave them a school record 16 conference wins in 2009. Wednesday's triumph also marked the 750th in program history and gave UT a 12-1 record at home in 2009, tying the 2004 squad for the most home victories during a single season.

 

After not reaching double-digits in kills in the first 26 matches of her career, including the first seven matches of the 2009 campaign, Jeter has now accomplished the feat in 16 of her last 24 contests. Since conference play began on Sept. 18, she has increased her kills per set average by over a kill per frame, going from 1.85 to 2.88, and her hitting percentage by nearly 100 points (.157 to .256).

 

Jeter finished the regular season ranked ninth and 10th in the SEC, respectively, with an average of 3.27 kills per set and a .287 attack average in league matches. She also finished second on the Lady Vol squad with a total of 328 kills this season, trailing only Fowler’s total of 431 putaways.

 

The hard-hitting right-hander becomes the 14th player in school history to take home SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Since its emergence on the volleyball scene in 2004, Tennessee players have won more weekly accolades for their offensive performances than student-athletes from any other school with a grand total of 18. That number is three more than Florida players have claimed during that span and nine more than both Georgia and LSU.

 

The Lady Vols will open up the postseason portion of their schedule this weekend when they host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament in Thompson-Boling Arena, Dec. 4-5. Following a 5 p.m. meeting between No. 11 and 13th-seeded Minnesota on Friday, the Big Orange will square off with Duke at 7 p.m. in a rematch of a 2006 NCAA Tournament First Round contest. The winners of both matches will then advance to a second-round showdown at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

 

UT VOLLEYBALL RETURNS TO AVCA TOP-25 FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2006

Lady Vols Ranked No. 24 in the Nation After Pair of Victories Over Top-15 Squads

 

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Following a pair of victories over top-15 squads in the span of just five days, the University of Tennessee volleyball team has earned its first national ranking since the 2006 season, coming in at No. 24 in the most recent edition of the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I Coaches Poll released on Monday afternoon.

 

The Lady Vols finished the 2009 regular season with an impressive 23-7 record, including a school-record 16 wins in Southeastern Conference action. UT closed out the regular season in impressive fashion, winning 17 of its last 20 contests. The Big Orange finished the season on a four-match winning streak which included eye-opening triumphs over both Florida and Kentucky, ranked 13th and 10th at the time, respectively.

 

Tennessee was last ranked on Oct. 16, 2006, when it came in at No. 25 in the poll, capping off an 11-week stay in the rankings dating back to the middle of the 2005 campaign. That run came shortly after a 17-week reign among the nation’s best, dating from Sept. 13, 2004 through Sept. 12, 2005.

 

This season, the Orange and White has had quite a bit of success against teams that are either ranked or receiving votes in this week’s AVCA poll, going 5-5 in such contests with a pair of wins over the Wildcats and one triumph each over the Gators, Notre Dame and Louisville.

 

The Lady Vols will open up the postseason portion of their schedule this weekend when they host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament in Thompson-Boling Arena, Dec. 4-5. Following a 5 p.m. meeting between No. 11 and 13th-seeded Minnesota and Louisville on Friday, the Big Orange will square off with Duke at 7 p.m. in a rematch of a 2006 NCAA Tournament First Round contest. The winners of both matches will then advance to a second-round showdown at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

 

##LADY VOL VOLLEYBALL##

 

 

 

 

NCAA Women's Volleyball: This Weekend in UCLA Bruins Volleyball News, Quotes and Rankings

#9 UCLA Women's Volleyball Team Sweeps Arizona State in Regular-Season Finale

LOS ANGELES - Sophomore Amanda Gil led the Bruins with 11 kills and six blocks, senior Kaitlin Sather posted 10 kills in her final regular-season contest at Pauley Pavilion and sophomore Lainey Gera recorded a match-high 23 digs, as the ninth-ranked Bruins swept Arizona State on Saturday. Scores were 25-19, 28-26, 25-22. 

The Bruins close the regular season with a 23-8 overall record and a 13-5 mark in the Pac-10, tying Washington for second in the conference. Arizona State wraps up its year at 13-17 and 3-15 in league play. 

Freshman Lauren Cook had a double-double with 36 assists and 10 digs, while freshman Bojana Todorovic had double figures in digs with 11. Senior Emily Clements, playing in her final regular-season match in Westwood, had two kills and a service ace. The Bruins hit .244 as a team with 10.5 blocks. 

The Bruins never trailed in the opening set, scoring six of the first eight points to gain a 6-2 lead. Gil and Sather teamed up for a block to start the match and Clements followed with a kill. Arizona State came back with two of the next three, but the Bruins scored three in a row on a kill by sophomore Katie Camp, an ace by Sather and a solo roof by freshman Rachael Kidder. The Sun Devils bounced back to tie it at six, but another 3-0 run on kills by Camp and Sather and a Clements ace made it 9-6 UCLA. 

Arizona State again rallied to even the score at 14, but the Bruins slowly pulled away. Leading 19-17, UCLA netted four of the next five to extend its advantage to five at 23-18. Gil had two kills and a solo block during the run, while Cook also had a spike. The Sun Devils sided out the next point, but a kill by Todorovic and an ASU attack error gave the Bruins a 25-19 victory. Gil had four kills to pace UCLA in the first, while Cook and Sather each posted three kills. The Bruins out-hit the Sun Devils .303 to .182. 

The Sun Devils led throughout most of the second set, but the Bruins rallied late to take a 2-0 match lead. ASU took an early 7-2 lead and had a five-point advantage five more times before the Bruins slowly chipped away at their deficit. Down 15-10, UCLA notched the next six to take a 16-15 lead. After three straight ASU errors, freshman Mari Hole and Kidder had back-to-back kills and a Kidder/Camp combo roof gave the Bruins the lead. The Sun Devils came back with four of the next five to go ahead 19-17, but the Bruins got the next three on kills by Camp and junior Dicey McGraw and an ASU attack error to go up 20-19. 

The lead changes continued as Arizona State was on the verge of closing out the set after a 4-1 run made it 23-21. The Sun Devils earned their first set point at 24-22, but a kill by Sather and a combo block by Camp and Sather evened things at 24. ASU again had set points at 25-24 and 26-25, but UCLA scored the last three of the set on a kill and ace by Hole, followed by a Sun Devil attack error to give the Bruins a 28-26 victory. Sather led the Bruins with five kills, while Gil added three. The Bruins held a .264 to .204 hitting advantage. 

The Bruins didn’t trail in the third set, but not without some nervous moments at the end. UCLA scored the first three on a Gera ace, an ASU attack error and a McGraw kill and had as much as a six-point lead at 9-3 and 10-4. The Sun Devils came back with a 5-1 run to cut their deficit to a pair at 11-9, but the Bruins ran it back up to five at 14-9 following an ASU service error, a Gil solo block and a spike by McGraw. ASU got even closer, getting to within one at 14-13 and 15-14, but four straight by UCLA on kills by Gil and Hole and back-to-back combo blocks by Gil and Sather and Gil and Hole increased the Bruins’ lead to 19-14. 

The Sun Devils wouldn’t quit and eventually drew even for the first time since the set started at 22-all. But the Bruins finished off their guests with a spike by Camp, a Gera ace and a McGraw kill on match point to win it 25-22. McGraw paced the Bruins with four kills, while Gil added three in the closing set. The Bruins out-hit the Sun Devils .178 to .109. 

Sofie Schlagintweit (11) and Sarah Reaves (10) each had double figures in kills for Arizona State, which hit .165 as a team. 

The Bruins find out where their postseason journey begins on Sunday when ESPNEWS airs the NCAA Selection Show at approximately 12:10 p.m. 

--- UCLABRUINS.COM --- 

UCLA Bruins Women's Volleyball Team Earns #8 National Seed, Host First and Second Rounds

LOS ANGELES - The UCLA women’s volleyball team received a #8 national seed for the NCAA Tournament and will host the first and second rounds at Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins will take on Long Beach State in a first-round matchup on Friday at 8 p.m., with Georgia Tech and Baylor squaring off at 5:30 p.m. The winners of the two first-round matches will play in the second round on Saturday at 7 p.m. 

UCLA finished the regular season with a 23-8 overall record and in a tie for second in the Pacific-10 Conference with a 13-5 mark. Long Beach State, champions of the Big West Conference, were 22-8 overall and 12-4 in league play. It will be the second meeting between the Bruins and the 49ers this season, as Long Beach State upset UCLA in three sets on Sept. 19 in Fullerton. 

Georgia Tech earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament, finishing the regular season with a 21-9 overall record and a 15-5 conference mark (third place) in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Baylor, also an at-large team, was 22-9 overall and 11-9 (tie for fourth) in the Big 12 Conference. 

The Bruins are 54-19 all-time against Long Beach State and 3-1 in the NCAA Tournament. UCLA is 2-0 against both Baylor and Georgia Tech and 1-0 against the Yellow Jackets in the postseason. 

UCLA has now hosted the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament for six of the last seven years. Since the NCAA field expanded to 64 teams in 1998, the Bruins are 14-0 in first and second round matches at Pauley Pavilion. 

Ticket information for the first and second rounds will become available early next week. 

--- UCLABRUINS.COM ---

NCAA Women's Volleyball Playoff Tournament News, Quotes and Rankings

Big West Awarded Two Bids For NCAA Volleyball Tournament

Irvine, CA - The NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Committee announced today the 64-team field for the 2009 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship and Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara each received an invitation to the postseason.

Overall, thirty-one conferences were awarded automatic qualification, and the remaining 33 slots were filled with at-large selections to complete the bracket. The top 16 teams were seeded nationally and placed within four regions. The teams tabbed as the top four seeds were No. 1 Penn State, No. 2 Texas, No. 3 Florida State and No. 4 Stanford.

Winning its 10th Big West Conference championship this season awarded Long Beach State (22-8/12-4) the league's automatic qualifier to the 2009 NCAA Volleyball Tournament for its 23rd consecutive appearance, 24th overall. Only three other teams have participated in 23 or more straight NCAA tournaments - Stanford, Nebraska and Penn State.

The 49ers open the 2009 NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament traveling to Westwood, Calif., to face eighth-seeded UCLA (23-8) at Pauley Pavilion Friday, Dec. 4. The two teams met earlier this season at the Brea Embassy Suites Titan Classic in Fullerton, Calif., with the 49ers sweeping the Bruins. UCLA, an at-large selection from the Pac-10, leads the overall series 52-21, but Long Beach State has won three of the previous five contests. The winner of the UCLA-Long Beach State match will face either Georgia Tech (21-9) or Baylor (22-9) Saturday, Dec. 5 in second round action.

Led by 2009 All-Big West First Team members Naomi Washington and Caitlin Ledoux, who rank third and sixth in the Big West Conference in kills, Long Beach State paces the conference with 13.5 kills per set. Washington currently sits third with an average of 4.17 kills per set, while last season's Big West Freshman of the Year, Ledoux, owns a sixth-best 3.60 kill average. The 49ers, paced by Britney Herzog's .288 clip, also own a league-best .245 hitting percentage.

Long Beach State, who enters this weekend's action winning eight of the last 10 contests, holds an impressive 48-20 NCAA record and has earned three national championships (1989, 1993, 1998) and two national champion runner-ups (1991, 2001).

The Gauchos of UC Santa Barbara received an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament after posting an overall mark of 22-7 and a Big West record of 11-5, tying for second place. The Gauchos drew West Coast Champion Saint Marys (22-4) in first round action. The two teams take to the court in Palo Alto, Calif., Dec. 4 with the winner advancing to the second round to face the victor of host and fourth-seed Stanford (21-7) and Long Island (21-13) the following night. The Gauchos and Gaels have only met two other times on the volleyball court with each team winning one contest.

Rebecca Saraceno, the 2009 Big West Player of the Year, leads the Gauchos and Big West with an impressive 4.49 kills per set average, while Stacey Schmidt ranks third in the league with a .333 hitting percentage. As a team, UC Santa Barbara sits second in hitting percentage (.242) and third in kills (13.61).

UC Santa Barbara is making its 27th overall NCAA appearance and first since the 2006 season. The Gauchos hold a 21-26 record in the NCAA Tournament and have advanced to the elite eight in 1999 and 2000.

Mountain West Conference Sends Three Institutions to 2009 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship

 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Committee announced today the field for the 2009 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship, and Mountain West Conference members Colorado State, New Mexico and TCU were among the 64 teams. The 23^rd-ranked Rams earned the league’s automatic bid after winning the MWC regular season title, while the Lobos and Horned Frogs were at-large selections.

 

The top 16 teams were seeded nationally and placed within four regions. The top four seeds are (1) Penn State University; (2) University of Texas; (3) Florida State University; and (4) Stanford University.

 

No. 23 Colorado State (23-5 overall) makes its 21^st overall and 15^th straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The Rams will host the first and second rounds at Moby Arena, where they will start tournament play vs. Middle Tennessee State (25-9) on Thursday, December 3 at 7:30 p.m. MT. Thursday’s first match will see the tournament’s No. 6 seed Washington (23-5) taking on Northern Colorado (21-11) at 5 p.m. MT. The winners of the first two matches will meet in the second round on Friday, December 4, at 7 p.m. MT.

 

New Mexico (20-9 overall) makes its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance overall and first since 1994. The Lobos enter the tournament with a 20-9 record and will travel to Los Angeles, Calif., to open with No. 12 seed Hawai`i (27-2) in the first round at the Galen Center Friday, December 4, at 5 p.m. PT. The winner of the Lobos vs. Rainbow Wahine match will face site host Southern California (21-9) or Oklahoma (18-11) in the second round at 6 p.m. PT on Saturday, December 5.

 

TCU (26-6 overall) is one of five institutions in the field to make its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. The Horned Frogs open play vs. Rice (23-8) on Thursday, December 3, at 4:30 p.m. CT at Gregory Gymnasium in Austin, Texas. No. 2 seed Texas (24-1) will host Texas State (22-12) at 7 p.m. CT on Thursday. The first-round winners will meet in the second-round Friday, December 4 (time TBA).

 

Teams winning both matches will move on to regional play December 11 and 12. The pre-determined regional sites are Stanford, Calif.; Gainesville, Fla.; Minneapolis, Minn.; and Omaha, Neb. The regional winners will advance to the semifinals and final hosted by the University of South Florida and Tampa Bay Sports Commission at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Fla., on December 17 and 19.

 

 

CONFERENCE-USA Places Two Teams in NCAA Volleyball Championship

Rice and Tulane makes back-to-back NCAA Championship appearances.

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IRVING, Texas - For the second consecutive year, Conference USA has placed multiple teams in the NCAA Volleyball Championship. The 2009 C-USA Tournament Champion Rice earned the league's automatic bid, while Tulane (24-6) received an at-large bid, marking the second-straight season the two teams have participated in the national tournament.

The Owls will play TCU Thursday, Dec. 3 in the first round in Austin, Texas at 4:30 p.m. inside Gregory Gymnasium. The University of Texas, the host school, plays Texas State, Southland Conference champions, following the Rice-TCU match. The winners of each match face each other on Friday.

Rice enters with a 23-8 record and winners of its last nine matches, while TCU is 26-6 overall and received an at-large bid after placing second in the Mountain West Conference with a 13-3 league record.

Rice head coach Genny Volpe has now led the Owls to three NCAA Championships in six years at the school. Rice previously received two at-large bids to the NCAA Championship. In 2004, Rice lost 3-1 to Michigan in Austin, Texas, and in 2008 the Owls lost 3-1 to Wichita State also in Austin.

The Owls are 8-4 all-time vs. the Horned Frogs after beating TCU 3-1 in 2008 in the first volleyball match in the renovated Tudor Fieldhouse.

The Green Wave will meet LSU for the third time this season on Friday, Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m. at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge. Tulane and LSU split the season series. The Green Wave finished the regular season at 18-9, after a 12-4 in Conference USA season. The Tigers (24-6), the SEC Champion, are the No. 15 national seed.

Tulane has won three out of five against LSU dating back to 2003, with the two teams splitting the series this year. Tulane topped LSU on Sept. 11 at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Classic in Fogelman Arena, 3-1 (25-21,25-23,20-25,25-21). The Green Wave fell to LSU at the PMAC, 3-0 (25-22,25-16,25-21) on Sept. 5 in the Tiger Classic. Arizona (19-10) will also visit Baton Rouge, squaring off against Big 12 at-large Texas A&M on Friday at 5 p.m. The winners of the two first round contests will play Saturday at 7:30 for a right to advance to the Sweet 16.

Long Island University Women's Volleyball Draws No. 4 Stanford in NCAA Tournament

 

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The Long Island University volleyball team will head to the West Coast to take on Stanford in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Dec. 4. The six-time Northeast Conference champions will travel across country to compete against the fourth seed in the tournament. In the other half of the bracket, St. Mary’s (Calif.) will face UC-Santa Barbara. The winners of those two matches will meet on Dec. 5.

 

Long Island (21-13) went a perfect 16-0 in NEC play this season en route to its sixth straight conference title. The Blackbirds wrapped up the NEC championship on Nov. 22 with a 3-0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-21) victory over Sacred Heart. Long Island has won a school-record 12 straight matches and 18 of its last 19. The Blackbirds are led by NEC Player of the Year Svetlana Simic (Klek, Serbia), who averages 3.99 kills and 3.11 digs per set.

 

Stanford captured its fourth straight Pacific-10 title on Nov. 27 with a come-from-behind 3-2 (23-25, 18-25, 25-23, 25-20 and 15-4) win over 11^th-ranked California. The Cardinal was ranked sixth in the nation at the time, but was awarded the NCAA Tournament’s No. 4 seed when the brackets were announced. Stanford compiled a 21-7 record, going 14-4 in the Pac-10. The Cardinal has won six straight matches and is led by Alix Klineman’s 4.23 kills per set and Gabi Ailes’ 5.32 digs per set.

 

 

UNI and Wichita State Invited to Dance in 2009 NCAA Volleyball Championship

For the sixth time in league history, two Missouri Valley Conference volleyball teams have been selected as part of the field of 64 teams to play for the 2009 national title.  Last season, three MVC teams were invited to the dance, while a conference record four teams were participants in the 2007 NCAA Championship field.

2009 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Championship winner and nationally ranked UNI will be joined by at-large selection Wichita State in the 2009 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship.  First and second round matches will be played from Dec. 3-6.  

UNI (30-2, 18-0 MVC) is making its 15th overall NCAA appearance and fourth consecutive season in the NCAA postseason tournament.  Winners of 28-straight matches, the Panthers will begin against Pac-10's eighth-place finisher, the Washington State Cougars (18-12), in a first-round match in Lincoln, Neb.  Other teams in the pod include host and national No. 10 seed Nebraska (23-6) and Coastal Carolina (20-13).

Last season, UNI fell in the opening round to Iowa State, 3-1, in Minneapolis, Minn.

The Panthers are 11-14 all-time in the NCAA tournament and have advanced to the Sweet 16 on three occasions, most recently in 2002.  

Wichita State will make its third consecutive and fourth overall NCAA appearance, earning an at-large selection after another 25-win season (25-6).  The Shockers will open play in Ames, Iowa, against Saint Louis (24-7), the runner-up in the Atlantic 10.  Host Iowa State (25-4) is the No. 7 national seed and will face George Mason (23-8) in the other match in Ames.

Wichita State is 3-3 all-time in the NCAA tournament.  Last season, the Shockers picked up a first-round win over Rice before falling to host and No. 3 national seed Texas in Austin, Texas.

OMAHA, NEBRASKA REGIONAL 
December 4-5 at Lincoln, Nebraska 
UNI (30-2) vs. Washington State (18-12)
Coastal Carolina (20-13) at No. 10 Nebraska (23-6)

December 4-5 at Ames, Iowa 
Wichita State (25-6) vs. Saint Louis (24-7)
George Mason (23-8) at No. 7 Iowa State (25-4)

Teams winning both matches will move on to regional play December 11 and 12. The pre-determined regional sites are Stanford, California; Gainesville, Florida; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Omaha, Nebraska. The regional winners will advance to the semifinals and final hosted by University of South Florida and Tampa Bay Sports Commission at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida, on December 17 and 19.  For more information about the championship, log on towww.ncaa.com/wvb.

Complete NCAA Volleyball Championship bracket and release attached as a PDF and also available online at:  http://www.mvc-sports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=7600&ATCLID=204841349.

 

 

FIU Earns Second Straight, Third NCAA Tournament Bid In School History

The Panthers will face Miami in Gainesville on Dec. 3

 

MIAMI - With the announcement of the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship bracket on Sunday, FIU received its second straight and third overall bid to the NCAA Tournament in school history.

 

FIU (31-3) will travel to Gainesville, Fla., to face crosstown rival Miami (18-12) in a first round match on Thursday, Dec. 3. Should the Panthers advance, they will face the winner of a contest between Florida (23-5) and College of Charleston (18-12) on Dec. 4 in the second round.

 

"We're very excited to have earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament and we're all grateful for the chance to get to play another match together," said senior Yarimar Rosa. "I'm really looking forward to it."

 

Defending National Champion Penn State received the tournament's overall No. 1 seed with Texas earning the No. 2 seed, Florida State the No. 3 seed and Stanford the No. 4 seed. Regional competition will be held at predetermined sites on Dec. 11 & 12 with the semifinals set for Dec. 17 and the NCAA Championship match slatead for Dec. 19 in Tampa, Fla.

 

Ticket information for the 2009 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship will be available soon.

TCU Women's Volleyball Team Earns First-Ever NCAA Tournament Bid

Frogs travel to Austin; faces Rice in the first round

FORT WORTH, Texas – The TCU volleyball team earned its first-ever bid to the NCAA tournament. The field of 64 was announced Sunday afternoon. The Horned Frogs will travel to Austin and play Rice in the opening round of the tournament on Friday at 4:30 p.m.

“TCU volleyball is so thankful for the boosters, adminstrators, fans and families that came out to support to see us get our first-ever bid to the NCAA Tournament,” said head coach Prentice Lewis. “We have had a fantastic season and we look forward to participating in our first NCAA Tournament.

“I am so proud of this team that pushed the extra mile in every set and every match to come out on top. They are fighters and it’s a group I would always want to go to battle with.”

TCU makes its NCAA tournament debut in the Austin Regional. The host school, Texas, is the No. 2 national seed and it will play Texas State in the opening round.

The Horned Frogs are coming off their most successful season in school history with an overall record of 26-6. Picked to finish fifth in the Mountain West, the Frogs exceeded expectations to the tune of a 13-3 record in league play to finish in second place. The Frogs are 9-1 in their last 10 games and 12-1 in their last 13. Four Frogs earned all-conference accolades in Kourtney Edwards, Christy Hudson, Katelyn Blackwood and Megan Munce, who earned Setter of the Year honors.

Lobo Volleyball Plays Hawaii In First Round Of NCAA Tournament

UNM makes return to post-season for first time since 1994

 

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  --- The Lobo volleyball team did not have to wait too long before it saw ‘New Mexico’ pop up on the big screens in the End Zone Club of the Tow Diehm Building on South Campus on Sunday afternoon.  New Mexico is making its first return appearance to the NCAA Volleyball Tournament since 1994.  The 20-9 Lobos earned an at-large bid on Sunday afternoon.  UNM will play Western Athletic Conference champion Hawaii (27-2) in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, Dec. 4 in Los Angeles at the Galen Center.  Host Southern California (21-9) and Big 12 foe Oklahoma (18-11) will be the other sub-regional match-up.  First round matches will start at 6 and 8 p.m. (MST).  UNM’s exact match time and ticket information will be posted on GoLobos.com when it becomes available.

 

“First, congratulations to our players,” said Lobo head coach Jeff Nelson at a gathering of family, friends and fans.  “We’re grateful to the NCAA Committee for their hard work and for looking favorably on our performances this year and putting us back in the tournament after a long drought.”

 

It will be the eighth appearance in the national post-season for the Lobo volleyball program.  UNM appeared in the first NCAA Tournament in 1981.  The next time UNM made the tournament was 1988, followed by a string of five consecutive appearances from 1990-94.  New Mexico is 5-7 overall in NCAA Tournament action with five second round appearances.

 

Nelson earned his 300^th collegiate coaching win on Friday, Nov. 27 when the Lobos beat New Orleans, 3-1, on the road.  It was also the 20^th win of the year for UNM, posting consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time since a four-year streak from 1988-91.

 

Nelson joins a select group of NCAA Division I coaches who have taken multiple programs to the NCAA Tournament – Texas Tech (1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001), San Francisco (2003) and New Mexico (2009). Current NCAA Division I coaches who have taken more than two programs include Oregon head coach Jim Moore (Kansas State, Texas, Oregon) and Michigan State head coach Cathy George (Texas-Arlington, Western Michigan and Michigan State).

 

More information leading up to the tournament will be posted on GoLobos.com as it becomes available.

 

NCAA Women's Volleyball Playoff Tournament News, Quotes and Rankings II

Baylor Women's Volleyball Team Earns NCAA Tournament Bid

Baylor is 1-2 all-time in two previous trips to the NCAA Tournament

 

INDIANAPOLIS  – Baylor’s volleyball team earned its third-ever bid into the NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship, and will travel to Los Angeles, Calif., to take on Georgia Tech in the first round on Friday, Dec. 4.

 

Baylor (22-9) will be playing in the tournament for the first time since 2001, and just the third time in program history with the only other appearance in 1999. Baylor is 1-2 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, winning its first-round match over Temple in 1999 before being swept by site-host Penn State. In 2001, the Bears lost to site-host Colorado State in 2001.

 

The berth is the first for Baylor under sixth-year head coach Jim Barnes, who will be looking for his 100^th win at the helm of the Bears. Barnes has posted a 99-90 record in five-plus seasons at Baylor.

 

Baylor’s first-round opponent, Georgia Tech, enters with an overall record of 21-9 after finishing 3rd in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a league record of 15-5. The meeting will be the first-ever between the two schools.

 

UCLA will serve as the site host, taking on Long Beach State in the first round. The four teams make up one-fourth of the Gainesville, Fla., Regional.

 

Friday’s winner will face the winner of UCLA and Long Beach State in the second round on Saturday, Dec. 5. Check back to BaylorBears.com for start times.

LSU Volleyball Team to Host NCAA Regional; Face Tulane 

 

BATON ROUGE – After winning its first SEC championship since 1991, the LSU volleyball team learned Sunday that it will host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament at the Maravich Center. 

 

“We are thrilled but were a little antsy because of our loss on Friday night [at Rice] might have knock us out [from hosting],” head coach Fran Flory said. “I’m absolutely thrilled for our seniors to get to play in the Maravich Center for one more weekend.”

 

The Tigers (24-6) earned the No. 15 national seed and square off with Tulane (18-9) in the opening round. First serve has been announced for 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams split its regular season meetings in September.

 

Arizona (19-10) and Texas A&M (18-10) will meet Friday at 5 p.m. to open the Baton Rouge Regional. Saturday’s second round match is slated for 7:30 p.m.

 

“We thought if Texas A&M got in that they would end up here, and our prediction was true,” Flory said. “I also thought they would send a Big Ten or PAC 10 team over here, so we are not surprised by having Arizona here. Four great teams in this regional and it will be a great weekend of volleyball in the Maravich Center.”

 

Check back to LSUsports.net for ticket details.  

 

 

Arizona Wildcats Volleyball Team Head To Baton Rouge

 

Arizona returns to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005. It will face Texas A&M on Friday.

 

INDIANAPOLIS – The No. 19 Arizona Volleyball team qualified for its 22nd trip to the NCAA Tournament today where it will meet Texas A&M in Baton Rouge, La. in first round action.

 

LSU, the host site, and Tulane make up the four-team pod in Baton Rouge.  The Wildcats and Aggies will play at 5 p.m. CT Friday, Dec. 4.  If Arizona should advance on to play Saturday, that match will begin at 7:30 p.m. CT.

 

The Wildcats, earning an at-large bid to the tournament, its first since 2005, finished the regular season with a 19-10 overall mark and 8-10 conference record. 

 

The Pac-10 Conference had eight teams advance into the tournament.  Stanford received the automatic berth awarded to the conference, while UCLA, Washington, Cal, USC, Oregon, Arizona and Washington State all received at-large bids.

 

Historically the Wildcats have performed well in the NCAA Tournament under head coach Dave Rubio, posting a record of 22-12 in his teams’ twelve trips to the postseason.    

 

The top four seeds in the tournament are No. 1 Penn State, No. 2 Texas, No. 3 Florida State and No. 4 Stanford.

 

Arizona is led by outside hitter Tiffany Owens who recorded a 3.74 kill per set ratio, Paige Weber, the team’s setter, dishing out 10.74 assists per set and opposite hitter Whitney Dosty, connecting on 2.95 kills per set.

 

Last weekend Arizona fell to No. 9 UCLA, 3-0, and No. 16 USC, 3-1, in Los Angeles.  

 

 Kentucky Women's Volleyball Team Hosts Michigan State in First Round of NCAA Tournament

Kentucky will host the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive season

 

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky volleyball team was selected to host the First and Second Rounds of the NCAA Tournament on Friday and Saturday at Memorial Coliseum for the second consecutive season. Tenth-ranked Kentucky’s first round matchup is against Michigan State at 7 p.m. on Friday. Playing in the 5 p.m. match is No. 18 Oregon and Clemson. The Ducks are the tournament’s 14^th overall seed. The two teams that advance from the first round matches will meet on Saturday at 7 p.m.

 

This marks the second time in three seasons the Wildcats will face the Spartans in the first round of the tournament. UK and Michigan State met in 2008 in Dayton, Ohio, with the Spartans earning a 3-0 win.

 

“We’re excited to be hosting the First and Second Rounds of the tournament again this season,” Kentucky coach Craig Skinner said. “We have an enthusiastic fan base and they will get to see some great volleyball matches this weekend. Michigan State will be a good challenge for us, and we are looking forward to it.”

 

This marks the fifth consecutive season the Wildcats (27-4, 17-3) have been selected to appear in the NCAA Tournament. Last year’s four straight selections was a school record, which makes Skinner the only Kentucky coach to lead his team to post-season play in every season he has coached.

 

Kentucky captured the Southeastern Conference Eastern Divisional title and placed second overall in the league standings. UK’s 27 victories in 2009 are the seventh most in school allure. Under Skinner the Blue and White has increased its win total in each of his five seasons at the helm.

 

Lexington was chosen as a host site for the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year. Last season UK took on Michigan in the first round and the Wolverines escaped with a 3-2 victory.  This marks the eighth time in school allure that Memorial Coliseum has played host to the NCAA Volleyball Tournament.

 

UK’s first round match-up is against Michigan State (17-15, 5-15 Big Ten) which finished 10^th overall in the Big Ten regular season. The Spartans posted impressive early season victories against Southern California and Illinois – both ranked No. 12 in the nation at the time Michigan State handed the squads a loss.   Michigan State is led by four players who average over 2.35 kills per set. Megan Schatzle leads the offense with 2.99 kills per set and Mischelle Nelson holds the top hitting percentage with a .326 clip. Natalie Emro has dished out over 1,260 assists this season while Allyson Karaba leads the team with 4.21 digs per set.

 

The Wildcats and Spartans have faced four times in school history. Michigan State has claimed all four meetings in the series including the last matchup that occurred in 2008. Michigan State earned a 3-0 win over the Wildcats in the first round of the NCAA Tournament that season.

 

Also in the Lexington pod is the NCAA Tournament’s 14^th overall seed in Oregon (19-9, 9-9 Pac-10). The Ducks finished sixth overall in the Pac-10 standings, but finished its season strong with wins over No. 7 UCLA and No. 4 Washington in two of its last three matches. Oregon began the season by rattling off 10 consecutive victories including a toppling of No. 9 Minnesota. Oregon owns wins over five top-25 ranked teams this season. The Ducks are paced offensively by Sonja Newcombe who averages 4.34 kills per frame on .286 hitting. Nevena Djordjevic passes out 12.25 assists per frame to a squad that averages 14.59 kills per stanza. Oregon also turns away an average of 2.42 blocks per set.

 

Should both Kentucky and Oregon advance to the second round it will mark the first meeting between the two schools.

 

Clemson won an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament with a 23-9 overall record and a 13-7 clip in ACC action. The Tigers finished fourth overall in the ACC in the regular season standings. Clemson has captured three wins in its last four matches. Clemson is led by Sandra Adeleye’s 3.04 kills per set. Kelsey Murphy passes out 10.57 assists per frame and two Tiger players average over a block per set. Alexa Rand leads the way with an average of 1.29 blocks per frame.

 

A UK and Clemson matchup in the second round would mark the 10^thmeeting in school history. The Wildcats own a 7-2 overall record over the Tigers with the last meeting coming in 2005. UK captured a 3-0 sweep over Clemson at the Big Orange Bash, an early season tournament hosted by the Tigers.

 

Also a potential meeting is between Michigan State and Clemson. The two squads met early in the season with the Spartans capturing a 3-2 win over the Tigers.

 

The SEC had four teams advance to the NCAA Tournament. Florida, Tennessee and LSU are the other SEC members who earned bids. This marks the fifth season in a row that the SEC has had four or more teams advance into the tournament. All four SEC teams were selected as NCAA First and Second Round host sites.

 

A Tournament Central site is available at UKathletics.com with information on all four teams, a seating chart and parking information. Follow along all week at Kentucky’s official homepage for up-to-date information and news regarding the NCAA Volleyball Tournament.

 

 

IPFW Mastodons to Travel to No. 5 Illinois

IPFW to play on Thursday, December 3

Fort Wayne, IN - The IPFW Mastodons will travel to Champaign, Illinois, to take on the Illini of Illinois on Thursday, December 3.

The Mastodons are part of the Stanford Regional, as the winner of the Illinois grouping will travel to Palo Alto, California for the regional round.

In the other match-up in Champaign, Dayton, from the Atlantic 10, will face off against Milwaukee, the Horizon League Tournament Champions. The winners of the two games will meet on Friday, December 4 for the right to travel to Palo Alto.

IPFW has played Illinois once, falling 3-0 in 2007, as the teams faced off in the season-opening Dayton University Tournament.

The Mastodons earned their right to play in the NCAA Tournament by virtue of their Summit League Tournament Championship win over top seeded North Dakota State in Fargo, North Dakota. The Mastodons have a 20-11 record this season. IPFW is 0-1 against teams in the current field, falling 3-1 to the Louisville Cardinals at the Ball State Active Ankle Challenge.

Illinois, ranked fifth in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll, come into the tournament with a 24-5 record after splitting their regular season-ending weekend with a win at Northwestern, and a loss at Minnesota. All five of their losses this season (Minnesota, Michigan State, Florida State and two to Penn State) come from teams in the current NCAA field, and are 8-5 this season against teams in the current field.

~Dons~

Washington Huskies Women's Volleyball Team Headed To Colorado For NCAA Opener

Washington has reached at least the NCAA Quarterfinals in five of the last six tournaments.

INDIANAPOLIS – The Husky women’s volleyball squad is back in the NCAA Championships for the eighth year in a row, and will be headed to Fort Collins, Colorado for the first two rounds with the opener this Thursday, December 3.

 

Washington (23-5, 13-5 Pac-10) is the sixth seed overall in the tournament, and will take on Northern Colorado (21-11) out of the Big Sky Conference in the first round, hosted by Colorado State at the Moby Arena. UW’s match is slated for a 7:30 p.m. Mountain time.

 

Should the Huskies win their opener, they would face the winner of Colorado State (23-5) versus Middle Tennessee State (25-9) on Friday, Dec. 4, at 7:00 p.m. MST.

 

The Huskies are the second-highest seeded team in the Minneapolis Region. If the seeds held up, they would eventually face Minnesota on its home court in the Round of 16, then potentially take on No. 3 overall seed Florida State in the quarterfinals. The Final Four takes place December 17 in Tampa, Florida with the final on December 19.

 

The Dawgs gathered in the film room in Bank of America Arena to watch the selection show on ESPNews. The team was hoping to stay in Seattle for the first two rounds, but no other northwest teams made the field aside from Pac-10 rivals Oregon and Washington State and NCAA rules must limit travel for as many teams as possible.

 

“We were hoping we’d get to host, but it will be like a normal road trip and we’ll prepare for it as usual,” said head coach Jim McLaughlin. “We’ve just got to prepare and get ready for Northern Colorado and see if we travel well. We’ll keep the routines as normal as possible, take today off, practice tomorrow and then get ready.”

 

The Pacific-10 Conference led all conferences with eight teams selected. Only Oregon State and Arizona State missed out. The Big Ten Conference and the Big 12 Conference garnered six teams each in the field while the Atlantic Coast Conference has five teams in the tournament. Northern Colorado is one of five teams making its first NCAA appearance.

 

Last year Washington advanced to the Regional final before losing in five sets to Nebraska. The Huskies have reached at least the NCAA Quarterfinals in five of the past six years, and made three consecutive Final Fours from 2004-06, including an NCAA Championship in 2005. Of note is the fact that UW started its 2005 and 2006 Final Four runs in the state of Colorado, and were in Fort Collins in 2005.

 

 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers Women's Volleyball Team To Face Dayton In NCAA Tournament: First-round matchup set for Thursday in Champaign

Susie Johnson Audio Interview - https://pantherfile.uwm.edu/kjoc/public/johnsonncaapairings.mp3

MILWAUKEE - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's volleyball team will face the University of Dayton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Panthers (16-14) and Flyers (29-3) will meet Thursday in Champaign, Ill., at 4:30 p.m. CST.

UWM earned an automatic berth in the tournament by winning the Horizon League Tournament in Cleveland a week ago.

Milwaukee is making its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance, but the Panthers have never won a postseason contest.

Illinois (24-5), which is the fifth seed nationally, will face IPFW (20-11) in the other first round contest in Champaign. The winners will play a second round match Friday.

The Panthers have won 11-straight matches as part of an amazing turnaround this season. Milwaukee was picked to win its seventh-straight Horizon League regular season title but stumbled out of the gates, losing 14 of its first 19 matches overall and six of its first eight in the league. But, UWM won its final eight matches of the regular season to move into third place in the league standings.

Then, the Panthers rode that momentum through the league tournament, beating Green Bay, Valparaiso and host Cleveland State on successive days to claim a sixth league tournament crown.

"This team is still on a mission," UWM head coach Susie Johnson said. "We've been on a mission for the last 11 matches, and it's pretty cool because the focus is still there. The focus is there that we have something to prove still. When you are shaken up that much within your season, and you have to snap out of it, you either snap out of it or you don't. We did, and they still don't want to turn back. They're really focused on getting better every day and every match, so let's hope we can continue to get better this week."

Individually, Lauren Felsing was named the Horizon League Tournament Most Valuable Player and was joined on the all-tournament team by Maddie Sueppel and Natalie Schmitting. Over the course of the tournament weekend, Felsing became UWM's all-time leader in digs.

After the regular season, Felsing was named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year and joined Jena Berg on the all-league team.

The Flyers earned a bid into the NCAA Tournament winning the Atlantic 10 Tournament at home last weekend. Junior middle blocker Lindsay Fletemier was named A-10 Co-Player of the Year, while junior outside hitter Amanda Cowdrey earned Most Outstanding Player of the A-10 Tournament.

Duke Women's Volleyball Team To Face Tennessee In NCAA Tournament

November 29, 2009

DURHAM, N.C. - In its fifth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament, the Duke volleyball team will travel to Knoxville, Tenn.,  to face first-round host Tennessee on Friday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m. in the opening round of the 2009 NCAA Volleyball Tournament.

Duke (27-5, 17-3 ACC) is part of a four-team bracket that includes overall No. 11 overall seed Minnesota (24-8, 15-5 Big Ten), Louisville (21-10, 10-4 Big East) and the host Volunteers (23-7, 16-4 SEC). Minnesota will take on Louisville in the Knoxville, Tenn., site's first match with the winner of that facing the winner of Duke and Tennessee on Saturday, Dec. 5 in the second round.

The Blue Devils, who have advanced past the first round in each of their past four trips to the NCAA Tournament, were placed in the Minneapolis Regional. Duke has one of the toughest opening two rounds in the entire 64-team NCAA Tournament field. All four teams in Knoxville are among the top 40 in the NCAA RPI, with Minnesota coming in at 13, Tennessee at 19, Duke at 27 and Louisville at 38. Only one of the other 15 opening-round sites has four top-40 teams.

Duke ended the season on a six-match winning streak. The Blue Devils are the best defensive team in the ACC, holding opponents to a .156 hitting percentage.

Duke is one a record five ACC teams to make the 2009 NCAA Volleyball Tournament. ACC Champion Florida State earned the No. 3 overall seed and was placed in the Minneapolis Regional while also earning the right to host the opening two rounds in Tallahassee, Fla. Georgia Tech, Clemson and Miami also earned at-large bids to the tournament with Clemson also earning a spot in the Minneapolis Regional along with Duke. The Pac-10 had the most teams make the tournament with eight, while the Big Ten and Big 12 followed with six and the ACC placed five.

Penn State took the No. 1 overall seed, while Texas followed at No. 2, Florida State at No. 3 and Stanford at No. 4. The first matches of the 2009 NCAA Volleyball Tournament begin on Dec. 3.

Washington State Volleyball Selected for 2009 NCAA Championship Tournament

Cougars return to NCAA Tournament for first time since 2002 Elite Eight season.

 

PULLMAN, Wash. -- The Washington State volleyball team received an at-large bid to the 2009 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship Tournament Sunday.

 

The Cougars, 18-12 overall, 6-12 in Pacific-10 Conference (8th), will play Northern Iowa (30-2) in the first round, at 4:30 p.m. CT, Friday, Dec. 4, in Lincoln, Nebraska. Nebraska (23-6) and seeded 10th in the tournament takes on Coastal Carolina (20-13) at 7 p.m. CT, Dec. 4. The winners will meet in the second round of the tournament at 5 p.m. CT Saturday, Dec. 5. All matches will be played in 4,030-seat NU Coliseum on the University of Nebraska campus. The NU Coliseum has sold-out the past 133-consecutive Huskers volleyball matches.

 

“Anytime you accomplish something as a team, it is fun for me to see the excitement in the players’ faces,” WSU Head Coach Andrew Palileo said. “Today, seeing the frustration of all the hard work that they have put in over the last two years that I’ve been here go out the window, and seeing all of their smiles and excitement when they saw WSU on the TV screen. That is what is fun for me, at this point right now, before we get started preparing for the match.”

 

This is the 10th trip to the NCAA Tournament for the WSU volleyball program and the first under second-year WSU Head Coach Palileo. This marks the first time Washington State has played in the NCAA Volleyball Tournament since the 2002 season. Ironically, in 2002, the Cindy Fredrick-coached WSU team defeated Northern Iowa 3-0 in the NCAA East Regional Semi-final match in Gainesville, Florida. Another irony is the fact that Palileo ended his highly successful seven-year coaching career at South Dakota State with the Jackrabbits’ first trip to the NCAA Tournament, a 3-0 loss to Nebraska in Lincoln (Nov. 30, 2007).

 

“I actually know quite a bit about Northern Iowa volleyball. While I was coaching at South Dakota State we played Northern Iowa a few times in spring tournaments and twice during the years I was there,” Palileo said. “They are a big team but not any bigger than any team we have already faced. They have a good ball-control team but not any better than what we have already faced in our conference. The preparation will be a little different because we match up with their size but with speed. They are a little more methodical team from the standpoint of they run the high middle two heavy balls and then they set a lot to their outsides. I don’t think we are going to face any better outsides than what we faced this year, night in and night out. I feel good about our match-up. It will be two totally different kinds of systems. I think we are familiar with each other and it will be an exciting match. It will be fun for me to see old friends again.”

 

Eight Pac-10 teams are playing in the tournament - Stanford, Washington, UCLA, California, USC, Oregon, Arizona and Washington State. The Big 12 and the Big 10 Conferences each have six teams playing in the tournament.

 

The Cougars are still finalizing travel plans but are tentatively set to leave Pullman early Wed., Dec. 2. The WSU volleyball NCAA matches can be heard live on KQQQ 1150AM radio and through the Cougars All-Access on the internet. A live video internet streaming webcast of the match will also be available at www.ncaa.com.

 

Quotes from WSU senior volleyball players, all starters:

“This is an awesome payoff for everything that all of us have put in,” outside hitter Jackie Albright said. “It is just awesome to see, not just the past year but the four years of work we have put in. Last year I just worried about game-to-game and if it happened, it happened. Every single one of us are believers this year. (Going to the NCAA) This almost relieves the pressure. I think we will go into the tournament more relaxed than we have been all year.”

 

“At the beginning of the year, when we went 12-0 in preseason, there was a realization that we could do it (advance to the NCAA tournament). Right when the Pac-10 started and we started beating some teams, and beating them well, that is when the team clicked on it,” defensive specialist Kelly Hyder said. “I have a different role (from first three years on team), but we are winning and made the tournament and I am contributing in my own way so it’s still good. I don’t feel like there is any more pressure (to play in NCAA). We play in the Pac-10 so that’s pressure enough every night so playing in the tournament will be the same thing.”

 

“This is a great payback. We have all been through so much together as a team - the highs and the lows. This is really rewarding that we get to show the nation what we a capable of,” middle blocker Cassie Robbins said.

 

“Even though I joined this team last year, this is my group. We have been working hard together the last two years and I am really happy for the other seniors and happy I got to be a part of this and happy that I fit in,” setter Renee Bordelon said. “(More pressure going into NCAA?) No, there is no reason to be stressed. We are going to go out and do what we know how to do.”

 

 

Washington State Volleyball NCAA Championships History

Year               Event                                                                    Results

1991               NCAA First Round                                            New Mexico def. WSU 3-1, at Albuquerque, New Mexico

1993               NCAA First Round                                            WSU def. San Diego 3-1, at Pullman, Washington

                        NCAA Second Round                                      BYU def. WSU 3-0, at Provo, Utah

1994               NCAA First Round                                            New Mexico def. WSU 3-2, at Albuquerque, New Mexico

1995               NCAA Second Round                                      Oral Roberts def. WSU 3-0, at Pullman, Washington

1996               NCAA Second Round                                      WSU def. Kansas State 3-1, at Pullman, Washington

                        NCAA Pacific Regional Semifinals              WSU def. Loyola Marymount 3-1, at Stanford, California

                        NCAA Pacific Regional Final                          Stanford def. WSU 3-0, at Stanford, California

1997               NCAA First Round                                            WSU def. Lehigh 3-0, at Pullman, Washington

                        NCAA Second Round                                      WSU def. Colorado State 3-1, at Pullman, Washington            NCAA Central Regional Semifinals                                                 Florida def. WSU 3-0, at Madison, Wisconsin

2000               NCAA First Round                                            WSU def. Tennessee 3-0, at University Park, Pennsylvania

                        NCAA Second Round                                      Penn State def. WSU 3-1, at University Park, Pennsylvania

2001               NCAA First Round                                            Hawai’i def. WSU 3-0, at Pullman, Washington

2002               NCAA First Round                                            WSU def. Oral Roberts 3-0, at Manhattan, Kansas

                        NCAA Second Round                                      WSU def. Kansas State 3-1, at Manhattan, Kansas

                        NCAA East Regional Semifinals                   WSU def. Northern Iowa 3-0, at Gainesville, Florida

                        NCAA East Regional Final                              Florida def. WSU 3-1, at Gainesville, Florida

 

www.wsucougars.com

 

Billikens Women's Volleyball Team Earns At-Large Bid to NCAA Tournament

SLU faces Wichita State in opening round in Ames, Iowa

ST. LOUIS – Saint Louis (24-7) will make the program’s second straight, and third overall, appearance in the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship Friday, Dec. 4, in Ames, Iowa. The Billikens, who were awarded an at-large bid, will face Wichita State (25-6) of the Missouri Valley Conference at 5 p.m. at Hilton Coliseum on the Iowa State University campus.

“We are so excited to continue our season in the NCAA Tournament,” SLU head coach Anne Kordes said. “This is a fair draw for what we did in the regular season. We want to advance deep in the tournament, and now we have the opportunity to build momentum at the end of our season. Wichita State is a great team that is tournament tested. I look forward to a great match on Friday.”    

Joining SLU in Ames, Iowa, as part of the Omaha, Neb. Regional is No. 7 seed overall and host Iowa State (25-4). The at-large selection and Big 12 member Cyclones will face Colonial Athletic Association automatic qualifier George Mason (23-8) at 7:30 p.m. Friday. If SLU wins its first-round match, it would face one of the two aforementioned teams Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

It is SLU’s first at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after capturing the Atlantic 10 Conference’s automatic bids in 2006 and 2008 by winning the league tournament. The Billikens completed their fourth straight 20-win campaign in 2009, and tied for first in the A-10 with a 14-1 mark. Senior outside hitter and two-time A-10 first-team selection Bridget Fonke leads the club with 3.42 kills per set and 45 service aces, while two-time A-10 Player of the Year Sammi McCloud, a senior right-side hitter/middle blocker, chips in 3.26 kills per set. Three-time A-10 Setter of the Year Whitney Roth directs the offense with 11.24 assists per set. Senior libero Whitney Behrens leads five players with at least 2.45 digs per set with 3.23 digs per set. Sophomore outside hitter/middle blocker Alyssa Deno leads the Bills with 54 blocks, while McCloud has compiled 53. Kordes, a three-time A-10 Coach of the Year selection, is 127-61 in her sixth season at Saint Louis.

Wichita State, like the Bills, received an at-large bid after falling in the title match of its conference tournament. Five of the Shockers’ six losses were to teams from its conference. Senior outside hitter Emily Stockman, a three-time MVC first-team pick, paces the squad with team highs of 4.03 kills per set and 35 service aces, while sophomore setter and two-time All-Conference first-team selection Mary Elizabeth Hooper dishes out 11.27 assists per set. Defensively, WSU is led by junior middle blocker Sarah McGee, a two-time MVC first-team honoree, with 1.18 blocks per set and senior libero Melissa Granville with 4.57 digs per set. Head coach Chris Lamb is 218-92 in his 10^th season at the helm of the Shocker volleyball program.