NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Interactive Bracket

Wheeling-Jesuit volleyball webpage

NCAA.com Division II women's volleyball championship home page

WEBCASTING INFORMATION
The pre-tournament press conference, and all matches in the tournament, will be webcast live as they happen.

Please check back to the link right above this text, the NCAA Division II women's volleyball championship home page, for all of the specific links to the press conference and each match.

At 6:50 p.m. PST (9:50 p.m. EST), the Chargers will be featured in a pre-tournament press conference, which will be streamed live. Head coach Chris Gravel and two players will appear at the press conference, which you can watch by checking on the link listed above.

Charger volleyball Elite Eight notes package


TICKET INFORMATION:
Tickets to the Elite Eight are $10 per day for reserved seating (chair back)
$8 per day for general admission (bench) seating
$5 per day general admission for students with proper ID, and seniors


November 22, 2011 - The 2011 Hillsdale College volleyball team is the first athletic program in school history to qualify for an NCAA Division II national championship event, thanks to its Midwest Regional championship, won last Sunday.

The Chargers are heading to the Elite Eight, to be held on the campus of Cal State-San Bernardino, and will face Wheeling-Jesuit in the national quarterfinals. The match will start at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, 5 p.m. California time, on Thursday, Dec. 1.

If Hillsdale wins, it advances to the national semifinals, against the winner of the Cal State-San Bernardino vs. Flagler match at 10:30 p.m. EST Friday (7:30 California time). The NCAA Division II Volleyball National Championship Match will be played at 10 p.m. EST Saturday.

Hillsdale (30-2 overall) enters the Elite Eight ranked 8th in the nation, and will face the Cardinals of Wheeling-Jesuit, the champions of the Atlantic Region. WJU has racked up a record of 36-3. The Cardinals were the #2 seed in the region and defeated the host school, California (Pa.) 3-1 in the championship match on Saturday.

Wheeling-Jesuit is on a 19-match winning streak, and was the champions of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Cardinals' last loss came to California (Pa.) back on Oct. 4, by a score of 3-2. Since then, Wheeling-Jesuit has lost only five sets during its 19-match winning streak.

The Chargers enter their first Elite Eight riding a 21-match winning streak, and haven't lost since Sept. 24. The team is playing its best volleyball at the best time, losing a grand total of two sets in six postseason matches, including both the conference and regional tournament. Three of those six postseason opponents were ranked in the top 20 in the nation.

The regional final win put Hillsdale at the 30-win plateau for the first time in school history. The Chargers have won three straight GLIAC Tournament championships, but had never broken through in the regional tournament until this year. The team's annual nemesis, the University of Indianapolis, was its foe in the regional final. The Chargers topped the Greyhounds in four sets to earn the trip to California.

Hillsdale runs a fast and efficient offense, led by All-Conference setter Apryl Schmucker and her talented array of hitters. Schmucker led the GLIAC in both service aces and assists this season and has enjoyed her best season in 2011, her third as a starter.

Few teams in the nation get as much production out of the middle hitter position as the Chargers. The combo of senior Clara Leutheuser and Lauren Grover present a challenge for any opponent to counter. Leutheuser, a two-time All-American, led the GLIAC in hitting percentage and blocks per set this season. Grover was equally as productive, hitting .391 for the season while averaging 0.94 blocks per set. Grover produced more kills than Leutheuser on the season, generating a career-high 290 entering the Elite Eight.

Senior outside hitter Ashlee Crowder, the Daktronics Midwest Regional Player of the Year, is one of the most decorated and highly honored athletes in school history. She has been named the GLIAC Player of the Year twice, is a two-time All-American, and was named to the Midwest Region All-Tournament Team (along with teammates Schmucker, Leutheuser and Morgan Podkul). Crowder also broke the school's all-time record for career kills in the 3-1 win over Indianapolis in the Midwest Regional Final.

Podkul and senior Brogan Wells anchor the team's defense, and both have provided top-notch serving and passing throughout the season. Wells is a team captain and has a plus-18 rating in service aces to errors. Podkul had a career-high 28 digs against the Greyhounds in the regional final.