Dec. 3, 2008

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Five Big Ten volleyball teams advanced to the 2008 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship, the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Committee announced on Sunday. Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Penn State and Purdue are all among the field of 64 set to vie for the national title.

Illinois, Minnesota, Penn State and Purdue all received top-10 seeds and will host first- and second-round competition. With four, the Big Ten has more top-10 seeds than any other conference in the country.

Leading the Big Ten contingent is Penn State, the No. 1 overall seed, who finished the season with a perfect 32-0 overall record, becoming the first team in NCAA Division I, II or III history to complete the regular season without dropping a single set.

The Nittany Lions will host Long Island (19-11) at 6 p.m. ET on Friday to open NCAA play, and with a win would play the winner of the Yale (20-5) vs. Ohio (24-7) match on Saturday at 4 p.m. Defending national champion Penn State is one of just two programs to earn a bid to all 28 NCAA volleyball championships. The Nittany Lions were already pre-selected to host NCAA Regional competition on Dec. 12 and 13.

Seeded sixth overall, Minnesota (26-6) will open play against North Dakota State (24-3) Friday at 7 p.m. CT. With a win, the Golden Gophers would advance to play UNI (25-8) or Iowa State (19-12) on Saturday at 7 p.m. Minnesota is making its 10th straight NCAA appearance and is enjoying its second-highest seed in program history. The Gophers are hosting first- and second-round action for the first time since 2003.

Illinois (24-7) claimed the No. 9 overall seed and will play host to UW-Milwaukee on Friday at 7 p.m. CT in opening-round action. A win would pit the Fighting Illini against either Cincinnati (26-6) or Western Kentucky (26-9) at 7 p.m. on Saturday. Illinois is making its 17th overall appearance and first since 2004. The Illini are hosting first and second rounds for the first time since 2003.

Purdue (24-8) was awarded with the No. 10 seed and will host Louisville (19-10) on Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET in West Lafayette in the first round. An opening-round win would face the Boilermakers against Middle Tennessee State (26-7) or Miami (Ohio) (21-11) on Saturday at 5 p.m. Purdue is making its fifth consecutive appearance in the tournament and its 12th overall.

Michigan (24-8) will open its postseason at Kentucky (26-5) in Lexington at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday and could advance to take on either No. 13-seed St. Louis (28-4) or Alabama A&M (14-16) on Friday at 7 p.m. ET. The Wolverines earned their ninth overall bid into the tournament and their third consecutive.

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP NOTES

And Then There Were Five
Five Big Ten teams advanced to the 2008 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship. The Big Ten is tied for the second-highest representation among all conferences. The Big Ten has had five or more teams selected to the tournament in 18 of the event’s 28 years.

Take a Seed
Four Big Ten teams received top-10 seeds, marking the highest total of any conference in the country. Penn State earned the No. 1 spot, while Minnesota is seeded sixth, followed by No. 9 Illinois and No. 10 Purdue.

There’s No Place Like Home
The Big Ten’s four seeded teams will host first- and second-round competition. Those four teams -- Illinois, Minnesota, Penn State and Purdue, combined to go 51-8 at home during the regular season, good enough for a .864 winning percentage.

On the Prowl
Penn State is the only Big Ten team with an NCAA Championship to its name. The Nittany Lions won the conference’s first national title in 1999 and with another crown in 2007, are looking to become the first back-to-back national champions since USC in 2002-03.

Been There. Done That.
Penn State is one of just two teams to appear in all 28 NCAA Championships. The Nittany Lions met the other team with the same distinction, Stanford, in last year’s title match and emerged with a 3-2 victory.

Perfect 10
Big Ten teams have combined to win 10 or more NCAA Championship games in each of the past five seasons, including 12 wins in each of the past two years. The conference won a Big Ten-best 15 games in 2004 when it sent seven teams to the tournament.

A Winning Tradition
The five teams representing the Big Ten at the 2008 NCAA Championship are a combined 119-73 (.620) in NCAA play. Illinois (.568), Minnesota (.658), Penn State (.684) and Purdue (.522) all have winning percentages over .500, while Michigan stands at 7-8 (.467) in NCAA competition.

Home Court Advantage
The four Big Ten teams that begin their postseason runs at home are a combined 70-9 overall at home during NCAA competition. Illinois boasts a 16-3 NCAA record on its home court, while Minnesota is 11-1, including a 9-0 mark at the Sports Pavilion. Penn State is 36-3 at Rec Hall, and Purdue is 7-2 on its home floor.

Big Ten Women's Volleyball

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