NCAA Volleyball Tournament Announcement Sunday
November 25, 2005 | Volleyball
When the 2005 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament bracket is announced on Sunday, the 14th-ranked University of Wisconsin volleyball team is hoping to receive the good news that it will host first and second matches. The 64-teams for the tournament will be announced on ESPNews at 1:30 p.m.
The Badger team and staff will watch the selection show in the Lund Family Dining Room, located on the tunnel level of Camp Randall Stadium. The media and general public are invited to watch the announcement with the team. Enter at Gate 1, under Kellner Hall, and follow the signs to the dining room. Free parking is available in lot 18 and 19.
'Our chances of hosting (the first and second rounds in the UW Field House) are good,' said UW Coach Pete Waite. 'With our placement in the conference standings and overall record as well as the number of good wins that we have, my experience tells me that we have a great shot at hosting first and second rounds. '
The Badgers are guaranteed to finish no lower than second in the Big Ten Conference standings following a 3-0 win at Northwestern on Wednesday. Wisconsin is 22-6 overall and 14-5 in the league with one match remaining, a road trip to Indiana on Saturday. The UW, which has been ranked in the coaches top-25 poll all season, has downed five ranked teams while losing to five ranked teams and one unranked team this year.
Wisconsin is looking for its 10th consecutive and 14th overall appearance in the NCAA tournament. The Badgers are 23-12 in the `Big Dance,' including a 3-1 mark in 2004. Wisconsin downed Loyola, 3-0, in the first round; Notre Dame, 3-0, in the second round; and upset second-ranked Hawai'i, 3-2, in the regional semifinals before falling to eventual national champion Stanford, 0-3, in the regional final.
If Wisconsin is selected to host, matches will be held on Dec. 2-3 in the UW Field House. Three other teams will travel to Madison for first-round matches on Dec. 2 at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. First-round winners would play on Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. for the right to advance to one of four NCAA regional sites. Regional site have been pre-determined for the second year in a row. The Badgers could travel to College Station, Texas (host Texas A&M); Omaha, Neb. (Nebraska); Palo Alto, Calif. (Stanford); or University Park, Pa. (Penn State) on Dec. 8-11. The 2005 NCAA Championship will be held in San Antonio, Texas, on Dec. 15 and 17.
