The UMSL Tritons are 33-1 and were named the No. 2 seed for the upcoming NCAA Championships. (Photo: Cedric Williams)
Nora Nichols
Staff Writer
Fresh off of winning its second straight NCAA Midwest Regional Women’s Volleyball championship, the University of Missouri-St. Louis Tritons found out late Sunday evening that they had been named the No. 2 seed in the upcoming NCAA Championships in Moon Township, Pa.
All eight Division II regionals concluded on Saturday, with the winners advancing to the national quarterfinals this coming weekend. For that event, the teams were re-seeded and matched up accordingly to determine opponents and game times.
UMSL, which was the No. 1 seed for the Midwest Regional, was seeded No. 2 for the national quarterfinals — also known as the Elite Eight.
The University of Tampa, the No. 1 seed and winners of the South Regional, was named the No. 1 overall seed for the Elite Eight. The Spartans swept all three of their matches to win the South Regional.
Wayne State, which won the Central Regional, was named the No. 3 seed and West Texas A&M, last year’s D2 national champions, was named the No. 4 seed.
Other teams to advance to the Elite Eight, include Clarion (No. 5), Cal State-Los Angeles (No. 6), Anderson (No. 7), and Bentley (No. 8).
UMSL will play Anderson in the national quarterfinals on Thursday, December 7. That match will be the second match of the day and is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m.
The winner will advance to the national semifinals — also known as the Final Four — and play the winner of the first match of the day between Wayne State versus Cal State-LA. The Final Four games will be on Friday, December 8.
The two semifinal winners will move on to the D2 national championship game, which is scheduled for Saturday, December 9.
NCAA Division II Women’s Volleyball Elite Eight Seedings
- Tampa (31-1)
- UMSL (33-1)
- Wayne State (31-2)
- West Texas A&M (31-3)
- Clarion (28-6)
- Cal State-LA (21-10)
- Anderson (28-5)
- Bentley (25-6)
2023 NCAA Division II Women’s Volleyball Tournament
Quarterfinals – Thursday, December 7 – Moon Township, Pa. (UPMC Events Center)
Match 1 – No. 3 Wayne State (31-2) vs. No. 6 Cal State-LA (21-10) – 11 am
Match 2 – No. 2 UMSL (33-1) vs. No. 7 Anderson (28-5) – 1:30 pm
Match 3 – No. 4 West Texas A&M (31-3) vs. No. 5 Clarion (28-6) – 4 pm
Match 4 – No. 1 Tampa (31-1) vs. No. 8 Bentley (25-6) – 6:30 pm
Semifinals – Friday, December 8 – Moon Township, Pa. (UPMC Events Center)
Semifinal 1 – Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner – 4 pm
Semifinal 2 – Match 3 winner vs. Match 4 winner – 6:30 pm
Championship Game – Saturday, December 9 – Moon Township, Pa. UPMC Events Center)
Championship Game – Semifinal 1 winner vs. Semifinal 2 winner – 4 pm