Blue Hens to Face Virginia Tech in First Round; Fans Send Team Off to PSU with Spirited Support
December 1, 2010
Photo at Klondike Kate's Courtesy of Mark Campbell
Photos of team sendoff Courtesy of Nick Wallace
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INDIANAPOLIS - - The NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Committee announced the 64-team field today for the 2010 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship. The University of Delaware volleyball team draws Virginia Tech in the first round, which will be played at Pennsylvania State University on December 3, at 5 p.m.
The Blue Hens, earning the Colonial Athletic Association’s automatic qualifier after defeating Northeastern in the championship on November 21, are 26-5 overall and will be taking their 14 game winning streak into the NCAA Championships.
ALL SESSION tickets for the First and Second rounds MUST be purchased at the Bryce Jordan Center Ticket Office or by calling 814-865-5555 beginning on Monday, Nov. 29 at 10 a.m. up until Friday, Dec. 3 at 4 p.m. All session tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for youth and students with a valid college or university ID and $8 for groups of 20 or more. SINGLE SESSION tickets will only be available at Rec Hall on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 3-4, and are $8 for adults, $6 for youth and students and $5 for groups.
“Well, it’s December and we’re still playing volleyball, so that’s a good thing,” head coach Bonnie Kenny said while watching the selection show at Klondike Kate's in Newark with the team. “Chris Riley (Virginia Tech’s Head Coach) is a good friend of mine and has been doing a good job at Virginia Tech after doing a good job at Towson.”
This will be Delaware’s third trip to the NCAA Championships in the past four years, as they defeated Princeton, 3-1, before losing to St. John’s in the second round in 2007. They returned to the NCAA’s in 2008 but lost in the first round to #9 Oregon.
Virginia Tech (19-11, 10-10 ACC) earned its first ever NCAA Tournament bid after finishing in a tie for seventh in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The ACC received five bids into the tournament, as regular season winner Duke, North Carolina, Florida State and Miami also named at-large bids. The ACC does not have a conference tournament for volleyball. The conference champion is determined by the outcome of the regular season.
The Blue Hens are 0-4 all-time against the Hokies, but the two teams have not faced off since 1992. The last meeting was also in the postseason, as the Hokies defeated the Blue Hens on December 5 in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship.
Both teams squared off against three common opponents during the 2010 season, each facing Towson, Virginia and Duke. The Blue Hens defeated Towson in both meetings this year, 3-1, while dropping matches to the Virginia and Duke. The Hokies defeated Towson, 3-0, split two decisions with Duke, and swept Virginia in their two meetings.
In the final regular season RPI standings, Virginia Tech is slated at 41, followed closely by the Blue Hens 54 through games played on November 27.
The winner of the match on December 3 will take on the winner of the Niagara versus PSU matchup on December 4. Penn State and Niagara will start their match at 7 p.m. following the completion of the Blue Hens contest. Penn State is the three-time defending National Champions but had a rougher season in 2010, dropping five matches after having 109-match winning streak snapped on September 11 against #2 Stanford. The Nittany Lions (26-5, 16-4 Big Ten) won their 8th consecutive outright Big Ten title and are the fourth overall seed in the 2010 Championships. The second round matchup is slated to start at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday night. 
“It is an exciting opportunity to be one of the 64 teams remaining,” senior co-captain Greta Gibboney said. “It’s just great to still be playing. Initially, we feel that Virginia Tech is very doable and we feel good about that draw. We kind of wish we would have gotten a better draw with Penn State, but that’s not saying we can’t go up there and put up a fight and surprise some people.”
“I look forward to going up to Penn State,” continued Kenny. “It’s survive and advance time. Obviously Penn State knows how to do that and host in the NCAA’s but I am looking forward to it.”
Members of the pep band, cheerleading squad, students and administration were at the Carpenter Sports Building on Wednesday, to send the team off on their quest in the first round against Virginia Tech.
AGATE:
December 3-4 at University Park, Pennsylvania
Virginia Tech (19-11) vs. Delaware (26-5) - 5 p.m.
Niagara (25-8) vs. No. 4 Penn St. (26-5) - 7 p.m.
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