SEATTLE, Wash. - Despite ending the season on a four-match winning streak, including victories against nationally ranked Central Washington and at Western Oregon this past weekend, the Seattle University volleyball team was not selected for the 2006 NCAA Division II Volleyball Tournament. Those selections were announced Sunday night by the NCAA National Office in Indianapolis, Ind.
Seattle finished the regular season with a 19-8 record, including a 9-7 record in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, tied for fourth in the conference standings. The three teams that finished ahead of the Redhawks, GNAC champion Seattle Pacific along with Western Washington and Central Washington, were among the eight teams picked to participate in the Pacific Regional, to be hosted by Cal State Bernardino beginning next Thursday.
Central Washington, the eighth seed in the Pacific Region, probably was chosen over Seattle University, thanks to a couple of factors the selection committee may have discussed. First, the one-game difference between the Wildcats and the Redhawks in the conference standings came as a result of Central Washington defeating Alaska-Fairbanks on the road on Sept. 7, while Seattle lost to the Nanooks in Fairbanks on Oct. 21. The two teams split their season series, and each team lost twice to Western Washington, twice to Seattle Pacific, and at Northwest Nazarene.
Second, on the weekend of Sept. 1-2, Central Washington and Seattle University both traveled to tournaments and won all four matches they played. However, as it turned out, the Wildcats went to Connecticut and defeated Bentley and New Haven, two teams that were selected to the NCAA Tournament in the Northeast Region, with Bentley as the #2 seed and New Haven as the #3 seed and host of the region. Unfortunately for Seattle, none of the four teams it defeated at the Colorado School of Mines Tourney were selected for the national tournament.
Even though the team is disappointed about not being selected, it can point to several accomplishments during the 2006 season. The Redhawks earned a 9-2 non-conference record, the best non-conference record since 2002. The 18-9 overall record is the best in head coach Shannon Ellis' three seasons at Seattle, and it's the fifth consecutive winning season for the Redhawk program. Seattle can boast victories over tournament teams Cal State Los Angeles and Central Washington, as well as an 8-2 record at the Connolly Center and a 6-1 record against opponents on a neutral court.
Individually, Melissa Mulick (Gaston, Ore.) completed her collegiate career by breaking the Seattle record for most digs in a match (41 at Colorado School of Mines on Sept. 2) and most digs in a season (637). Nikole Thompson (Marysville, Wash.) established herself as one of the top all-around players in the conference, as she is presently tied for third in the GNAC in kills per game (3.88), 15th in aces per game (0.35), and 19th in digs per game (3.07).
In the same match against Adams State on Sept. 1, two school records were broken by members of the 2006 squad. Jenny Burrows (Reno, Nev.) set a new school record for hitting percentage in a match, notching 13 kills in 18 attempts with no errors for a .722 hitting percentage. Senior Marisa Vierra (Oakland, Calif.) made sure she didn't leave Seattle without putting her name in the record book, earning eight service aces to set a new single-match aces record at Seattle.
While the Redhawks will miss the defense of Mulick and the serving and setting ability of Vierra, 12 players who saw action in 2006 are eligible to return for the 2007 season, giving Coach Ellis the experience needed to continue the improvement of the program, with the goal of earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament now within reach.