Monday, November 17, 2014

NAMPA, Idaho - GNAC champion Northwest Nazarene University will host the NCAA Division II West Regional volleyball tournament beginning Thursday at the Johnson Sports Center.

The Crusaders (24-2), who bring an 11-match win streak into the tournament, are the No. 1 seed and will take on eighth-seed Dixie State in the last of four matches on the opening day.

In the afternoon session, No. 2 seed Alaska Anchorage (21-5) will play seventh-seed and CCAA champion Sonoma State (20-6) and #3 seed Western Washington will face #6 seed Cal State San Bernardino (21-6).  The winner of those two matches will play in the first semifinal match on Friday.

In Thursday's evening session, fourth-seed Central Washington (19-7) will play defending regional and 2014 national runnerup BYU-Hawaii (21-5) in the first match.  The CWU-BYUH winner will face the NNU-Dixie State winner in Friday's second semifinal.  BYU-Hawaii won the PacWest title.

The two semifinal winners will play Saturday for the regional championship.  The winner advances to the NCAA Division II Fall Sports Festival in Louisville, Kent., beginning Thursday, Dec.4.

NNU is making just its second-ever NCAA West Regional appearance.  Its only previous appearance came in 2007 when it was the sixth-seed and lost to third-seed UC San Diego 3-2, losing the fifth set 15-13.

The Crusaders are the first GNAC school to ever host the regional.  Since 2001, the regional has been held outside of southern California just once.  That came in 2012 when BYU-Hawaii hosted.

Concordia-St. Paul, which is ranked third in the latest AVCA national poll, has won the last seven national titles.  They beat Western Washington 3-1 in the championship match in the first of the seven in 2007.  That is the only time a GNAC team has reached the Elite Eight.

NCAA West Regional (Nov. 20-22 at Nampa): Thursday - #2 Alaska Anchorage (21-5) vs. #7  Sonoma State (20-6); #3 Western Washington (21-6) vs. #3 Cal State San Bernardino (21-6); #5 BYU – Hawaii (21-5) vs. #4 Central Washington (19-7); #1 Northwest Nazarene (24-2) vs. #8 Dixie State (20-8).  Friday – Semifinals.  Saturday – Championship match.