Dec. 9, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

For the third time in five years, at least four Big Ten volleyball teams are on their way to NCAA Regionals.

Illinois, Michigan, Penn State and Purdue all advanced through the first two rounds of the 2008 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship last weekend, representing one-fourth of the remaining field of 16. NCAA Regionals will be played Friday and Saturday, Dec. 12 and 13, at four pre-determined campus sites, including Penn State's Rec Hall. Three Big Ten teams are on the same side of the tournament bracket, with a potential matchup between Illinois and Penn State on tap for the regional finals.

In order to advance, No. 9 Illinois will need to get by No. 8 California who made it to the national semifinals a year ago. Penn State needs a win over Western Michigan, this year's MAC Championship team. In other action, Michigan faces fourth-seeded Nebraska in Seattle, Wash., in regional semifinals and looks to earn the right to face off against No. 5 Washington or No. 12 Utah. Tenth-seeded Purdue takes on No. 7 Hawai'i in Fort Collins, Colo., and could advance to play No. 2 Stanford or No. 15 Florida.

ROAD TO REGIONALS
Michigan opened NCAA play on Thursday, posting a come-from-behind, five-set win over host Kentucky, ranked No. 20 in the nation. Four players posted double-digit kills for the Wolverines, including 22 from Juliana Paz. Michigan advanced to take on No. 13-seed St. Louis in second-round action and upended the Billikens in similar fashion, 3-2. Beth Karpiak led the Maize and Blue attack with 20 kills on .606 hitting as the Wolverines advanced to regional action for the second straight season.

Penn State lived up to its top seed, opening its postseason campaign at home on Friday with a sweep over Long Island. The Nittany Lions hit .371 in the match while holding their opponents to a -.061 mark. Megan Hodge and Blair Brown led PSU with nine kills each. In the second round, the Nittany Lions made quick work of Yale in their 34th sweep of the season. Hodge posted a match-high 14 kills on .458 hitting as Penn State extended its undefeated streak to 103 sets, dating back to last season, and moved on to regionals for the sixth consecutive year.

No. 9-seed Illinois began its postseason run at home on Friday with a sweep over UW-Milwaukee. Johannah Bangert led the Illini at the net with 10 block assists, while Kylie McCulley paced the squad on offense with 12 kills. In second-round action, Illinois recorded another sweep with a 3-0 decision over Cincinnati. Laura DeBruler led the Illini with 18 kills, also adding 12 digs as the team earned its first trip to regionals since 2003.

Tenth-seeded Purdue used its home-court advantage to sneak by Louisville in first-round action, earning a 3-2 win over the Cardinals. Stephanie Lynch led the Boilermaker attack with 15 kills and 10 blocks as the team hit at a combined. 318 mark. Purdue used another five-set victory to get past Middle Tennessee State in Round 2, led by Kristen Arthurs' 15 kills. Libero Kelli Miller surpassed the 2,000 career digs mark in the match with 18 on the night. The regional trip is the third for the Boilermakers in the last five years.

In other NCAA action, Minnesota swept by North Dakota State at home in the first round, giving head coach Mike Herbert his 900th career victory. The Golden Gophers came up short in a second-round contest against Iowa State, falling 3-1 to close out their season.

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP NOTES

And Then There Were Four
Four Big Ten teams advanced to regional competition at the 2008 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship. The Big Ten has sent four or more teams to regionals in three of the last five years. With four teams remaining, the Big Ten is second only to the Pac-10 (five teams) among all conferences. The Big Ten and Pac-10 each have three top-10 seeds remaining in the tournament, leading all conferences.

A Fabulous Four-some
The Big Ten places four teams in NCAA Regionals for the sixth time ever and the fourth time since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1998. The conference placed a record five teams in regional play in 2006.

Take a Seed
Four Big Ten teams earned top-10 seeds when the bracket was announced on Nov. 30. Penn State earned the No. 1 spot, followed by No. 6 Minnesota, No. 9 Illinois and No. 10 Purdue. With the Nos. 1, 9 and 10 seeds still in play, the Big Ten is tied with the Pac-10 for most top-10 seeds remaining in the tournament.

There's No Place Like Home
The Big Ten's four seeded teams -- Illinois, Minnesota, Penn State and Purdue -- all hosted first- and second-round action. Penn State's Rec Hall will serve as one of the four hosts for regional competition.

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 previous five seasons, including 12 wins in each of the last two years. The conference won a Big Ten-best 15 games in 2004 when it sent seven teams to the tournament. The conference already has nine wins in the 2008 postseason.

A Winning Tradition
The four Big Ten teams remaining in the 2008 NCAA Championship are a combined 103-60 (.632) in NCAA play. Each of the squads has a winning record, including Penn State's leading mark of 56-25 (.691). Rounding out the field are Illinois (23-16, .590), Michigan (9-8, .529) and Purdue (15-11, .577).
 

Big Ten Women's Volleyball

Printer-friendly format	Email this article