NCAA III Volleyball National Tournament BracketÂ
| 1- Thursday, Nov. 12, 11:30 a.m. | Illinois Wesleyan (22-9) vs. Dominican (25-9) |
| 2 - Thursday, Nov. 12, 2 p.m. | Carthage (31-7) vs. Wis.-LaCrosse (20-9) |
| 3 - Thursday, Nov. 12, 4:30 p.m. | Elmhurst (24-11) vs. Wis.-Stevens Point (26-8) |
| 4 - Thursday, Nov. 12, 7 p.m. | Calvin (28-3) vs. Cornell (15-14) |
| 5 - Friday, Nov. 13, 4 p.m. | Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 |
| 6 - Friday, Nov. 13, 6:30 p.m. | Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 |
| 7 - Saturday, Nov. 14, 6 p.m. | Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6 |
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- For the first time since 1998, the Illinois Wesleyan volleyball team is in the NCAA Division III postseason tournament and will play Dominican University in the first round at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 12, in Grand Rapids, Mich.
The eight-team regional competition will be at Calvin College's Van Noord Arena, which will serve as the site for the national championships the next weekend. Other first-round regional games in Grand Rapids on Thursday are Carthage (31-7) vs. Wis.-LaCrosse (20-9) at 2 p.m., Wis.-Stevens Point (26-8) against Elmhurst (24-11) at 4:30 p.m. and host school Calvin (28-3) vs. Cornell College (15-14) at 7 p.m. The winner of the IWU-Dominican match will face the Carthage-Wis.-LaCrosse winner on Friday in the regional semifinals with the championship to be determined Saturday.
Ticket prices are $6.00 for general admission and $4.00 for students, senior citizens and children. Children aged 2 and under admitted free.
The Titans are 22-9 and were the co-champions of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin with a 5-2 record.
BEHIND ENEMY LINES: The Stars, who are in the NCAA tournament for the fourth straight year and fifth time in program history, have a 25-9 record. Dominican won their third straight Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference tournament championship to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III volleyball championships. The NACC Tournament title is the Stars' fourth in the last six years ... Dominican senior setter Christina Wilson was named the conference's co-Player of the Year after being the NACC Player of the Year in 2014. She leads NCAA Division III women's volleyball with 1,355 assists and is in the top five with 11.29 assists per set ... Wilson was joined on the all-NACC first team by senior libero Caitlen Foote and sophomore middle Kendyl Todd, who led the conference with a .304 hitting percentage. The Stars also landed Carri Chambers and Alex Kisten on the all-conference second team while Rosalyn Wyse received honorable mention.
HISTORY LESSON: Either Illinois Wesleyan or Dominican will be claiming their first-ever win in NCAA postseason play onThursday ... Illinois Wesleyan has an 0-3 record in three previous NCAA Division III postseason appearances in 1991, 1997 and 1998. In 1991, Benedictine (Ill.) defeated Illinois Wesleyan, 3-0 (17-16, 15-9, 17-16), in 1997, Wis.-Eau Claire was a 3-0 winner (18-16, 15-6, 15-10) and in 1998, Wis.-LaCrosse handled the Titans, 3-0 (16-14, 15-5, 15-13) ... The Stars are 0-4 since making their NCAA Division III national tournament debut in 2010.
THE SERIES: Illinois Wesleyan has a 7-2 edge in the series against Dominican ... The teams last at an IWU Barker Classic on Sept. 20, 2014 and the Titans swept the Stars, 26-24, 25-22, 25-23.
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