Volleyball to Participate in 1998 NCAA Tournament
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November 29, 1998
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The University of Virginia volleyball team put together one of the finest seasons in school history this season. The 1998 Cavaliers won 26 matches (26-7 overall), won two regular season tournaments, finished 12-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference and advanced to the semi-finals of the ACC Championships.
All of these accomplishments came from a team picked to finish seventh in the preseason coaches poll in the ACC. UVa’s 12 conference wins shattered the previous mark of seven victories set by the 1996 squad. Aside from the lofty figures posted by UVa this season, the ’98 Cavaliers have achieved something the 19 previous Virginia volleyball teams were unable to do, earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
UVa is headed to the 1998 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship after gathering an at-large bid. Virginia is one of 34 schools to gain an at-large bid, one of 10 schools making its first NCAA tournament appearance and one of four teams from the ACC to make the tournament this year. The championship field of 64 teams will feature 16 first and second round matches from December 3-6. Winners will advance to play in four regional tournaments (Dec. 10-13). The first and second round and regional matches are set to be played on the campuses of one of the participating institutions. The four regional winners will meet for the championship on December 17 and 19 at the University of Wisconsin in the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.
The Cavaliers will travel to Santa Barbara, Calif. to compete against UCLA (15-11) in the first round on December 5. The match is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. local time. This will be the first meeting between the two schools. The Bruins finished the regular season ranked No. 15 in the AVCA/USA Today poll and are appearing in the tournament for the 17th time.
UC Santa Barbara (26-5), the host institution, will play Santa Clara (20-9) 45 minutes following the UVa/UCLA match. The winners of both the matches will advance to play on Sunday, (Dec. 6) in the second round match which is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m.