November 9, 2007

NAIA Regional Tournament Preview
Written by Dave Parsons, MVNU Sports Information Director

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio – By virtue of winning the American Mideast Conference South Division regular-season title, the Mount Vernon Nazarene University women’s volleyball team will host the six-team AMC/NAIA Region IX Tournament on Friday and Saturday in the Physical Education Center.

“We feel honored to be hosting this tournament,” said MVNU head coach Paul Swanson, who is the all-time wins leader in NAIA volleyball history with 845 victories in 25 seasons of coaching.

“There should be a lot of great volleyball action and exciting matches. Whoever wins the tournament this weekend will have played very well and will have earned the title.”

The Lady Cougars, who are 35-2 overall and ranked 13th in the latest NAIA national poll, are the top seed from the AMC South Division.

Senior middle hitter Shena Beheler leads MVNU in kills (562) and blocks
(192) and ranks second in the AMC in both categories, while senior libero Tiffany Milburn is the team leader in digs (659) and aces (52).

Notre Dame College, which enters the tournament with a 21-12 overall record, is the top seed from the AMC North Division after winning the AMC North Division regular-season title. The Falcons are led by senior libero Debbie Beatty, who leads the AMC with 856 digs.

Freshman outside hitter Hailey Martin has pounded a team-high 377 kills, while sophomore setter Brittany Kelly ranks fourth in the AMC with 1,238 assists.

Walsh University enters the tournament as the second seed from the AMC South Division with a 28-7 overall record. The Lady Cavaliers, who moved up to 21st in the latest NAIA poll, are led by senior setter Jillian Barry, who leads the AMC with 1,631 assists, and senior libero Heather Hernandez, who ranks second in the AMC in digs (781). Freshman outside hitter Megan Kelly leads the team with 432 kills, while junior middle blocker Erica Parker has posted a team-best 104 blocks.

Malone College is the second seed from the AMC North Division and begins play with a 21-16 overall record. Freshman outside hitter Jennifer Gahagan leads the team with 365 kills, while freshman outside hitter Lori Ickes ranks fourth in the AMC with 75 aces. Sophomore setter Alyssa Dibell has handed out 1,260 assists, and Kristen Schoolcraft has posted a team-best 139 blocks.

Cedarville University, who has won the NAIA Region IX Tournament the past three years, enters play with a 22-11 overall record as the third seed from the AMC South Division. Senior middle hitter Sarah Zeltman leads the AMC in kills per game (4.7), ranks third in blocks (151), and ranks fourth in attack percentage (.338). Freshman setter Katie Moon is fifth in the AMC with 1,139 assists, and junior libero Libby Short has posted 476 digs.

Point Park (Pa.) University rounds out the tournament field with a 25-12 overall record as the third seed from the AMC North Division.

Junior outside hitter Erin Sneider ranks fourth in the AMC in kills per game (4.2) and third in aces per game (0.6). Junior setter Kala Schnur ranks second in the AMC in assists per game (12.5), while junior libero Ashley Santavy has registered 576 digs.

On Friday, the six teams will be divided into two pools of three with the top two teams from each pool advancing. In Pool A, MVNU will face Point Park at 11:00 a.m., followed by Malone versus Point Park at 1:15 p.m., and concluding with MVNU taking on Malone at 3:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, Pool B will feature Notre Dame versus Cedarville at 11:00 a.m., followed by Walsh against Cedarville at 1:15 p.m., and wrapping up with Notre Dame facing Walsh at 3:30 p.m.

Then, on Saturday, the top two teams from each pool will advance to the single-elimination semifinals. The Pool A winner will face the Pool B runner-up at 11:00 a.m. in the first semifinal followed by the Pool B winner versus the Pool A runner-up at 1:00 p.m. The two semifinal winners will then return at 6:30 p.m. to play in the NAIA Region IX Tournament championship match with the winner receiving an automatic berth into the NAIA National Tournament in Columbia, Missour, on November 28-December 1.

Admission to each day of the tournament is $5 for adults and $2 for students.

Notre Dame College is a co-educational liberal arts institution in South Euclid, Ohio. The Notre Dame Athletics Department sponsors the Falcons' participation in 17 men's and women's sports. The College is affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the American Mideast Conference (AMC), which is the largest NAIA conference in the country.

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