Nov. 5, 2007

Lutes Receive Top Region Seed and Get First-Round Bye

Pacific Lutheran received the top seed and with it a first-round bye in the NCAA Division III West Region volleyball tournament scheduled for Thursday through Saturday at Hayward, Calif.

Kevin Aoki - four NCAA tourney appearances in 12 seasons

The Lutes, 23-3 this season and undefeated champion of the Northwest Conference, will play at 4:30 p.m. Friday against the winner of the first round game between Northwest Conference rival Puget Sound and Nebraska Wesleyan.

The University of La Verne, champion of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, is the No. 2 seed, while tournament host Cal State-East Bay, an NCAA Division III independent, is No. 3. Puget Sound is the No. 4 seed and Nebraska Wesleyan, another independent, is No. 5. Colorado College, which finished fourth in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament, is the No. 6 seed.

Cal State-East Bay will meet Colorado College at 7 p.m. Thursday in the other first round game with the winner of that contest to face La Verne at 7 p.m. Friday.

The region tournament championship match is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday, with the winner advancing to the eight-team NCAA Division III Championships scheduled for Nov. 15-17 at the Shirk Center on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Ill.

Pacific Lutheran, ranked No. 14 in the CSTV/AVCA Division III Coaches Top 25 national poll, goes into the regional tournament having won 19 consecutive matches and 23 overall this season, both school records. The Lutes are led by a trio of seniors - setter Gina Di Maggio, outside hitter Stacie Matz and libero Megan Kosel - and freshman outside hitter Beth Hanna.

Di Maggio averages 12.02 assists per game and is on pace to break her own school record. Hanna averages 5.36 kills per game, also on pace to establish a new school record, and she averages 3.72 digs per game. Matz averages 4.16 and 3.66 digs per game, while Kosel leads the Lutes with an average of 4.47 digs per game. Hanna is among the national leaders – and is on school-record pace – with an average of 5.36 kills per game while hitting at a .292 percentage.

Head coach Kevin Aoki, with 202 career wins in his 12th year at PLU, has led the Lutes to Northwest Conference championships and NCAA postseason tournament appearances in 1999, 2004, 2006 and again this year. The Lutes are 2-3 in NCAA tournament play, including 1-1 records in both 1999 and 2004 (played at Hayward, Calif.) and a 0-1 record in 2006. Last year, PLU dropped a five-game decision to Redlands in a first-round match at the University of La Verne.

About the other teams:

No. 2 seed - University of La Verne Leopards, 26-6 record, ranked No. 5 in the CSTV/AVCA Division III Coaches Top 25 Poll. The Leopards have won 22 of their last 24 matches, losing only to No. 2-ranked Juniata and to NAIA No. 5-ranked Azusa Pacific, during that stretch. La Verne won its eighth straight SCIAC title and is making its eighth consecutive NCAA Division III postseason appearance. The Leopards won the regional title in 2001 and 2003-05, and also won the national title in 2001. Brianna Gonzales averages 3.86 kills per game and has a .250 hitting percentage, while Jodi Lindsay averages 3.38 kills per game and is hitting .345 this season. Emily James leads with 11.79 assists per game and Ashley Morgado leads a solid front line with an average of 1.07 blocks per game.

No. 3 seed - California State University-East Bay Pioneers, 28-4 record, ranked No. 10 in the CSTV/AVCA Division III Coaches Top 25 Poll. CS-East Bay will host the NCAA regionals for the third time. The Pioneers have won 13 of their last 15 matches, losing only to No. 5-ranked La Verne (in three games) and to No. 2-ranked Juniata during that stretch. Jackie Randolph leads the team with 4.38 kills per game and a .245 hitting percentage, followed by Beverly Hazell at 3.34 kills per game and a .230 percentage. Lauren Massa averages an amazing 6.57 digs per game.

No. 4 seed - University of Puget Sound Loggers, 17-8 record, ranked No. 21 in the CSTV/AVCA Division III Coaches Top 25 Poll. The Loggers have lost only to No. 14-ranked Pacific Lutheran and to unranked Pacific (Ore.) in their last 10 matches. Monica Groves averages 4.31 kills per game while hitting .315, while Lindsey Denman chips in 3.65 kills per game and a .223 attack percentage. Jamee Fred averages 11.07 assists per game and Rachel Gross averages 6.32 digs per game.

No. 5 seed - Nebraska Wesleyan University Prairie Wolves, 17-11, unranked. The Prairie Wolves are an NCAA Division III independent but participate in the Great Plains Athletic Conference, made up primarily of NAIA institutions. Linsey Thomsen is among the national leaders with an average of 7.69 digs per game. Abby Bade averages 4.10 kills per game, Kirsten Foster averages 11.89 assists per game, and Cara Ward averages 1.09 blocks per game for Nebraska Wesleyan.

No. 6 seed - Colorado College Tigers, 22-10, ranked No. 23 in the CSTV/AVCA Division III Coaches Top 25 Poll. The Tigers, making their 10th consecutive NCAA postseason appearance, finished fourth in the recent Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament. Emily Perkins averages 3.37 kills and 1.04 blocks per game to lead the Tigers in those categories, while Anna Clithero averages 3.30 kills per game.

- PLU -