CHICAGO — The Cal Lutheran Regals volleyball team is making its 18th appearance in the NCAA Division III Championship and will take on Illinois Wesleyan in the first round Friday afternoon at 1 p.m. Pacific Standard Time in Ratner Athletics Center.
The Matchup
This is the first ever meeting between the Regals and Titans. Cal Lutheran enters the tournament winning eight of its last 10 games and has a record of 18-11. A key win was against then No. 2, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, which are now ranked No. 6. CLU has also taken down the current No. 2 team, Johnson & Wales. The defeat is the Wildcats only loss this season. The Regals received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Illinois Wesleyan carries a 20-game winning streak into the tournament and has a record of 25-5. IWU impressive games are a 3-1 win against then No. 5 Emory and a 3-2 victory over then No. 6 Trinity. The Titans won the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin as they punched their ticket for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Players to Watch
Cal Lutheran's Amanda Roberts and Maci Haddad were both named to the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) First Team. Roberts tallied 3.10 kills per set and 3.03 digs per set. Haddad adds 2.54 kills per set and hits with a .358 clip. Her attacking percentage ranks 29thin the nation. She also ranks 27thin the nation with 1.07 blocks per set.
The Regals share time at the setter position between Jennifer Kent and Steph Rolfson. Second Team All-SCIAC honoree, Rolfson, averages 7.59 assists per set. Kent dishes out 5.05 per set. She has recorded a double-double for assists and digs in four straight matches.
Carly Rose Howard is the libero for CLU. She has tallied 454 digs on the year and averages 4.20 per set. Her 454 digs are the sixth-most for a season in program history. Sarah Hein is next and has tied Roberts with 3.03 digs per set and Jordan MacArthur is next with 2.70.
The Titans' offense is led by Tyler Brown and Rachel Burkman who tally 3.80 and 3.50 kills per set, respectively. IWU uses two different setters as Leah Seielstad and Madi Corey split time at the position. Brown also adds 4.87 digs per set. Heidi Dague is their threat at the net and blocks back 0.91 per set.
Match Schedule
- Friday, Nov. 9 @ 12:30 PM – Washington University – St. Louis vs. Cornell College
- Friday, Nov. 9 @ 3:00 PM – Illinois Wesleyan University vs. Cal Lutheran
- Friday, Nov. 9 @ 5:30 PM – Trinity (Texas) University vs. Aurora University
- Friday, Nov. 9 @ 8:00 PM – UChicago vs. University of Dubuque
- Saturday, Nov. 10 @ 2:30 PM – Regional Semifinal
- Saturday, Nov. 10 @ 5:00 PM – Regional Semifinal
- Sunday, Nov. 11 @ 1:00 PM – Regional Championship
NCAA D3 Volleyball: 2018 Bracket
Regional Website: 2018 NCAA Regional (Chicago, Ill.)
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director
