North Carolina Central University

VOLLEYBALL

     DURHAM, NC - After winning the 2005 CIAA Women's Volleyball Championship, North Carolina Central University now prepares for the school's second-ever postseason appearance at the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Championship on Nov. 17-19, hosted by Lock Haven University (Pennsylvania). 
     NCCU (29-13) will challenge the host team and No. 1 seed Lock Haven University in first round action on Thursday (Nov. 17) at 7:30 p.m. at Thomas Field House. Lock Haven (also nicknamed the Lady Eagles) boasts an overall record of 30-5. 
     NCCU also faced Lock Haven in its only other playoff match last year, losing to the host 3-0 (30-22, 30-19, 30-13). 
     Senior middle hitter Danielle Johnson-Webb (Chapel Hill, NC), the 2005 CIAA Women's Volleyball Player of the Year, leads a veteran squad that includes five First Team All-CIAA honorees. The other all-conference members are senior defensive specialist Dorian Mills (Charlotte, NC), senior outside hitter Brenda Brown (Fayetteville, NC), senior setter Ariel Germain (Detroit, Mich.), and junior utility player Latoya Tate (Toronto, Canada).
     NCCU is among 63 teams participating in this year's NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Championship, consisting of teams from eight regions: Atlantic, Great Lakes, North Central, Northeast, Pacific, South, South Central and Southwest. 

NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL COMMITTEE ANNOUNCES 2005 CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET

     INDIANAPOLIS--- The NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Committee announced the field of 63 teams for the 2005 NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Championship.  The committee selected eight teams from each of the following regions to participate in the championship:  Atlantic, Great Lakes, Northeast, Pacific, South, South Central and Southwest.  The committee selected seven teams from the North Central region, adhering to selection criteria requiring that a team have a won-lost record of .500 or above against Division II teams to be considered for an at-large selection.
     Seven eight-team regionals and one seven-team regional will be played at on-campus sites.  Regional competition will be single-elimination, best three-of-five game matches and will not include a third-place match.  The winners of each of the eight regionals will advance to the finals, December 1-3, on the campus of one of the final eight institutions.  Competition at the final site will be single-elimination, best three-of-five game matches.
     The dates, sites and team match-ups are:

Atlantic Region
November 17-19 at Lock Haven, Pennsylvania
Lock Haven (Host) (30-5) vs. *North Carolina Central (29-13);
*California (Pennsylvania) (33-2) vs. *Lees-McRae (24-10);
Edinboro (25-15) vs. Mount Olive (28-7);
Slippery Rock (24-9) vs. Indiana (Pennsylvania) (24-10)

Great Lakes Region
November 17-19 at Allendale, Michigan
*Grand Valley State (Host) (26-6) vs. *Charleston (West Virginia) (26-9);
Rockhurst (27-6) vs. Hillsdale (19-11);
*Southern Illinois Edwardsville (27-5) vs. Ferris State (22-9);
Northwood (22-9) vs. Ashland (23-9) 

North Central Region
November 17-19 at St. Paul, Minnesota
*Concordia-St. Paul (Host) (28-4) vs. Bye;
*Minnesota Duluth (25-4) vs. Augustana (South Dakota) (15-11);
Nebraska-Omaha (19-7) vs. Wayne State (Nebraska) (25-9);
Southwest Minnesota State (25-7) vs. Minnesota State Moorhead (25-5) 

Northeast Region
November 17-19 at Smithfield, Rhode Island
*Dowling (30-8) vs. *Goldey-Beacom (26-7);
*Bryant (Host) (26-9) vs. New York Institute of Technology (16-15);
Bentley (27-7) vs. Massachusetts-Lowell (18-9);
Mercy (20-11) vs. Saint Rose (24-6)

Pacific Region
November 17-19 at Los Angeles, California
Cal State L.A. (Host) (24-2) vs. *Seattle Pacific (22-5);
*Cal Poly Pomona (24-2) vs. Central Washington (22-4);
Cal State San Bernardino (19-7) vs. Brigham Young-Hawaii (20-4);
Hawaii Pacific (23-2) vs. Cal State Bakersfield (20-8)

South Region
November 18-20 at Tampa, Florida
*Tampa (Host) (25-3) vs. *Francis Marion (29-10); 
Florida Southern (32-3) vs. Wingate (25-5);
Florida Gulf Coast (25-3) vs. *Presbyterian (32-4);
Barry (17-9) vs. Rollins (25-10)

South Central Region
November 17-19 at Florence, Alabama
*North Alabama (Host) (35-1) vs. *Albany State (Georgia) (16-19);
*Truman (29-5) vs. Alabama-Huntsville (24-12);
Washburn (34-2) vs. Harding (33-4);
Central Missouri State (24-9) vs. Emporia State (24-7)

Southwest Region
November 18-20 at Kearney, Nebraska
*Nebraska-Kearney (Host) (33-1) vs. Colorado School of Mines (20-10);
Metropolitan State (21-8) vs. West Texas A&M (27-9);
*Abilene Christian (29-3) vs. Central Oklahoma (27-7);
*Western New Mexico (26-4) vs. Mesa State (22-6)

* Denotes conference automatic qualification

     In 2004, Barry won its third Division II Women's Volleyball Championship -- the second at home -- with a four-game triumph over previously undefeated Truman, December 4 in Miami Shores, Florida.  The Buccaneers lost the first game to the Bulldogs, 30-25, before going on to take the next three, 30-21, 30-25 and 30-24, on their home court.