Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Earn At-Large Berth to NCAA Championship
11/30/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 30, 2003
2003 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament Bracket
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- For the second consecutive year, Northwestern has earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship.
The Wildcats (18-14) open NCAA tourney play at the University of Washington, playing the 14th-ranked Huskies (19-8) on Friday, Dec. 5 at Bank of America Arena. Match time is set for 7 p.m. PST. (9 p.m. CST) In the other semifinal, 13th-ranked Santa Clara (20-10) battles Utah (20-8) at 4:30 p.m. PST.
The two semifinal survivors will meet Saturday, with the winner advancing to the Long Beach Regional on Dec. 12-13.
The Wildcats are one of 33 teams to receive an at-large bid and join 31 automatic qualifiers to make up the 64-team field. Washington, which is seeded 12th among the 64 teams, also received an at-large berth, along with Santa Clara and Utah also earned at-large berths.
The Wildcats were one of seven Big Ten teams to earn an invite to this year's championship. The Big Ten led all conferences with the most tourney entrants.
Last year, Northwestern lost a five-game thriller to Missouri in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
December 4-5 at Stanford
Pacific (California) (17-13) vs. San Francisco (23-7)
Stanford (23-6) vs. Sacramento State (23-11)
December 5-6 at Washington
Santa Clara (20-10) vs. Utah (20-8)
Northwestern (18-14) vs. Washington (19-8)
December 5-6 at Minnesota
UC Santa Barbara (19-8) vs. Northern Iowa (27-5)
Minnesota (22-10) vs. Wisconsin-Green Bay (23-10)
December 4-5 at Pepperdine
Kansas (21-10) vs. Long Beach State (19-10)
Manhattan (21-13) vs. Pepperdine (25-2)
