The NCAA News - News and Features

November 17, 1997

Division II Women's Volleyball

Three top-ranked teams with one loss each race toward championship

Event: 1997 Division II Women's Volleyball Championship.

Overview: The three top-ranked teams have one loss each and hope to carry that momentum into the championships. Northern Michigan, with a 25-1 record, is ranked No.1 and seeks its third title. Five seniors anchor the Wildcats, who have compiled a 199-18 record over the last six years. Middle blocker Erin Hamilton paces the team with 73 blocks this season. Senior Kathy Jewell has 304 digs .... With a 19-1 record, Cal State Bakersfield is looking for its first title in the '90s. Led by first-team all-American Tammy Barrus, the Roadrunners have collected seven wins against nationally ranked competition .... Tampa hopes to improve on its second-place finish in last year's championship. Senior Melissa Serio leads the team with a .430 hitting percentage and has hit under .400 in only two games this season. The Spartans also return two second-team all-Americans, Danille Faggion and Dawn Rawlins .... Regis (Colorado) also hopes for a title run. Middle hitter Jeannie Dwyer leads the Rangers with a .402 hitting percentage .... Five returning starters at North Alabama seek to end their careers with a national title. The Lions are led by sophomore twin sisters Rachel and Ronda Price, who rank Nos. 1 and 2 on the team in kills .... Other contenders include defending champion Nebraska-Omaha, West Texas A&M, Barry, Central Missouri State and North Dakota State.

Field: Thirty-two teams were selected from eight regions November 16. Four teams were selected from each of eight regions.

Dates and sites: All matches will be played at campus sites. Eight four-team regionals will be played November 21-22 or 22-23. The quarterfinals, semifinals and final will be December 5-7.

Information/results: The fax-on-demand telephone number is 770/399-3060 (passcode 1915); request numbers are 1686 for bracket/schedule, 5326 for semifinal results, 5327 for third-place match results and 5328 for championship-match results. Game scores and pairings also will be available on the World Wide Web at www.ncaa.org. Championship results will be published in the December 15 issue of The NCAA News.