NCAA Tournament: Kansas Selected to Host For Second-Straight Season
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LAWRENCE, Kan. – The 21st-ranked Kansas volleyball team was named the overall No. 14 seed, and will serve as an NCAA Tournament First and Second Round host for the second-straight season, Dec. 6 – Dec. 7, in Allen Fieldhouse.
Setting up a classic storyline, the Jayhawks will welcome Wichita State back to Lawrence – who ended Kansas’ season a year ago inside the same building. The Jayhawks and Shockers will square off in the first round, Friday, Dec. 6 at 6:30 p.m. Joining WSU in the bracket are Creighton and Arkansas. The winner will advance to the Los Angeles Regional hosted by USC, Dec. 13-14.
NCAA First & Second Round Schedule (Lawrence, Kan.)
Match 1: Friday, Dec. 6, 4 p.m.: (2) Creighton vs. (3) Arkansas
Match 2: Friday, Dec. 6, 6:30 p.m.: (4) Wichita State vs. (1) Kansas
Match 3: Saturday, Dec. 7, 6:30 p.m.: Match 1 Winner vs. Match 2 Winner
ABOUT KANSAS
The Jayhawks completed the regular season 23-7 overall and 12-4 in the Big 12 Conference, which landed Kansas a second-place league finish – the highest in program history. Although KU snapped a four-match win streak in its last outing at Oklahoma on Saturday, the Jayhawks may actually have momentum on their side. Dating back to the 2011 season (a 64-match span), Kansas has lost back-to-back matches only once.
Led by 16-year head coach Ray Bechard, Kansas will make its second-consecutive, and fifth overall, NCAA Tournament appearance. All five tournament berths have occurred in the Bechard era (2003, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2013).
ABOUT WICHITA STATE
The Shockers finished the regular season 28-6 overall with a 15-3 record in the Missouri Valley Conference, which gave them a share or the regular-season title. WSU then went on to lock up its bid by winning the MVC Tournament Championship, defeating Southern Illinois.
Led by 14-year head coach Chris Lamb, Wichita State is making its eighth trip to the NCAA Tournament and its seventh-straight appearance. Seniors Ashley Andrade and Chelsey Feekin were named the MVC Co-Players of the Year and lead the team from the middle blocker and setter positions, respectively.
FOLLOW THE TOURNAMENT
Each of the Lawrence, Kan., first and second round matches will webstream live on NCAA.com and KUAthletics.com free of charge. Coverage updates will be provided later in the week and by following @KUVolleyball on Twitter.
SELECTION PROCESS
The Division I Women’s Volleyball Committee selected the 64-team field from 328 NCAA Division I institutions that sponsor women’s volleyball. Kansas was one of 33 teams to receive an at-large bid. The other 31 teams were automatic qualifiers.
FIRST AND SECOND ROUND
First and second round competition of the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship will be held at 16 campus sites Dec. 5-6 or Dec. 6-7, including Lawrence. Winners advance to four regional tournaments.
REGIONALS
Regionals for the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship will be held Dec. 13-14. The four predetermined sites are: Galen Center (USC) in Los Angeles, Calif., Memorial Coliseum (University of Kentucky) in Lexington, Ky., State Farm Center (University of Illinois) in Champaign, Ill., and Bob Devaney Sports Center (University of Nebraska) in Lincoln, Neb. Each quarterfinal winner will advance to semifinal action of the 2013 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship in Seattle, Wash., on Dec. 19.
CHAMPIONSHIP
The 2013 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship will be held at the KeyArena at Seattle Center in Seattle, Wash. Quarterfinal winners will compete in semifinal matches held Dec. 19. The national championship match of NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball will be played Dec. 21.
TELEVISION
All regional semifinal games will be shown on ESPN3. Regional final games will air on ESPNU. The regional winners will advance to the semifinals and final hosted by Washington and at KeyArena in Seattle, Wash., on Dec. 19 and 21. Both national semifinal games, as well as the championship game. will be broadcast by ESPN2. All regional and championship site game times can be found on the attached championship bracket or online at www.ncaa.com/wvb.
KANSAS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
2003 (1-1): In its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance Kansas swept Long Beach State in the first round match in Malibu, Calif. In the second round, top-seeded Pepperdine won its 25th-straight match that season to knock KU out of the tournament.
2004 (1-1): Kansas defeated Santa Clara in four sets in the first round in Seattle, Wash. In the second round, KU came back from an 0-2 deficit but fell in five sets to Washington.
2005 (0-1): After a 15-15 season, an injury-depleted Jayhawk roster fell in the first round to UCLA, 3-1.
2012 (1-1): Posting the best winning percentage in program history (.788), Kansas earned a No. 11 overall seed and first and second round hosting rights. The Jayhawks welcomed more than 8,000 fans to Allen Fieldhouse over the two-day tournament, which saw KU defeat Cleveland State in the first round and fall to Wichita State in the second.
2013 AT A GLANCE
- Kansas completed its mission of doing what no other Jayhawk volleyball team has – finish second in the Big 12 Conference. The Jayhawks did so with a 12-4 league record, second only to defending national champion Texas, who finished 16-0.
- KU played in front of nearly 4,000 fans on Nov. 26 when the program hosted a Fan Appreciation Night against Denver inside Allen Fieldhouse – the seventh-largest crowd to watch a KU home match.
- KU is 29-5 dating back to its 2011 Senior Day match and the Jayhawks are 10-3 overall at home in 2013.
- The Jayhawks collected their first back-to-back 1,600-kill seasons for the first time since 2004 and 2005.
- KU has moved up in the AVCA Top-25 Poll every week for the last five weeks. Last week Kansas was ranked No. 21 (11/25), marking the seventh week Kansas has been on the national poll this season. The Jayhawks have been on the poll or receiving votes in 20 of the last 23 weeks.
- Kansas finished the regular season at No. 12 in the NCAA RPI. The Jayhawks have not been outside the RPI’s top-20 in the last two years.
- Kansas ranks in the top-25 in the NCAA in kills (14.48, 13th NCAA), assists (13.56, 14th NCAA) and hitting percentage (.263, 24th NCAA). Additionally, KU’s 2.65 blocks per set is 38th-best in the country. (NCAA Stats Released: 11/28)
- Kansas played 14 matches against 10 teams included in this season’s NCAA Tournament field, going 7-7 in those matches.
REGION-BY-REGION BREAKDOWN
**Teams in Italics represent 2013 KU opponents
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
Dec. 5-6 at Seattle, Wash.
Washington vs. Alabama State
LSU vs. Michigan
Dec. 5-6 at Lawrence, Kan.
Creighton vs. Arkansas
Wichita State vs. Kansas
Dec. 5-6 at Honolulu, Hawaii
Hawaii vs. Idaho State
Arizona State vs. BYU
Dec. 5-6 at Los Angeles, Calif.
Colorado State vs. CSU Northridge
New Hampshire vs. USC
LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY REGIONAL
Dec. 5-6 at Stanford, Calif.
Stanford vs. Hampton
Alabama vs. Oklahoma
Dec. 5-6 at Minneapolis, Minn.
Iowa State vs. Colorado
Radford vs. Minnesota
Dec. 5-6 at Lexington, Ky.
Kentucky vs. Duquesne
Ohio vs. Michigan State
Dec. 6-7 at University Park, Pa.
Utah vs. Yale
LIU Brooklyn vs. Penn State
CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS REGIONAL
Dec. 5-6 at Gainesville, Fla.
Florida vs. Jacksonville
Georgia Southern vs. Florida State
Dec. 6-7 at Madison, Wis.
North Carolina vs. California
Milwaukee vs. Wisconsin
Dec. 6-7 at Champaign, Ill.
Illinois vs. Morehead State
Louisville vs. Marquette
Dec. 6-7 at Columbia, Mo.
Purdue vs. Central Arkansas
IUPUI vs. Missouri
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA REGIONAL
Dec. 5-6 at Austin, Texas
Texas vs. Texas State
UTSA vs. Texas A&M
Dec. 6-7 at Durham, N.C.
Georgia vs. American
Duke vs. College of Charleston
Dec. 5-6 at San Diego, Calif.
San Diego vs. UC Santa Barbara
New Mexico State vs. Arizona
Dec. 6 at Lincoln, Neb.
Oregon vs. Miami (Fla.)
Fairfield vs. Nebraska
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