WARRENSBURG, Mo. – The No. 10 nationally ranked and No. 4 seed Winona State volleyball team begins their NCAA Division II Championship run in the Central Region Tournament today against fifth-seeded Washburn University. First serve is set for 7:30pm at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Mo.
The Warriors have put together a historic season under head coach
Joe Getzin. WSU's current 28-4 record marks the highest winning percentage (.875) during a season in program history and going 17-3 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) play set a program record with 17 conference wins. The phenomenal season earned Winona State an appearance in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the program's history.
The NCAA Central Region is arguably the toughest region in the NCAA Division II Volleyball Tournament, featuring seven teams ranked in the top-15 nationally. Central Missouri is the top seed and the host for the regional tournament.
Winona State's (28-4) first test in the gauntlet regional will be against Washburn (26-5). The Ichabods are currently ranked sixth in the nation and have been ranked in the top-10 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll all season. All five of their losses are against NCAA Tournament teams, and this year will mark Washburn's 16th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. The regional quarterfinal between the Warriors and Ichabods will be the first-ever match between the two schools.
The Warriors are led by the NSIC and Central Region Player of the Year,
Megan Flom, who is fifth in the nation in hitting percentage (.418) and leads all players in the Central Regional Tournament in kills per set (3.96) and points per set (4.72).
Madison Rizner,
Sidney Paulson, and
Madison Larson have all shown off WSU's depth as they all average more than two kills per set.
Bre Maloney has been key to Winona State's attack this season averaging 11.22 assists per set, which is the eighth best in the nation.
Becca Pagel has led the strong Warrior defense, collecting 5.20 digs per set, a mark that led the NSIC.
Casey Volkmann and
Rylee Vaughn have also been a key part of the back row, each averaging more than two digs per set.
WSU will look to earn their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory and advance to the Central Region Semifinals which will be held Friday, Dec. 3 at 7:30pm. The Central Region Championship match will take place on Saturday, Dec. 4 at 7pm.
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visit:
www.WINONASTATEWARRIORS.com and
@WinonaStateATH.
About Winona State University Athletics:
The Winona State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, as an integral part of the educational mission of the institution, is committed to offering opportunities to experience academic and athletic excellence for our student-athletes through two simple words:
Graduate Champions.
Fourteen Warrior programs compete at the NCAA Division II level within the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Winona State University competes as an affiliate member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in the sport of women's gymnastics.
