INDIANAPOLIS – The Southern New Hampshire University women's volleyball team has been seeded eighth in the NCAA National Championship and will take on top-seeded Concordia University, St. Paul on Thursday, Dec. 1 (10:30 p.m. EST) at Seattle Pacific University's Royal Brougham Pavilion, the NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Committee announced Monday evening.
Southern New Hampshire (19-7), which collected an at-large bid to the tournament as the East Region's No. 6 seed, has gone 3-0 in its first NCAA postseason appearance, taking down third-seeded Bentley University (3-1), seventh-seeded Saint Anselm College (3-1) and fifth-seeded Adelphi University (3-2) along the way to claim the program's first regional crown. The Penmen are the first team from New Hampshire to win an NCAA regional title at any NCAA division level.
SNHU, which has won 13 of its last 16, including eight of 10, seven of eight and three straight, finished fourth in the NE10 (9-3) and defeated fifth-seeded Saint Anselm (3-0) in the quarterfinal round for its first NE10 postseason triumph in program history. The Penmen eventually lost in the semifinals to top-seeded American International College (3-2).
CSP (29-5), ranked third in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II Coaches Poll, finished the regular season 24-4, including 17-3 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The Golden Bears earned the No. 2 seed and downed seventh-seeded Northern State (S.D.) University (3-0), and third-seeded and fourth-ranked University of Minnesota Duluth (3-0), before being upset by fifth-seeded and ninth-ranked St. Cloud State University (3-2) in the title match.
The Golden Bears earned the No. 2 seed in the Central Region and toppled seventh-seeded and the 13th-ranked University of Nebraska at Kearney (3-2), third-seeded and sixth-ranked Minnesota Duluth (3-1), and fifth-seeded and seventh-ranked St. Cloud State (3-2), en route to its 12th regional crown. CSP is 76-9 all-time across 19 NCAA tournament appearances. The Golden Bears have been to the NCAA title match 10 times and have captured nine National Championships – one shy of the record across all three NCAA divisions – including seven straight from 2007-13. They also won back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017.
The winner of the SNHU/CSP match will meet the team that advances between fourth-seeded California State University, Los Angeles and fifth-seeded Gannon University on Friday, Dec. 2 (9:30 p.m.). The National Championship match will take place Saturday, Dec. 3 (6 p.m.).
Tickets for each match are $17 for adults and $8 for seniors, students, and children 2+, or an All-Tournament Pass can be purchased for $40 for adults and $20 for seniors, students, and children 2+.
Continue to check SNHUPenmen.com and all of the Penmen social media outlets for more information on the NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship.
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