From CWU Athletics
INDIANAPOLIS,
Ind. (Nov. 18) -- The Central Washington University volleyball team will make
its return to the NCAA Division II post-season for the first time since 2006, as
the Wildcats have been seeded sixth in the West Region for the 2012
tournament.
CWU (21-7) will open the eight-team, single-elimination
tournament in Laie, Hawaii, on Thursday, Nov. 29 versus third-seeded Cal State
San Bernardino (22-8). The match time has yet to be determined.
"Extending
the season with this group of players and coaches is the most satisfying part,"
said 17th-year head coach Mario Andaya. "The team has worked,
persevered, and believed all season they could get better each day. I am so
happy for the seniors and the memories they are creating."
The
Wildcats, who tied for second in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference
standings with a 14-4 league record, are one of two GNAC teams to be selected
for the West Regional. Conference champion Western Washington University (23-3,
16-2 GNAC), with whom CWU split during the regular season, is seeded fourth in
the regional.
CWU is making its fourth appearance in the NCAA Division II
tournament. The Wildcats qualified three consecutive years from 2004-06, earning
automatic berths from the GNAC as its league champion in 2004 and 2005 before an
at-large berth in 2006. CWU was seeded eighth in the 2006 tournament and faced
Cal State San Bernardino, losing in three sets to the Coyotes.
The
opening-round match-up with CSUSB will be the seventh all-time meeting between
the two schools, with the Wildcats having lost the previous six. The last
meeting between CWU and CSUSB came in Independence, Ore., during a
non-conference tournament in 2010, with the Coyotes winning in straight
sets.
Also aligned on the Wildcats' half of the regional bracket for
possible opposition in a regional semifinal are second-seeded Grand Canyon
University (23-5) and seventh-seeded San Francisco State University (21-8). CWU
played GCU earlier this season, losing in five sets at Phoenix, Ariz., but the
Wildcats did not face SF State in 2012.
Tournament host Brigham Young
University-Hawaii (21-3) is the Pacific West Conference champion, and the
Seasiders face eighth-seeded UC San Diego (20-10). The other first-round
match-up pits Western Washington against fifth-seeded Sonoma State University
(22-8).
Match times and additional information for the regional
tournament are expected to be announced later this coming week.
CWU is
led by senior outside hitter Marcy Hjellum (Kennewick,
Wash./Kamiakin HS) and junior middle blocker Erin Smith (Selah,
Wash.). Hjellum posted double-doubles in 20 of 26 regular-season matches, ranked
third in the GNAC in kills (3.79 per set) and points (4.27 per set), and was
11th in the conference in digs (3.39 per set). Smith finished second in the GNAC
with a .360 hitting percentage while also ranking among the conference leaders
in blocks (sixth, 0.94 per set). Sophomore libero Kaely Kight
(Spokane, Wash./Mead HS) averaged 5.08 digs per set to rank third in the
conference.
