Kenosha Bound! Volleyball to Open NCAA Title Defense at Carthage College
BRACKET | REGIONAL SITE
St. Louis, Mo., November 8, 2010 – The defending NCAA Division III national champion Washington University in St. Louis volleyball team received an at-large berth into the 2010 NCAA Tournament, as announced Monday morning by the NCAA selection committee.
The Bears will compete in the NCAA Midwest Regional, hosted Friday-Sunday, Nov. 12-14, on the campus of Carthage College in Kenosha, Wis. Washington University’s first-round opponent will be Beloit College, the 2010 champion of the Midwest Conference. That match will take place on Friday, Nov. 12, at 3 p.m.
Washington University has won an NCAA Division III record 10 national championships, including the 2009 title with a 3-1 win over Juniata College in University Heights, Ohio. The Bears, who are coached by Rich Luenemann, are appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the 24th-consecutive season and are 85-14 all-time in NCAA Tournament action.
The Bears received an at-large berth to this year’s tournament as the runner-up in the University Athletic Association (UAA); Washington U. suffered a 3-1 loss to No. 3 Emory University on Nov. 6. The Bears and Eagles are just two of a conference-record five teams participating in this year’s tournament. New York University, the University of Chicago and Case Western Reserve University also received at-large bids on Monday.
In the other three regional quarterfinal matchups at Carthage College, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater will face Wartburg College, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville will face Dominican University, and regional host Carthage College takes on the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
Washington University’s first-round opponent, Beloit College, defeated St. Norbert College to capture the Midwest Conference title for the first time since 2006. The Buccaneers are 19-11 overall and ended the regular season with five-straight victories. Beloit is led by senior middle hitter Laura Toth, who averages 2.87 kills per set with a .294 hitting percentage and senior Mary Parker, a six rotation outside hitter with 267 kills and 628 digs.
Wisconsin-Whitewater, who won national titles in 2002 and 2005, will be competing in the NCAA Tournament for the 19th season in a row. The Warhawks are 42-21 all-time in NCAA Tournament play and finished this season with a 28-8 overall mark and an 8-3 record in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). Washington U. and Whitewater last met in the NCAA Tournament in the 2007 national championship match, a 3-2 win for the Bears.
Wartburg College upset top-seeded Loras College to capture the 2010 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) title and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Knights finished the season with a 23-15 overall record and a 5-3 mark in IIAC action, and are competing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2003.
Wisconsin-Platteville is also an automatic tournament qualifier, having defeated Wisconsin-Eau Claire to capture the 2010 WIAC title. The Pioneers are 31-3 overall and enter the postseason on a 19-match winning streak. UW-Platteville is playing in the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time in school history and the third time over the past four seasons.
Dominican University qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history, defeating Benedictine University in the Northern Athletic Conference (NAC) Championship. The Stars are 26-9 overall this year and finished with a 10-2 mark in the NAC.
Wisconsin-Oshkosh earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament as the fourth-place finisher out of the WIAC. The Titans, who advanced to the NCAA semifinals last season, are 24-13 overall this year and 7-3 in the WIAC. UW-Oshkosh has lost six-straight matches heading into postseason play, with their last win coming against Cornell College on Oct. 23.
Carthage College won the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin with a 3-0 victory over Wheaton College to gain the league’s automatic postseason berth. The Lady Reds are 30-7 overall and went 9-1 in conference play. Carthage, who has played one of the toughest schedules in Division III, enters the NCAA Tournament on a 12-match winning streak.