From Washington University Athletics
The No. 3-ranked Washington University in St. Louis volleyball team will travel to Thousand Oaks, Calif., for its NCAA Division III Regional Friday-Sunday, Nov. 13-15, as announced Monday by the NCAA.
WashU finished the regular season with a 32-2 overall record, and defeated No. 1 Emory University Saturday to win the 21st University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship in program history. The Bears will be the top seed in the Thousand Oaks Regional that features six teams ranked in the top-15 of last week's AVCA Division III poll. WashU faces UC Santa Cruz in the opening round at 3 p.m. (PT) Friday.
The other three regional quarterfinal matches will feature No. 12 Southwestern University (Texas) against No. 9 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges at 12:30 p.m., No. 15 University of Texas-Dallas against Whitworth at 5:30 p.m., and No. 7 Colorado College against host and No. 8 California Lutheran University at 8 p.m. Tickets for the Regional are $10 for adults and $5 for students, senior citizens and children ages 12 and under.
WashU has won an NCAA Division III record 10 national championships, including most recently in 2009. The Bears are making their 29thconsecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and are 96-19 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
The Bears' quarterfinal opponent, UC Santa Cruz, enters the tournament with an 11-11 overall record. The Banana Slugs earned an automatic bid to the tournament after winning the Great South Athletic Conference (GSAC) title. UC Santa Cruz is making its second appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and lost in the opening round in 2013. WashU and UC Santa Cruz have played once previously, a win for the Bears in 1989.
Southwestern clinched an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) title. The Pirates enter the postseason with a 31-4 overall record, and are making their 13th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Southwestern is 10-12 all-time in the tournament, and advanced to the Regional semifinal in its last appearance in 2013. WashU is 7-0 all-time against Southwestern, including a four-set win over the Pirates in St. Louis last season. The two teams have met in the NCAA Tournament once previously, a three-set victory for the Bears in the 1995 opening round.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps swept Cal Lutheran to win the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) tournament title to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Athenas are 26-5 overall on the season, and are making their seventh appearance in the NCAA Tournament. They are 7-6 in the previous six trips. WashU won the only previous match against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, a five-set win Sept. 18 in Atlanta.
Colorado College earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after finishing third in the SCAC tournament. The Tigers enter the postseason with a 34-3 overall record. They are making their 26th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and their 18th in a row. Colorado College is 15-25 in its previous 25 trips to the NCAA Tournament. WashU leads the all-time series against the Tigers 3-0, including a four-set win in the NCAA Quarterfinal in 2009.
Cal Lutheran finished as the SCIAC runner-up to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Regals are making their eighth consecutive appearance in the tournament, and 16th overall. They are 25-15 in the previous 15 trips, including two national runner-up finishes. Cal Lu enters the tournament with a 25-5 overall record. WashU and Cal Lu have split their four all-time meetings, and the Regals handed WashU one of its two losses on the season in four sets Sept. 19 in Atlanta. The Bears and Regals have played once before in the NCAA Tournament, a five-set win for the Bears in the 1995 National Championship match.
Texas-Dallas won the American Southwest Conference (ASC) championship to earn at automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in program history. The Comets are 1-3 in their previous three appearances. UT-Dallas enters the NCAA Tournament with a 30-2 overall record. WashU won the only previous meeting against the Comets, a sweep for the Bears in 2011.
Whitworth claimed the Northwest Conference (NWC) title to finish the regular season with a 19-7 overall record, and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Pirates are making their second NCAA Tournament appearance in a row and seventh all-time, and have a 4-6 record in the previous six trips. WashU is 2-0 all-time against Whitworth, and the teams last met in 2005.