The No. 3 Washington University in St. Louis volleyball team earned an at-large berth to the 2009 NCAA Division III Championship, and the Bears will host the NCAA Central Regional Tournament, beginning today through Saturday at the WU Field House in St. Louis, Mo.
The Bears open tournament play against St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) champion Webster University tonight at 8 p.m. Washington University is making its 23rd-straight NCAA Tournament appearance, and is hosting NCAA action for the first time since 2006. The Bears are 28-4 overall this year and finished second in the University Athletic Association (UAA), falling to No. 4 Emory University, 3-0, in the UAA Championship match on Saturday, Nov. 7, in Chicago, Ill.
Washington U. is 79-14 all-time in NCAA competition and the Bears have won an NCAA-record nine national championships, the last coming in 2007. WU boasts a 32-2 record in postseason action on their home floor. A huge home court advantage. Also coming to St. Louis for the tournament include six other teams. Nebraska Wesleyan University and the University of Wisconsin-Platteville will meet on today at 12:30 p.m., Carthage College and Simpson College play at 3 p.m., and Thomas More College and St. Mary’s University (Minn.) compete in the other regional quarterfinal on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. The regional semifinal winners will square off at 4:30 p.m., and 7 p.m., on Friday, Nov. 13, and the regional championship is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m.
The winner of this regional will travel to University Heights, Ohio, site of the NCAA Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Finals held Nov. 19-21 at the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center. Tournament information.
