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Cortland to Face Christopher Newport in NCAA Quarterfinals Friday Afternoon in St. Louis
The SUNY Cortland women's volleyball team will face Christopher
Newport University of Virginia in the NCAA Div. III quarterfinals
on Friday, Nov. 18, at 12:30 p.m. (CST) (1:30 p.m. EST) at
Washington University in St. Louis, Mo. The Red Dragons (42-1) are
ranked 18th nationally and are making their ninth NCAA quarterfinal
appearance overall and first since 2000. Cortland is looking to
advance to the national semifinals for the first time. The Captains
(36-4) are ranked sixth nationally and are making their ninth NCAA
appearance and their third straight quarterfinal showing.
The Cortland-Christopher Newport match is the first of four
quarterfinal contests scheduled for Friday at Washington
University. The winner will play either 20th-ranked Springfield
College (Mass.) (34-2) or ninth-ranked Carthage College (Wis.)
(33-6) in the semifinals Saturday at 3:30 p.m. (CST). Friday's
other two quarterfinals feature 11th-ranked University of St.
Thomas (Minn.) (32-4) versus fourth-ranked Eastern University (Pa.)
(35-2) and 17th-ranked California-Lutheran (29-6) versus
fifth-ranked Wittenberg University (Ohio) (34-3). The championship
match is Sunday at 5 p.m. (CST).
NCAA Div. III women's volleyball is guaranteed a new champion this
year as all eight quarterfinalists have never won a national title.
Nine schools have combined to win all 30 NCAA crowns in the sport -
Washington University with 10, California-San Diego with seven,
Central (Iowa) with three, two each by Juniata (Pa.), LaVerne
(Calif.), Elmhurst (Ill.) and Wisconsin-Whitewater, and one each by
Emory (Ga.) and 2010 champion Calvin (Mich.).
2011
NCAA Tournament Web Page
(includes link to video coverage, tournament program, live stats
and other media items)
CORTLAND TOURNAMENT NOTES (prior to NCAA
quarterfinals)
* Cortland is playing in the NCAA Div. III quarterfinals for the
ninth time in school history and the first time in 11 years. The
Red Dragons played in the “round of 8” in 1985, 1987,
1988, 1989, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2000 but have never advanced to
the national semifinals.
* Cortland is making its 23rd NCAA Div. III tournament appearance
overall and the fifth in Head Coach Pam
Hoerup's seven seasons. Previously under Hoerup, the Red
Dragons advanced to the third round in 2005 and the second round in
2006, 2007 and 2010.
* Hoerup took over as head coach in 2005 after serving as an
assistant coach for the Red Dragons in 2004 under long-time head
coach Joan Sitterly. Hoerup is a 1990 Cortland alumna and played
four seasons under Sitterly from 1986-89. Sitterly retired from
coaching following the 2004 season after 22 seasons – she was
the second NCAA Div. III coach to reach the career 800-win
mark.
* The Red Dragons enter the NCAA quarterfinals with a 42-1 record.
Cortland reached the 40-win mark for the ninth time overall and
first time since 2003. The Red Dragons have won at least 30 matches
23 times, including five years under Hoerup.
* Regardless of its NCAA tournament outcome, Cortland is
guaranteed to finish with the best winning percentage in school
history. The current record is .936 in 2003 (44-3 record). This
year's team currently has a .977 winning percentage and is
guaranteed no worse than .955.
* Cortland won its 18th State University of New York Athletic
Conference (SUNYAC) title to earn an NCAA automatic berth. Pam
Hoerup was named the SUNYAC Coach of the Year. Senior
outside hitter Ashley
Coyle was chosen as SUNYAC Eastern Division Player of the
Year and was joined on the All-SUNYAC first team by senior middle
hitter Sheena
Asibey and junior setter Kristen
Guercio. Senior middle hitter Kaitlyn
Cooper earned second-team All-SUNYAC honors. Coyle,
although a senior academically, has a year of eligibility remaining
that she plans on using next fall.
* Setter Kristen
Guercio ranks second at Cortland in career assists with
4,502 as a junior. The school record is 4,892 by Brittney Horton
(2005-08). Guercio's 1,595 assists this season are 50 shy of her
own school single-season record of 1,645 set last season.
* Outside hitter Ashley
Coyle and middle hitter Sheena
Asibey rank third and fourth, respectively, in career
kills at Cortland. Coyle has 1,349 kills in three seasons and
Asibey has 1,290 kills in four seasons. Michelle Gaufman had 1,822
kills from 2006-09 and Jessica Walker recorded 1,739 kills from
1995-98.
* Cortland opened the season with a 20-0 record, the best start in
school history. The Red Dragons lost to UMass Boston at the Stevens
Institute Ducks Invitational, but have since won 22 straight
matches. The longest winning streaks in school history are 39
matches in 2003, followed by the current 22-match streak, 21
in 2004, and 20 in both 1996 and the start of this season.
* Cortland and Christopher Newport are meeting for the first time.
Cortland is 8-4 overall vs. Springfield, with the last meeting a
3-0 Cortland win in 1997. The Red Dragons are also 1-0 vs.
Wittenberg (3-1 in 1998), 0-1 vs. St. Thomas (2-0 loss in best-of-3
games in 1986) and 0-3 vs. Eastern (3-1 losses in 2008 and 2009 and
3-0 loss in 2005). Cortland has not faced Carthage or Cal
Lutheran.
