Washington University Selected to Host NCAA Regional Rounds

St. Louis, Mo., November 4, 2009 – Washington University in St. Louis has been selected to host the first, second and third rounds of the 2009 NCAA Division III volleyball championship, as announced Wednesday by the NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Committee.

Washington University was one of six regional sites announced by the NCAA on Wednesday, along with Hope College in Holland, Mich., Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa., New York University in New York, N.Y., Tufts University in Medford, Mass., and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in Oshkosh, Wis.

The final two regional sites for the West and South regions will be determined on Sunday, Nov. 8, following the conclusion of team selection. The winners of each of the eight regional tournaments advance to the championship finals, to be held Nov. 19-21, at the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center on the campus of John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio.

This year’s 62-team championship field will be formally announced on Monday, Nov. 9, at 11 a.m. (ET), during a selection show Webcast on www.ncaa.com.

Washington University has hosted NCAA volleyball on 14 occasions, but has not been selected as a host institution since the 2006 season. From 1989-92, the NCAA Division III Championship was held at the WU Field House in St. Louis, Mo., and Washington U. has been selected to host the championship finals again in 2010 and 2011. The Bears are 32-2 all-time in postseason action on their home floor.

With a 25-3 overall record, Washington University is ranked No. 3 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top-25 poll, and are the No. 1 team in the NCAA Central Region. The Bears will conclude their regular season slate this weekend at the 2009 University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship Tournament, held Friday-Saturday, Nov. 6-7, at the University of Chicago in Chicago, Ill. As the reigning UAA Champions and the No. 1 seed headed into this weekend’s tournament, Washington U. will take aim at winning its 20th UAA title.