Ball State University Athletics
WVB To Play Louisville In NCAA Tournament First Round
November 27, 2011 | Women's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - The Ball State women's volleyball team was rewarded for its 25-7 overall record with an at-large bid into the 2011 NCAA Women's Volleyball Division I Championship, as announced Sunday evening.
"It is a great feeling to bring Ball State volleyball back into the national spotlight with our first NCAA tournament appearance since 2002," said BSU head coach Steve Shondell. "It has been a goal of ours from day one to make the tournament this year. It's great to know all of our hard work has paid off."
The Cardinals will play Louisville (23-8) in the opening round Friday at 5 p.m. at Purdue's Belin Court in Holloway Gymnasium. The host Boilermakers, who earned the No. 5 overall seed in the tournament with a 27-4 overall record, will face Morehead State (26-7) in their first-round match-up.
Ball State, which is 2-7 all-time in NCAA Tournament play, will be making its eighth overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since the 2002 season. In its last tournament match, the Cardinals also played Louisville, suffering a 3-0 (30-24, 30-24, 30-25) setback at Ohio State's St. John Arena.
Overall, a league-record four Mid-American Conference teams were selected for the 2011 NCAA Tournament, with Central Michigan (tournament winner), Northern Illinois (at-large) and Western Michigan (at-large) all receiving bids.
