Michigan Headed to Cal Poly for NCAA Tournament
11/26/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team earned a bid to the 64-team NCAA Tournament Sunday (Nov. 26), as announced by the NCAA. It is the sixth bid to the tournament in the last eight seasons and the third in five years for U-M.
Michigan (21-12) will travel to San Luis Obispo, Calif., to face 15th-seeded Cal Poly (22-5) in the first round at 8 p.m. PST Friday (Dec. 1) at Mott Gym. In the opposite bracket, the University of California (20-9, 9-9 Pac-10) will take on Louisiana State (26-5, 16-4 SEC), with the winner facing either the Wolverines or Cal Poly in the second round at 7 p.m. PST Saturday (Dec. 2).
"We're excited to go back to the tournament," said head coach Mark Rosen. " It's been a goal of ours since last year when we didn't make it in. We worked hard in the off-season and all season long to get here. I like our draw. We're in a competitive bracket, but we can compete with those teams and give ourselves a chance to advance through the tournament."
Cal Poly won the Big West Conference title with a 13-1 conference record, winning 15 of its last 16 matches. Michigan and Cal Poly have three common opponents this season, with both programs facing Big West competitors Pacific and UC Irvine and the Big Ten's Minnesota. Michigan defeated Pacific and UC Irvine in their only meetings this season and split with Minnesota to post a 3-1 record. Cal Poly swept Pacific in two meetings, split with UC Irvine and lost to Minnesota for a 3-2 record.
Michigan will make its third trip to the state of California for the NCAA Tournament and will take on Cal Poly for the first time in program history.
Michigan is 0-2 all-time vs. Cal, losing to the Golden Bears in the NCAA Tournament in 2003, and has posted a 2-1 record vs. the Tigers. The winner of the second round match will advance to the Austin, Texas, regional.
The Big Ten Conference will send seven representatives to the NCAA Tournament this season. Eight of the Wolverines' opponents in 2006 earned berths in the NCAA Tournament, while Michigan has already defeated three of the 16 seeded teams in this year's tourney.
Michigan has advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in five of its six postseason trips, including a second-round berth in 2004.
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
