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Big Ten Record Five Volleyball Teams Set for NCAA Regional Action
Dec. 5, 2006
Complete Release in PDF Format BIG TEN/NCAA REGIONAL NOTES • With Ohio State, Penn State and Purdue slotted in the Seattle Regional, this marks the first time in conference history three Big Ten squads have ever advanced to the regional semifinals in the same region. It is only the fourth time since the NCAA Championship field expanded from 32 teams in 1993 that a conference has had three or more teams advance to the same regional. • The Penn State/Purdue matchup marks the 10th occasion in which two Big Ten teams have faced one another in NCAA Championship play. Of the six teams that have been presented with the matchup over the years, Penn State holds the best record of intraconference NCAA play at 3-1, followed by Illinois (2-1), Wisconsin (2-1), Minnesota (1-1), Ohio State (1-4) and Michigan State (0-1). • Of the nine previous NCAA Championship matchups involving two Big Ten teams, five have occurred in regional semifinal action and one in the regional final. Four of those six winners advanced to the national semifinals, including Ohio State (national semifinalist) in 1991, Penn State (national runner-up) in 1997 and (national champion) in 1999 and Minnesota (national runner-up) in 2004. • Penn State and Purdue will square off in the Seattle Regional semifinal marking the third time this season the two teams will meet. The Nittany Lions hold a 2-0 advantage with both wins coming in 3-0 sweeps. • The Big Ten sent seven conference teams to the NCAA Championship, which ties the Pac-10 and the SEC for the highest conference representation. • This season marks the sixth time in conference history the Big Ten has had seven or more teams selected to the NCAA Championship. The conference sent a record eight teams to the NCAAs in 1999 and 2002 and boasted seven NCAA participants in 1995, 2003 and 2004. • The Big Ten is 50-23 (.685) with seven participants in the tournament. In comparison, the conference is 61-36 (.629) when six teams participate in the tournament and 22-15 (.595) when eight teams advance to postseason play. • The Big Ten holds an overall NCAA Championship record of 188-112 (.627), dating back to 1983. The conference has boasted a combined winning percentage of .600 or higher in 11 of the last 13 years and a .500 or better record in each of the past 14 tournaments. The Big Ten was 10-6 (.625) in 2005. • The Big Ten has recorded 10 or more wins in the past four NCAA Championships, including 2006. In 2005, the conference boasted a 10-6 mark, which was preceded by a league record of 15 wins in 2004 (15-7). The Big Ten posted an 11-7 record in 2003. • In 1999, Penn State (36-1) became the lone school in the league to win the NCAA Championship. • Three Big Ten teams -- Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin -- all served as host for first and second round action. This was the third straight year both Penn State and Wisconsin had served as hosts for the first and second rounds. • Of the seven Big Ten squads that made the NCAA field, six have an all-time tournament winning percentage of .500 or better, led by Minnesota, which made its 12th appearance with a 24-11 record (.686). Penn State follows at .662 (47-24) over 25 years, while Wisconsin is in its 14th tournament with a mark of 28-14 (.667). Ohio State's record of 26-16 (.619) spans 15 years, while Purdue is 11-9 (.550) in this its 10th appearance. Michigan State ended its 11th appearance with a 12-11 (.522) overall mark and Michigan finished its seventh NCAA Tournament with a record of 6-7 (.462). • Penn State is one of just three teams (Stanford, UC Santa Barbara) to have earned bids to all 26 NCAA Championships.
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