Jan. 27, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State University and Rec Hall have been chosen as one of four host sites for the 2010 NCAA Women's Volleyball Regional Championship on Dec. 10-11, the NCAA Division I Women's volleyball Committee announced. Penn State joins Bank of America Arena and the University of Washington, Gregory Gymnasium at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton Ohio as the four pre-determined sites. The finals site for the 2010 Division I Women's Volleyball Championships was previously announced as the Sprint Center and the University of Missouri, Kansas City.
"The committee is excited to offer these opportunities to the institutions that bid on the regional championships," said Terry Gawlik, the chair of the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Committee and the associate athletics director at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. "It's great to see institutions not only willing and able to host, but also providing an avenue to expose and grow the volleyball championship across the country."
The three-time defending national champion Nittany Lions have hosted at least one round of the NCAA Tournament in 23 of the possible 29 years, including the last 20 consecutive seasons. Penn State has played 46 NCAA matches in the confines of Rec Hall since 1981 and boasts an impressive 43-3 record in those contests. Rec Hall has played host to the Regional Championships in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2005, 2007 and 2008.
"We are very honored to be chosen for the seventh time to host the NCAA Women's Volleyball Regionals," said Tim Curley, Penn State Director of Athletics. "We have an excellent tradition of volleyball here at Penn State and we are looking forward to showcasing the talents of our student-athletes once again. I am confident our staff will rise to the occasion and put on an event that will highlight the exceptional level of volleyball that each team involved will display."
The Nittany Lions and Stanford are the only two teams to participate in all 29 NCAA Tournaments since its inception in 1981. Penn State holds a 66-25 all-time record in tournament matches, including eight trips to the NCAA National Semifinals and four National Championships (1999, 2007, 2008, 2009).
"It is great to be at a university that supports the program at the level that we do here at Penn State," said head coach Russ Rose, who earned his 1,000th career win in the 2009 NCAA National Semifinal against Hawaii and owns a career-record of 1,001-159 all earned at the helm of the Penn State program. "I know the players, staff and fans will be excited about hosting a Regional in 2010. We have a significant amount of work in front of us and I know the players will especially embrace the chance to try and continue the success of past teams."
The seven-time defending Big Ten Champion Nittany Lions closed out the 2009 season winning an unprecedented third straight national title after staging a come-from-behind defeat of No. 2 Texas. Penn State finished 2009 with a perfect 38-0 record for the second consecutive season.
Sites for the 2011 NCAA Regional Championships were also announced. These include the Stephen C. O'Connell Center at the University of Florida, the Sports Pavilion at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, the Honolulu/Stan Sherriff Center at the University of Hawaii and the Memorial Coliseum at the University of Kentucky. All competition will take lace Dec. 9-10. The 2011 NCAA Championship will be hosted by the University of Texas at San Antonio and the San Antonio Sports Foundation at the Alamodome.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State women's volleyball 2009 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets and The Outlets at Hershey.