NCAA Division I National Semifinals Set

Bill Kauffman
Manager, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: 719-228-6800
E-Mail: bill.kauffman@usav.org

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Dec. 11, 2010) – The 2010 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship has reached its national semifinal pairings following today’s regional finals in four different cities across the country. The NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship semifinals take place on Dec. 16 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo., while the title match will be played on Dec. 18.

Three-time defending champion Penn State University (30-5), seeded fourth in the tournament, will meet No. 9 University of Texas (27-5) in one semifinal on Dec. 16, which will be a re-match of the 2009 title match in which the Nittany Lions bounced back from a two-set deficit to win in five sets to become the first NCAA Division I school to win the title three straight years. In 2010, Penn State will be trying to match the four-peat titles turned in earlier this month by Concordia-St. Paul in NCAA Division II and Fresno Pacific University in NAIA.

The other NCAA Division I national semifinal will have No. 6 University of Southern California (29-4) facing No. 7 California-Berkeley (29-3). USC defeated California in both Pac-10 regular season matches in 2010.

The semifinals, which will air on ESPN2 and ESPN3.com, are set for 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Central Time. The times for each semifinal matchup will be decided later this week. The title match is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Central Time and will also air on ESPN2 and ESPN3.com.

Southern California out-lasted No. 3 seed Stanford University (27-4) 20-25, 25-17, 22-25, 26-24, 16-14 in the first regional final to be completed in Dayton, Ohio. USC, which has won 15 of its last 16 matches, was led by Falyn Fonoimoana’s career-high 25 kills and 14 digs. Alex Jupiter chipped in 23 kills and 15 digs, while Kendall Bateman added 64 assists and 15 digs. The match endured 47 ties and 17 lead changes, including Stanford holding one match point in the deciding fifth set.

USC, which had lost to Stanford in both Pac-10 regular season matches in 2010, will be looking for its seventh national title (fourth in NCAA competition) with two more victories after advancing to the national semifinals for the first time since 2007.

At the University Park Regional Final on the home floor of Penn State, the Nittany Lions topped No. 12 Duke (27-7) 25-19, 25-18, 23-25, 25-17. Freshman Deja McClendon scored a career-high 20 kills, four block assists, a block solo and an ace for 24 points in the victory. Blair Brown tacked on 16 kills, five block assists, two block solos and an ace for 21.5 points to go with 14 digs. Arielle Wilson charted 12 kills and eight blocks assists for Penn State, while Alyssa D’Errico provided a team-high 18 digs.

Penn State is making its ninth trip to the national semifinals. Brown, Wilson and D’Errico will be attempting to leave Penn State with four NCAA titles. Aside from NCAA Division I titles in 2007, 2008 and 2009, the Nittany Lions also won the tournament in 1999. In the process, the Nittany Lions increased their home winning streak to a NCAA Division I-best 94 consecutive matches.

Texas rallied from a first-set loss against No. 16 Purdue (24-11) to win 18-25, 25-16, 25-15, 27-25 on its home floor in Austin, Texas. Juliann Faucette slammed home 20 kills leading the Longhorns, while Rachael Adams added 13 kills and six block assists. Jennifer Doris and Amber Roberson each reached 10 kills in the victory, while Michelle Kocher handed out 54 assists to go with four total blocks.

Texas earned its third straight national semifinal appearance with the victory, its 19th consecutive win entering the semifinals. The Longhorns, who have reached the semifinals seven total times, won the 1988 NCAA Division I volleyball championship.

California swept unseeded University of Washington (24-9) 25-21, 25-20, 25-14 in Seattle. Tarah Murrey produced a double-double of 15 kills and 12 digs to go with two blocks. Adrienne Gehan chipped in 11 kills and Shannon Hawari hit .538 with eight kills on 13 swings. Carli Lloyd set the Golden Bears to a .364 team hitting efficiency with just 10 attack errors, while the California defense held the Huskies to a .144 team hitting efficiency.

California, which has not lost a single set during the 2010 NCAA Division I Tournament, will be seeking its first-ever NCAA volleyball championship. The Golden Bears, playing in their fourth consecutive regional final, reach the national semifinals for the first time since 2007.

NOTES:
• Two of the four regional finals were all-Pac-10 match-ups: Southern California vs. Stanford and California vs. Washington
• Two of the four regional hosts won their regional - Penn State and Texas. However, Washington lost despite playing on their home floor.

Tags: college, college volleyball, NCAA