Nov. 25, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
2007 NCAA Tournament Bracket in PDF Format
The Big Ten champion Penn State women's volleyball team (28-2, 20-0) earned the No. 3 overall seed in the 2007 NCAA Tournament and will host MAAC champion Siena (24-7) on Friday, Nov. 30 at 7:30 p.m. at Rec Hall. America East champion Albany (23-9) and Horizon champion Cleveland State (23-8) square off at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The winners of each of the matches will meet in the NCAA Second Round contest at 7:00 p.m. at Rec Hall on Saturday, Dec. 1. Penn State will also host the NCAA Regional Championship on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 7-8 at Rec Hall.
"The key to the national championship is how you play, not who you play," said head coach Russ Rose. "You're going to have to beat a good team to make it to the national semifinals, and we're just going to take it one match at a time. I'm very appreciative that the University supports our program and gives us the opportunity to play these important matches at home."
The Nittany Lions will be making their 27th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament and are one of only two programs in the nation (Stanford) to be selected to every postseason event since its inception in 1981.
"I like all of the excitement surrounding the NCAA Tournament," said junior middle hitter Christa Harmotto (Aliquippa, Pa.). "It's all up to whoever plays well at the right time. Anything can happen and the team who gets hot is the one who will make a run."
Penn State is one of six Big Ten teams to make the tournament cut. In a 64-team field where only the top 16 teams are seeded, the Nittany Lions join No. 7 seed Wisconsin (25-4), Minnesota (18-12), Purdue (18-13), Michigan (22-10) and Michigan State (19-13).
The Nittany Lions have earned the right to host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament 21 times since 1981, including the last 18 seasons. Penn State has compiled an overall record of 48-25 in the event, including five trips to the NCAA Semifinals (1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999) and one National Championship (1999). Penn State is 32-3 in NCAA Tournament matches at Rec Hall.
The winner of the Penn State first and second round NCAA site will remain at Rec Hall for the NCAA Regional Championship on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 7-8. The Penn State site winner will play the site winner from Ann Arbor, Mich., which features Michigan, Miami (Ohio), Illinois State and No. 14 seed Colorado State. The other Regional Semifinal match will feature the Louisville, Ky., site winner (No. 11 Hawaii, Louisville, Middle Tennessee, Tennessee State) and the Seattle, Wash., site winner (No. 6 Washington, BYU, Ole Miss, Missouri).
The winners from each of the four Regional sites (University Park, Pa., Gainesville, Fla., Madison, Wis., Stanford, Calif.) will advance to the NCAA National Semifinal, to be held on Thursday, Dec. 13 at ARCO Arena in Sacramento, Calif., with the National Championship match slated for Saturday, Dec. 15.
ALL SESSION tickets for the First and Second rounds MUST be purchased at the Bryce Jordan Center Ticket office or by calling 814-865-555 or 1-800-863-3336 beginning at 10 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 26 up until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 30. All session tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for senior citizens, youth and students with a valid college or university ID. SINGLE SESSION tickets WILL ONLY be available at Rec Hall on Friday and Saturday and are $7 for adults and $5 for senior citizens, youth and students.
The Nittany Lions captured their fifth consecutive and 11h overall Big Ten title with wins over Ohio State and Michigan last week and became the fourth team in program history to record a perfect 20-0 record in the Big Ten.
University Park, Pa., Regional Pairings:
Nov. 30-Dec. 1 at Penn State
Albany (23-9) vs. Cleveland State (23-8), 5:00 p.m. ET
Siena (24-7) vs. Penn State (28-2), 7:30 p.m. ET
Winners play Saturday, Dec. 1 at 7:00 p.m. ET
Nov. 30-Dec. 1 at Michigan
Illinois State (21-11) vs. Colorado State (22-7), 5:30 p.m. ET
Miami (Ohio) (20-10) vs. Michigan (22-10), 7:30 p.m. ET
Winners play Saturday, Dec. 1 at 7:00 p.m. ET
Nov. 30-Dec. 1 at Louisville
Hawaii (26-5) vs. Tennessee State (20-13), 4:00 p.m. ET
Middle Tennessee (33-2) vs. Louisville (22-7), 7:00 p.m. ET
Winners play Saturday, Dec. 1 at 7:00 p.m. ET
Nov. 30-Dec. 1 at Washington
BYU (21-7) vs. Mississippi (25-7), 4:30 p.m. PT
Missouri (17-12) vs. Washington (26-3), 7:00 p.m. PT
Winners play Saturday, Dec. 1 at 5:00 p.m. PT
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.