DENVER - New Mexico State and WAC Tournament Champion Hawai`i both advanced to the 2006 NCAA Volleyball Tournament. No. 21 New Mexico State volleyball meets Colorado, Thursday, Nov. 29, at the Coors Events Center in Boulder, Colo., in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Aggies earned their first at-large bid to the 64-team tournament. New Mexico State is seeking its first-ever win in the tournament. Hawai`i will travel to Long Beach, Calif. and take on Oregon in the first round.
Hawai`i just won its seventh-straight WAC Tournament and earned the 12th seed in the tournament. If the Rainbow Wahine defeat Oregon in the first round, they would take on the winner of the match between Pepperdine and host Long Beach State. If the Aggies win their first round match, they would face the winner of the match between Colorado State and sixth-seeded Washington.
In the 26-year history of the championship, ten schools have been crowned champion, nine of which are in this year’s bracket, including the defending champion University of Washington.
Additional past winners making the field are Stanford (1992, 94, 96, 97, 2001, 04), University of Hawai`i (1982, 83, 87), Long Beach State University (1989, 93, 98), UCLA (1984, 90, 91), Nebraska (1995 and 2000), University of Southern California (1981, 2002, 03), Penn State (1999), University of Texas at Austin (1988) and Washington (2005).
2006 NCAA Volleyball Tournament Bracket
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA REGIONAL
December 1-2 at Omaha, Nebraska
Nebraska (27-1) vs. American (25-6)
Winthrop (34-2) vs. UNI (27-7)
December 1-2 at Knoxville, Tennessee
Tennessee (19-11) vs. Duke (28-3)
Jacksonville St. (24-4) vs. San Diego (24-5)
November 30- December 1 at Gainesville, Florida
Florida (28-2) vs. Florida A&M (21-6)
Col. of Charleston (27-7) vs. Arizona St. (15-14)
November 30- December 1 at Albany, New York
St. John’s (N.Y.) (30-4) vs. Albany (N.Y.) (19-12)
Siena (22-12) vs. Minnesota (23-7)
HONOLULU, HAWAII REGIONAL
November 30- December 1 at Los Angeles, California
Southern California (25-4) vs. Mississippi (19-12)
UC Santa Barb. (19-11) vs. Brigham Young (24-5)
December 1-2 at Long Beach, California
Pepperdine (16-11) vs. Long Beach St. (25-5)
Oregon (17-11) vs. Hawaii (26-5)
December 1-2 at Fayetteville, Arkansas
Oklahoma (26-5) vs. Oral Roberts (26-8)
Missouri St. (26-8) vs. Arkansas (16-12)
December 1-2 at Los Angeles, California
Utah (27-3) vs. Michigan St. (19-11)
UAB (27-9) vs. UCLA (29-3)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON REGIONAL
December 1-2 at State College, Pennsylvania
Penn St. (29-2) vs. Long Island (25-10)
Cornell (18-8) vs. Hofstra (23-6)
November 30- December 1 at West Lafayette, Indiana
Kentucky (18-11) vs. Ohio (28-4)
St. Louis (22-8) vs. Purdue (21-10)
December 1-2 at Louisville, Kentucky
Ohio St. (23-7) vs. Belmont (24-6)
Middle Tenn. (26-7) vs. Louisville (25-6)
November 30- December 1 at Boulder, Colorado
Colorado (16-11) vs. New Mexico St. (33-3)
Colorado S. (20-9) vs. Washington (25-4)
AUSTIN, TEXAS REGIONAL
December 1-2 at Austin, Texas
Texas (21-6) vs. Prairie View (23-10)
Stephen F. Austin (30-3) vs. Alabama (17-12)
December 1-2 at Madison, Wisconsin
Iowa St. (20-10) vs. Wis.-Milwaukee (24-5)
Notre Dame (18-13) vs. Wisconsin (24-6)
December 1-2 at San Luis Obispo, California
Cal Poly (22-5) vs. Michigan (21-12)
California (20-9) vs. LSU (26-5)
December 1-2 at Stanford, California
Missouri (17-12) vs. Santa Clara (20-7)
Sacramento St. (30-5) vs. Stanford (25-3)