Dec. 2, 2004

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

• The Big Ten will send a nation-leading seven League teams to the NCAA Championship.  The Big 12 will also field seven teams.

• This season marks the fifth time in League history the Big Ten has had seven or more teams selected to the NCAA Championship.  The League sent a record eight teams to the NCAAs in 1999 and 2002 and boasted seven NCAA participants in 1995 and 2003.

• The League is 25-14 (.641) when seven teams participate in the tournament.  In addition, the Big Ten is 51-30 (.630) with six participants and 22-15 (.595) when eight teams advance to postseason play.

• The Big Ten holds an overall NCAA Championship record of 156-101 (.607), dating back to 1981.  The Conference has boasted a combined winning percentage of .600 or higher in 10 of the last 12 years and a .500 or better record in each of the past 13 tournaments.

• Ironically, this year's opening match between Illinois and Louisville, is a rematch of the second round match from last season where the Illini defeated the Cardinals in three games.  Dayton, which defeated Michigan State in five games last year, faces Ohio State in the opening round on Friday.  In addition, 10 other non-conference opponents could potentially face a Big Ten team for the second-straight year.

• Three Conference teams -- Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin -- will serve as host for first and second round action this year.  Minnesota will host the third and fourth rounds in the Minneapolis Regional.

• During the two years in which the Big Ten fielded seven teams, Wisconsin claimed the National Intercollegiate Volleyball Championship (NIVC) in 1995 with a win over CSU-Sacramento and Minnesota earned the school's first-ever national semifinal appearance in 2003, before falling to eventual two-time defending champion USC.

• In 1999, Penn State (36-1) became the lone school in the League to win the NCAA Championship.

• Of the seven Big Ten squads in the NCAA field, five have a .500 winning percentage or better, led by Penn State at .651 (41-22) over 23 years.  Minnesota makes its 10th appearance with a 16-9 record (.640), followed by Wisconsin's 12-year mark of 20-12 (.625).  Ohio State's record of 20-14 (.588) spans 14 years, while Illinois is 21-15 (.583) over 15 seasons.  Purdue is 6-7 (.462) in seven years and Michigan is 4-5 (.444) over five.