Tigers Volleyball Earns Second-Straight NCAA Tournament Berth
11/26/2001 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
The Tigers will play the University of Illinois in the first round of the tournament in Champaign, Ill., on Friday. Eastern Illinois and Arizona, the tournament's fourth seed, are the other two teams in the regional. The top 16 teams are seeded in the tournament field.
Head coach Susan Kreklow said the invitation into the field of 64 teams is the culmination of hard work and dedication.
"This is a great accomplishment for our entire program," Kreklow said. "Our goal has always been to compete at a national level and continue to improve as we progress through the season. The road to the tournament has not been an easy one for us and I think it is a real tribute to our kids the way they have been able to hurdle several different road blocks this season."
This berth marks only the second time in school history Missouri has qualified for postseason play, the other time being last year when the Tigers dropped a 3-2 heartbreaker to Utah State in Provo, Utah, in the first round.
The Tigers' first-round opponent, the Fighting Illini of Illinois, is ranked No. 21 in the latest USATODAY/AVCA Coaches poll. Illinois recorded a 20-8 overall record and a 13-7 Big 10 mark, taking fourth place in the conference. Two members of the Illini are averaging over 3.0 kills per game and three members have recorded a hitting percentage of .300 or better. Illinois, which went 10-3 at home, also ranks 16th in attendance according to the Monday's attendance rankings averaging 1,460 fans per match. If the Tigers are victorious against the Illini on Friday, they will take on the winner of the Arizona/Eastern Illinois match Saturday in Champaign. Match times will be released on Tuesday.
The Big 12 Conference led all conferences with eight teams selected. The Big 10 and Pacific-10 conferences each have six teams in the field while the Big West and Mountain West conferences have four. The strong showing by the Big 12 ties the Big 10's mark set in 1999 for the most teams to ever to play in the NCAA Tournament from one conference since the 64-team field was implemented. In each of the previous five seasons, the Big 12 qualified six teams.
