Volleyball to Host NCAA Matches
November 27, 2005 | Volleyball
The University of Wisconsin volleyball squad has been selected to host first and second-round matches of the 2005 NCAA Division I Championship on Friday and Saturday in the UW Field House.
'We're really happy to be hosting,' said UW coach Pete Waite. 'Once we knew we couldn't win the Big Ten, we wanted to get the highest seed (in the NCAA tournament) that we could out of the regular season.
'Being able to host is always fantastic. Our crowd 's been great all year and it gives our kids another boost where they just play at another level.'
The Badgers (23-6) are the No. 11 seed in the tournament and will take on Loyola, Ill. (13-17) in the first round on Friday at 7 p.m. Valparaiso (27-7) will take on California (18-10) in the other first-round match on Friday at 5 p.m. Friday 's winners will play each other on Saturday at 7 p.m. for the right to advance to NCAA regional play in College Station, Texas.
'I think it's a pretty good route,' said Waite of his team's possibility of playing in an NCAA regional for the second straight year. 'I think you're going to meet top teams everywhere you go. Every team has its own focus right now and our focus right now is Loyola. We'll be able to watch the other teams and learn about them in the Friday night match.'
Loyola advanced to the NCAA tournament by winning the Horizon League tournament, upsetting regular-season champion UW-Milwaukee. The Ramblers lost to Wisconsin 3-0 in the first round of the 2004 NCAA tournament in Madison.
Valparaiso won the Mid-Continent Conference title with a 13-1 record. The Crusaders are also returning to Madison for the second straight year following a first-round loss to Notre Dame in 2004.
California tied for fifth in the Pac-10 Conference at 10-8. The Bears will be making their first trip to Madison.
