WAC Announces Bracket for 2020-21 Volleyball Tournament
WAC Announces Bracket for 2020-21 Volleyball Tournament
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DENVER – The Western Athletic Conference has announced the bracket for the 2020-21 WAC Volleyball Tournament to be held on April 1-3 at Lockhart Arena in Orem, Utah.
NM State is the top seed for the second consecutive year after winning its seventh WAC regular-season title since joining the league in 2005 and fifth in the last six years. The Aggies finished 13-1 in conference play and are led by senior outside hitter Savannah Davison who ranks fifth in the conference in kills per set (3.18). Teammate Lia Mosher ranks second in hitting percentage (.417) and sixth in blocks per set (1.09), while Shaney Lipscomb posted the third-best hitting percentage in the WAC at .337. As a team, the Aggies rank first in hitting percentage (.302), kills per set (15.16) and assists per set (14.02).
Grand Canyon is heading to Orem as the No. 2 seed for the second straight year after finishing 11-3 in WAC play. Senior outside hitter Yeny Murillo leads the way for the Lopes as she ranks first among WAC hitters in kills per set (4.33) and points per set (4.7). Hannah Eskes stands alongside Murillo and averages 1.42 blocks per set to lead the conference. K.J. Adams and Klaire Mitchell are also a large part of GCU's success as Adams ranks first in digs per set (5.02) while Mitchell sits atop the league in assists per set (11.89).
The third seed goes to host Utah Valley as they finished the year with a 12-4 WAC record. The Wolverines are led by junior outside hitter Kazna Tanuvasa who ranks fourth in kills per set (3.54) and points per set (3.9). Seren Jardine is at the center of the UVU defense and averages 4.60 digs per set to rank fifth in the WAC. Meanwhile, Kendra Nock averages 1.32 blocks per set to rank second in the conference.
UT Rio Grande Valley is the No. 4 seed. The Vaqueros are led by sophomore outside hitter Victoire Nama, who averaged 2.80 kills per set against conference opponents to rank 10th. Veronika Jandova averaged 2.47 kills per set on a team-best .277 hitting while Mackenzie Coates finished the year ranked third in assists per set in WAC matches at 8.17.
Chicago State will make their WAC Tournament debut as they claim the fifth seed. The Cougars are led by sophomore outside hitter Yanlis Feliz who is one of the top attackers in the WAC, ranking second in kills per set (3.67). Chicago State middle blocker Berenice Almeyda heads to the WAC tournament averaging 2.54 kills per set on a WAC-best .422 hitting.
The tournament begins on Thursday, April 1, with the first match at 4 p.m. local time. All matches will be shown live on ESPN+. International viewers can watch matches on the WAC Digital Network at www.wacdigitalnetwork.com.
Thursday, April 1
Match One: No. 4 UT Rio Grande Valley vs. No. 5 Chicago State, 4 p.m.
Friday, April 2
Match Two: No. 2 Grand Canyon vs. No. 3 Utah Valley, 2 p.m.
Match Three: Winner Match One vs. No. 1 NM State, 5 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 23
Championship Match: Winner Match Two vs. Winner Match Three, 2 p.m.