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PENSACOLA, Fla., - The University of North Alabama
volleyball team will take on Ashland Thursday, Nov. 16, at 5 p.m. in
the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division II Championships in
Pensacola, Fla.
The Lions, 33-5,
advanced to the Elite Eight by winning the South Central Region, and
will face an Ashland squad that represents the Great Lakes Region.
The 23-9 Eagles knocked off Ferris State, Hillsdale and Southern
Illinois-Edwardsville by identical 3-0 scores to take home the
regional title.
Other teams in the
championship field include West Texas A&M (33-3, Southwest Region),
Lock Haven (32-5, Atlantic Region), Minnesota-Duluth (30-3, North
Central Region), UC-San Diego (26-2, Pacific Region), Tampa (32-1,
South Region) and Dowling (36-6, Northeast Region).
For UNA, the trip
to the Elite Eight is the fifth in school history. The Lions also
won South Central regional titles in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2003.
After consecutive losses in the quarterfinal round its first two
tries, UNA advanced its first-ever Final Four in 2000, then won the
school’s first volleyball national championship in 2003.
Ashland heads to
the quarterfinals for the first time in school history. The Eagles
knocked off top-seeded Hillsdale and third-seeded SIU-Edwardsville
along the way, and are one a six-match winning streak overall.
The two teams
share five common opponents this season, with both squads earning
victories over West Georgia and Indianapolis. At the Ashland
Invitational, UNA defeated Indianapolis 3-1, while the Eagles
dropped an 0-3 decision. AU, however, has produced wins over two
teams (Grand Valley and SIUE) that represent two of the Lions’ five
losses.
The winner of the
quarterfinal match-up will move on to the Final Four, played the
next day at 6:30 p.m. against the West Texas A&M-Lock Haven winner.
The national championship is set for Nov. 18th at 5 p.m.
All matches will
be played at the UWF Field House on the campus of the University of
West Florida. Each contest will feature live stats, which can be
found at www.roarlions.com. |
