November 15, 2010
Full Notes (PDF)
NCAA Interactive Bracket (HERE)
For the 11th consecutive season and 12th time overall, the Truman volleyball team is headed to the NCAA Div. II tournament, this time as the No. 3 seed in the South Central region and will face No. 6 Abilene Christian (Texas) on Thursday at high noon in the first round. The first three rounds, which will be held Thursday through Saturday, will take place on the Central Missouri campus in Warrensburg.
It's the first time in three seasons that all five at-large berths weren't gobbled up by MIAA schools, and Truman (25-7) will take on fellow at-large Abilene Christian (Texas), who earned the No. 6 seed in the region after finishing second in the Lone Star Conference regular season. The Bulldogs and Wildcats (26-5) met earlier this season, with Truman capturing a five-set victory in the final match of the Washburn Lady Blues crossover in early October.
MIAA co-champion Central Missouri earned the No. 1 seed and will host the eight-team regional. The Jennies (28-4) will take on St. Mary's (Texas), who enter the tournament via the Heartland Conference automatic bid following a HC tournament championship title. The Rattlers are the only squad in the 64-team field to enter with a sub-.500 record, coming in at 15-17.
In other first-round matches, Truman will take note of No. 2 Washburn (30-2) and No. 7 Northwest Missouri (15-14), as the Bulldog/Wildcat winner will take on the Lady Blues/Bearcats winner at 5 pm on Friday. Finally, No. 4 Emporia State (22-9) faces LSC champion and No. 5 seed West Texas A&M (27-8), with the winner taking on the UCM/St. Mary's winner on Friday at 7:30 pm.
The regional championship will be held at 7:30 pm on Saturday night.
Following Along This Week:
UCM will provide free online coverage both for live stats and live video, and links to both will be made available through TrumanBulldogs.com.
In addition, log on during the match to join assistant Sports Information Director Tyler Madsen, as he will be providing live blog coverage through CoverItLive. A link will be provided at TrumanBulldogs.com.
Regional Ticket Information:
Day passes for the tournament are $8 for adults and $3 for students and seniors, while fans may also purchase an all-session pass at the rate of $20 for adults and $8 for students and seniors. To purchase in advance, call 660-543-4063, or fans may purchase their tickets at the gate.
Bulldog Coaching Staff:
Ben Briney in is his second season as the head coach of the Truman volleyball program and is now in his sixth season overall at the University after serving as the program's top assistant from 2005-2008. He is the ninth head coach in program history and has a 49-20 career record.
In his first season as head coach, the Bulldogs maintained a top-25 ranking throughout the season, extending the consecutive-week streak to 140 for the program. The squad won 24 games and reached the NCAA tournament for the tenth time in program history. He had five players named all-MIAA, headlined by freshman Megan Sharpe, who garnered National Freshman of the Year accolades as well as first-team all-region status.
During his tenure as an assistant, the Bulldogs advanced to the NCAA Division II tournament in all four seasons, won two South Central regional championships and advanced to the national semifinals one time (2008). He helped coach six different players to 11 combined AVCA all-American awards, saw two players win the MIAA's MVP award and led the team to its first No. 1 ranking in the AVCA top-25 coaches poll in school history.
He is assisted by Megan Wargo, who is also in her second season at Truman after spending four years as the assistant coach at Lees-McRae (N.C.).
Truman's Postseason History:
Thursday will mark the 12th postseason appearance for the Bulldog program, including every year since 2000. All-time, Truman is 23-11 (.676) in postseason matches and have advanced to the National Championship match twice (2002, 2004). The Bulldogs have won five regional titles, most recently in 2008 when the program reached the National Semifinals.
Truman is 8-3 all-time in the first match of the tournament and is 18-6 in regional competition.
This Year's Field:
The Bulldogs are 5-4 against the South Central regional field this season, having posted a 1-0 record against ACU, a 1-1 mark against both WU and ESU, and a 2-0 record against NWMSU. Truman is 0-2 against UCM and did not face WT or SMU during the regular season.
Across the bracket, Truman added a win against Indianapolis (No. 4 seed in Midwest region) and a loss to Missouri-St. Louis (No. 6 seed in Midwest region).
AVCA Poll Update:
Truman received 253 votes for the second consecutive week, as only three changes happened across the entire top-25 on Nov. 15 – keeping the Bulldogs at No. 18.
Four MIAA teams held firm in the poll, with only UCM slipping one spot to No. 9 from No. 8 last week. Washburn remained at No. 5 and Emporia State held at No. 17.
The Bulldogs were selected to the AVCA coaches' top-25 poll for the 152nd straight week, dating back to 2000. The final poll of the 2010 season comes out on Monday, Dec. 6.
MIAA Hitter of the Week, and Repeat, and Repeat, and Repeat:
The Bulldogs have had four MIAA Hitter of the Week awards this season, with Megan Sharpe having garnered two, and both Allison Barker and Molly Sinclair picking up one.
Sinclair parlayed hers into the program's first National Player of the Week award in more than five years during the season's first week.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered:
When the 'Dogs have gotten ahead, 2-0, in a match this season, it's been lights-out for their opponents, as the 'Dogs are closing out matches 100% of the time in the ensuing sets. Truman is now 14-0 when getting ahead, 2-0.
Throw it in “Neutral”:
In neutral-site matches this season, the Bulldogs are 10-0, compared to 8-2 at home and 5-5 in true road contests.
Milestone Watch:
- Senior Ashley Petak needs 54 assists to reach 3,500 for her career.
- Senior Casey Bruno needs 31 digs to reach 1,250 for her career.
- Junior Kylie Easlon needs 29 digs to reach 500 for her career.
Up Next:
Should the Bulldogs win their sixth regional title on Saturday night, the squad would then head to the NCAA Elite Eight on Dec. 2-4 at the campus of Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky. The South Central region winner faces the winner of the Southeast region in the quarterfinals.
