ST. LOUIS, Mo. — The Saint Mary’s University volleyball team is making its second NCAA Regional appearance on Thursday, as the Cardinals kick off tournament play with a 5:30 p.m. match against Thomas More at Washington (Mo.) University.
Tournament Field: Washington (Mo.) University, Nebraska Wesleyan, Carthage, Simpson, Saint Mary’s, Thomas More, UW-Platteville, Webster.
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Tournament Schedule:
Thursday, Nov. 12:
Match 1: Nebraska Wesleyan vs. UW-Platteville, 12:30 p.m.
Match 2: Carthage vs. Simpson, 3 p.m.
Match 3: Thomas More vs. Saint Mary’s, 5:30 p.m.
Match 4: Washington (Mo.) University vs. Webster, 8 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 13:
Semifinal #1: Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner, 4:30 p.m.
Semifinal #2: Match 3 winner vs. Match 4 winner, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 14:
Championship match, 7 p.m.
Saint Mary’s vs. the Field: SMU and Nebraska Wesleyan have already met twice this season, with each team coming away with a 3-0 victory. The Cardinals beat NWU
3-0 at the Wartburg Invitational on Sept. 12, while the Prairie Wolves turned the tables a week later, beating SMU
3-0 on Sept. 18 at the Simpson Tournament. … The Cardinals have also faced Simpson this season, with the Storm recording a
3-0 win at the Simpson Tournament on Sept. 18. … The Cardinals have not faced either UW-Platteville or Carthage since the 2005 season. Carthage beat SMU
3-0 at the Sugar Loaf Classic on Sept. 9, while UW-Platteville handed the Cardinals a
3-1, season-ending setback on Oct. 29. … The Cardinals have never faced Washington (Mo.) University, Thomas More or Webster.
How They Got Here: Washington (Mo.) University earned an at-large bid, after posting a 28-4 regular-season mark and finishing second in the UAA Tournament, falling to Emory in the championship match. … UW-Platteville earned an at-large bid, after going 22-14 during the regular season. The Pioneers finished fourth in the WIAC Tournament, falling to UW-Whitewater 3-0 in the semifinals. … Nebraska Wesleyan also earned an at-large berth, after completing a 17-11 regular-season. … Carthage won the CCIW regular-season and tournament titles to earn their conference’s automatic qualifier. … Simpson earned the IIAC automatic berth, after capping a 21-13 season with the IIAC tournament title. … Saint Mary’s earned its at-large bid after posting a 21-9 overall record. The Cardinals were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the MIAC Tournament. … Thomas More was an automatic qualifier, after winning the Presidents Athletic Conference Tournament title to push its record to 28-10. … Webster locked up the SLIAC automatic berth by winning the conference’s post-season tournament. With the two conference-tournament wins, the Gorlocks improved to 20-12 overall.
Saint Mary’s Cardinal Notes: The Cardinals are making their second NCAA regional appearance, having reached the regional semifinals in 2000. … Juniors Jessica Mate (St. Charles, Ill.)?and Sarah Gardner (Rochester, Minn.)?were named to the All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference First Team. It was the second straight such honor for Mate. … The Cardinals earned their second straight MIAC?Tournament berth this season, falling to St. Olaf 3-0 in the tournament’s opening-round match. …SMU was also the No. 6 seed a year ago, knocked off third-seeded Saint Benedict 3-2 in the quarterfinals, before falling to Gustavus 3-0 in the semis. … SMU closed out the regular season ranked No. 6 in the latest NCAA Division III Central Region Poll. … The Cardinals’ 21 wins this season are the most wins in a season since SMU finished 21-10 during the 2004 campaign. …
Sarah Gardner (Rochester, Minn.) has recorded a team-leading 358 kills (3.14 kills-per-set) and is one of two Cardinals with 300 or more kills. Mate boasts a career-best 324 kills, while
Courtney Runge (St. James, Minn.),
Amy Kujak (River Falls, Wis.) and
Jessica Larson (Pine Island, Minn.) have all eclipsed 200 kills, posting 285, 284 and 219 kills, respectively. …
Brittany Cherwinka (Faribault, Minn.), who recorded her 2,000th career assist on match point in SMU’s 3-1 win over Northwestern on Oct. 20, has now dished out 1,109 for the season. She closed out the regular season ranked No. 3 in all of NCAA Division III in assists-per-set at 10.99. … Cherwinka has finished with 50 or more assists seven times this season — including a career-best 65-assist effort in a 3-2 win over St. Catherine on Oct. 14. … Like Cherwinka, Runge set a career milestone this season, as the senior outside hitter compiled 344 digs this season, giving her 1,054 digs for her four-year collegiate career. … Runge, Mate and Gardner have all eclipsed the century mark in both kills and digs this season, with Runge boasting 285 kills and 344 digs, while Mate has 324 kills and 133 digs, and Gardner has totaled a team-leading 358 kills and 174 digs. …
Tara Rasmussen (Kasson, Minn.) leads the team in digs with 452 and is one of six Cardinals with 100 or more digs. … SMU posted season highs in digs (85) and kills (79) in its 3-2 win over St. Catherine on Oct. 14. The Cardinals’ 79 kills are the most since recording 83 kills in a five-set, 3-2 win over Saint Benedict on Sept. 24, 2004. … As a team, the Cardinals concluded the regular season among the leaders in NCAA Division III, finishing sixth in assists-per-set (12.24), ninth in kills-per-set (13.27) and 19th in attack percentage (.249) The Cardinals enter today’s match boasting a 9-4 record in three-set matches, a 7-3 mark in four-set matches, and SMU is 5-2 in five-setters.
Webster Gorlock Notes: The Gorlocks come into Thursday’s tournament-opening match against Washington (Mo.) University having won six straight — including five 3-0 sweeps. … Webster is making its fourth straight trip to the NCAA tournament. … Webster’s 20 wins mark the sixth straight 20-win season for the Gorlocks, who have now won 20 or more matches 10 times in the 25-year history of the program. … With a 3-0 win over Fontbonne on Nov. 3, Webster completed its second straight 16-0 conference season. The Gorlocks, who were 17-1 in league play in 2007, has won 38 straight conference matches, dating back to an Oct. 9, 2007 loss to Principia College. … Jackie Schnall has been the Gorlocks’ offensive leader, boasting 315 kills (3.15 kills-per-set), while also hitting .248. Three other Webster players have collected 100 or more kills. … Abby Williams and Jackie Novak are the team’s assist leaders with 420 and 276 asissts, respectively, while Mary Jo Schweitzer leads the team in aces (35) and Sarah Bailey boasts a team-best 422 digs. … Webster played just one five-set match this season, falling to seventh-ranked Wittenberg 3-2 on Oct. 24. Twelve of the Gorlocks’ 18 wins, meanwhile, have come in three sets.
Washington (Mo.) University Bear Notes: The Bears own an NCAA Division III-record nine national championships and 19 University Athletic Association championships — including 16 straight titles from 1989-2004. … The Bears are making their 23rd straight NCAA appearance. … 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. … In 11 years as head coach, Rich Luenneman has led the Bearcats to two national titles (2003 and 2007). Luenemann has compiled a 374-52 overall record in 11 seasons at the helm. During that span, the Bears have won eight UAA Championships, while placing in the top-5 of the NCAA Tournament eight times, including runner-up finishes in 2002, 2004 and 2006. … WU enters the regional owning an all-time record of 79-14 in NCAA Tournament play. The Bears' 79 wins rank as the second most in Division III Tournament history. WU is also 33-2 at home in postseason play. … WU enters the regional tournament ranked No. 3 in the latest AVCA Top 25. … WU’s conference tournament loss to Emory snapped a season-high 17-match winning streak. During that span, the Bears won 14 of those 17 matches by 3-0 scores. … Erin Albers and Lauren Budde lead the team in kills with 348 and 346 kills, respectively. Albers is also hitting .355, while Budde boasts a team-high 100 blocks. … Marilee Fisher has compiled a team-best 781 assists. … Kelly Pang boasts a team-leading 551 digs and is one of three Bears — Budde (383) and Laura Brazeal (302) are the other two — with 300 or more digs. … The Bears have won 20 matches by 3-0 scores, while going 4-2 in four-setters and 2-0 in matches extended to the maximum five sets.
Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolves Notes: Nebraska Wesleyan is making its sixth straight and 13th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament. … NWU is 5-12 in NCAA Division III Tournament matches, after advancing to the second round of the 2008 championships. … Nebraska Wesleyan — which has dual affiliations with NCAA Division III and NAIA — is 10-2 against NCAA Division III opponents this season. … The Prairie Wolves enter Thursday’s opening round having dropped their last three matches. … Laura Brammeier is the team’s offensive leader, boasting 363 kills. She is one of five NWU players with 100 or more kills. … Ashley Jedlicka is just 16 assists shy of 1,000 for the season. … The Prairie Wolves have three players with 300 or more digs — led by Kelsey Elman’s 410 — and five with at least 200 digs. … NWU has played eight five-set matches this season, going 6-2. … Thirteen of the Prairie Wolves’ 17 losses have come on the road.
UW-Platteville Pioneer Notes: The Pioneers are making their sixth appearance in the NCAA Tournament, including their second appearance in the last three years. … The Pioneers have played 15 matches this season against teams that made the tournament. UW-Platteville went 6-9 in those 15 matches. … After winning 17 of their first 24 matches, the Pioneers have gone 5-7 in their last 12 — including back-to-back losses to UW-Whitewater and UW-Oshkosh at the WIAC Tournament. … Melissa Hillebrand has amassed a team-leading 468 kills and is one of five Pioneers with at least 200 kills. … Briana Kaiser, who is second to Hillebrand in kills with 355, is hitting a team-leading .279. … Ali Sikic has accounted for 1,404 of the team’s 1,631 assists this season, while also compiling 305 digs. … Abby Carey leads the team in digs (646) and is one of six Pioneers with 100 or more digs. … Lisa Bell is two blocks shy of 100 for the season, while Kaiser needs six blocks to reach the century mark. … The Pioneers played in seven five-set matches, going 5-2. Ten of the team’s 22 wins were by 3-1 decisions. UW-P was 7-5 in three-set matches. … UW-Platteville went 9-3 on its home court this season.
Carthage Lady Red Notes: With a 31-5 overall record, the Lady Reds have the most wins of any of the eight teams in the regional field. … Carthage is making its fifth straight and sixth overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament. After bowing out in the quarterfinals in both 2005 and 2006, both the 2007 and 2008 Carthage squads reached the regional-championship match. The 2007 team lost to Washington (Mo.) University 3-1 on the Lady Reds’ home floor, while last year’s team fell to UW-Oshkosh 3-2 in Oshkosh, Wis.. … The Lady Reds enter this weekend’s tournament ranked No. 8 in the latest AVCA Top 25 Poll. … For Carthage, the 2009 CCIW regular-season championship was the eighth in school history, second only to nine titles won by Elmhurst College. Carthage won conference titles in 1990, 1993, a co-championship with Elmhurst in 2004 and outright titles in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. … With its win over Millikin University on Oct. 28, Carthage extended its CCIW record to 44 straight regular-season conference victories. The Lady Reds’ last conference defeat came at the hands of Augustana College (Ill.) on Oct. 3, 2003 in Rock Island, Ill. … Carthage did not lose a home match, going 13-0 on the Lady Reds’ home floor. … Twenty-three of the Lady Reds’ 31 wins were 3-0 sweeps. … Carthage boasts six players with 100 or more kills, led by Lauren Dembkowski with 363. Michelle Madeja has also recorded 300+ kills, entering Thursday’s match with 342 kills. … Drewann Pancratz has accumulated 1,149 assists, while Katie Lundgren has posted a team-best 739 digs. Lundgren is one of six Carthage players with more than 100 digs. … Amanda Matusky and Rachel Swoboda have each eclipsed the century mark in blocks this season, with Matusky knocking down 134 blocks, while Swoboda has chipped in 109.
Simpson Storm Notes: The Storm is making their second-straight NCAA appearance; Simpson earned an at-large berth into the 2008 Tournament, falling to St. Benedict in the regional quarterfinals. … With their sweep of Wartburg in the IIAC Tournament title match, the Storm locked up their sixth conference tournament crown. … With their two conference tournament wins, the Storm has now won seven of their last 10 and 11 of their last 14 matches. … The Storm boast four players with 300 or more kills, led by Lara Gillespie’s 397. Whitney Oviatt (380), Megan Dunlavy (327) and Amy Schuster (304) are the other three. … Dunlavy is hitting a team-best 281. … Tara Christensen has dished out 1,365 of the team’s 1,537 assists this season. … Brittany Friesth’s 581 digs are a team high and make her one of six Simpson players with 100 or more digs. … Simpson closed out the season 8-2 on its home court. … Eleven of the Storm’s 21 wins were 3-0 sweeps. The Storm has also played in 11 five-set matches, going 5-6.
Thomas More Saint Notes: The Saints swept the Presidents' Athletic Conference titles in 2009, winning both the regular season and tournament titles … This is the ninth NCAA national tournament appearance for Thomas More, but the first since 2003. … The Saints are led by setter Emily Bohman, a First-Team All-Presidents’ Athletic Conference selection and the conference’s player of the year. … Bohman has appeared in 131 sets, leading the team in assists (663), aces (72) and digs (497). … Brandi Corbello leads the team in kills with 404 and is second in aces (47), while also adding 313 digs and 47 blocks. … Katie Sullivan leads the team in attack percentage (.304) after collecting 289 kills in 2009. She also had a team-high 125 blocks to go with 55 digs and 29 aces. … Lindsay Svec was second on the team in kills with 355, while adding 95 digs and 59 blocks. … The Thomas More volleyball team is one of three Saints' teams making an appearance in NCAA competition this fall. The football team and men's soccer team have also earned NCAA post-season bids.