ROHNERT PARK, Calif- The Sonoma State Volleyball team is going dancing again. For the second consecutive year, the Seawolves have earned a berth in the NCAA Championship Tournament. As the No. 3 seed, the Seawolves will face the sixth seed, conference rival Cal State L.A., in the first round on Thursday at The Den in San Bernardino.
The Seawolves and Golden Eagles split their regular season series with each team winning on their home floor. Sonoma won 3-2 early in the season at The Wolves' Den while CSULA picked up a 3-0 win in October at The Eagles Nest.
At 23-7 overall and 15-7 in conference play, the Seawolves earned their highest-ever regional seed. Last year's squad, which was a nearly identical 23-6 entering the tournament, got the No. 4 seed.
After opening the season with 11 consecutive wins, the Seawolves endured a tough stretch that saw them go 4-5 over their next nine. They recovered, however, with eight wins in their final ten regular season matches to enter the regional as one of the hottest teams in the west.
The Seawolves are one of five teams from the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) to earn a bid into the eight-team regional. They will join No. 1 Cal State San Bernardino, No. 2 UC San Diego, No. 6 Cal State L.A., and No. 7 San Francisco State.
The Seawolves are making their third trip to the NCAA Division II Championship Tournament. The other trips came in 1993 and 2008.
Hosted by Cal State San Bernardino
at San Bernardino, California |
November 19
|
| #3 Sonoma State (22-7) vs. #6 Cal State L.A. (21-8) |
Noon |
| #2 UC San Diego (28-2) vs. #7 San Francisco State (20-10 |
2:30 p.m |
| #4 Hawaii-Hilo (25-1) vs. #5 Alaska Anchorage (22-6) |
5 p.m. |
| #1 Cal State San Bernardino (28-1) vs. #8 Seattle Pacific (16-11) |
7:30 p.m. |
November 20
|
| Winners of SSU/CSULA and UCSD/SFSU |
5 p.m. |
| Winners of UHH/UAA and CSUSB/SPU |
7:30 p.m. |
| November 21 |
| Championship Match |
7 p.m. |