Seven of Eight Working for a Second Date
November 9, 2006

While Virginia’s “Championship City” is hard at work preparing for the NCAA Division III National Volleyball Championship final rounds, the crews of dedicated workers in Salem, Virginia, aren’t the only ones hard at work preparing for next weekend’s three-day event.  Sixty teams competing throughout eight different regionals around the country are digging and attacking in an effort to hear their names bellow from Salem Civic Center loudspeakers.  While there are several newcomers to this year’s field, seven teams have been all the way down this road before.  2005 “Elite Eight” quarterfinalists University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Juniata College, University of La Verne, Wittenberg University, New York University,

UWW's Kate Lazotte sets teammate Carley Polk in a WIAC match.

Emory University, and Washington University-St. Louis are looking for a return ticket in the tourney’s final eight.

Wisconsin-Whitewater, the defending national champion, is currently ranked sixth in the most recent American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll.  The Warhwaks (32-6) won their berth into the 2006 NCAA Championship field by winning the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) championship for the first time in four years.  UWW was selected to the Midwest Regional, which is hosted by #7 University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (28-3) this weekend. 

Juniata (35-1) was the 2005 NCAA runner-up and holds the top ranking on the AVCA poll this year, having only lost to Division I foe Princeton University (19-2).  In fact, the Eagles have held the top billing since the preseason poll announcement and have been voted to the top spot unanimously in 8-of-10 AVCA poll release dates.  Juniata earned its spot and host status in the Mid-Atlantic Regional field by defeating Elizabethtown College in the Commonwealth Conference finals, one of two NCAA Division III leagues housed under the Middle Atlantic States Collegiate Athletic Corporation (MASCAC).  This is the Eagles 26^th consecutive conference title and trip to the NCAA Tournament. 

La Verne (27-2), rated fourth by the AVCA, is the three-time defending West Region Champions and will look for its fourth crown this weekend as the Leopards host the three-match affair after winning the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) title.  This was the seventh consecutive conference title for La Verne.   

Juniata's Rachael Schatz attacks the net in a MAC-Commonwealth match.

Wittenberg enters the 2006 NCCA Tournament ranked 15^th in the AVCA poll.  The Tigers (31-1) lost to Hiram in the North Coast Atlantic Conference (NCAC) championship, but picked up an at-large bid thanks to their stellar regular season.  Ousted in the semi-finals by Juniata last year, Wittenberg travels to #11 Calvin College in hopes of winning the Great Lakes Region and taking that final step towards the national title match. 

New York University earned its fifth straight NCAA invite following another top-tier regular season campaign.  The Violets (32-6) expect to have an impressive showing this weekend in the New York Regional, but may have to go through several solid opponents including host Stevens Tech (31-5) and Washington & Lee University (27-7).  NYU advanced into this year’s national tourney field via an at-large bid following a third place finish in the University Athletic Association Conference (UAAC). 

The Emory volleyball team makes its 11^th straight appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament, and is currently ranked 12^th by AVCA.  The Eagles stand 27-10 overall and are coming off a runner-up finish at the University Athletic Association (UAA) championship this past weekend.  The Eagles will play in the South Regional in San Antonio, Texas, hosted by #5 Trinity University.   

WU-St. Louis’ second-ranked squad opens regional play as one of the hottest teams in the field, having won its past 25 matches.  The Bears (33-1) will host the Central Regional this weekend, having to deal with the likes of Coe College (26-7) and Capital University (25-9).  The Bears garnered their berth into the NCAA Division III Tournament after winning its 18^th UAA crown.

For more information on the championship, and to download a complete bracket, please visit the NCAA at www.ncaasports.com or the tournament website at http://odac.bridgewater.edu/ncaa_vball/.