Volleyball Earns Top Seed in National Tournament

The Truman volleyball team will return to the NCAA Div. II tournament for the 15th time in school history, as the Bulldogs will carry the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region to Allendale, Mich., for an eight-team regional that begins Nov. 20.

A send-off is planned for 4:30 p.m. Nov. 18 in Pershing Arena. Check the Master Calendar and Truman social media platforms for the latest details.

The Bulldogs, who captured the Great Lakes Valley Conference championship Nov. 15, will begin their tournament run against the Midwest’s No. 8 seed McKendree–the squad Truman defeated in five sets to win the GLVC tournament title. The Bearcats enter the tournament at 20-13 overall, having reached the 20-win mark after defeating both Rockhurst and Indianapolis en route to the GLVC championship match.

Match times for the weekend have not yet been set. All matches will take place on the campus of No. 3 seed Grand Valley (Mich.) State.
 
The Bulldogs are one of six Great Lakes Valley Conference teams to qualify, as No. 1 seed Truman, No. 4 seed Rockhurst, No. 5 seed Indianapolis, No. 6 seed Missouri S&T, No. 7 seed Lewis and No. 8 seed McKendree will all travel north to No. 3 seed GVSU. Ferris (Mich.) State, the tournament champion from the GLIAC, earned the No. 2 seed. Truman went 7-1 against the other seven teams who qualified for the Midwest regional.
 
Head coach Ben Briney’s squad enters the NCAA Div. II tournament with an overall record of 28-3, having qualified for the tournament five times during his six seasons at the helm. The 15th NCAA tournament appearance in school history carries with it an all-time program record of 23-14 in postseason play, with the Bulldogs looking to snap a five-match losing streak in tournament matches dating back to the 2008 national quarterfinals.

Full coverage of the 2014 postseason, including match information, will be made available online at TrumanBulldogs.com. The full NCAA tournament bracket is available here.