Coyotes to hit the road
The NCAA has spoken. And it will be Concordia-St. Paul hosting the Division II Volleyball Elite Eight. Cal State San Bernardino had hoped to get the nod and it looked good for awhile.
Technically the NCAA is supposed to give each region a chance. The West hasn't had it since Cal State hosted in 2003. The Central had it two years ago when Nebraska-Kearney won it. But the NCAA felt strong enough about Concordia to give them the right again so soon.
It likely put up a pretty good guarantee since it knew it had a title contender with the current No. 1 ranking. And the Bears drew almost 2,000 for their regional final which has to carry some weight. Cal State drew 900.
This Coyote team appears focused, far more focused than any of the previous four teams i have covered. And the draw sets up favorably. First the Coyotes get California-Penn. which came out of a weak Atlantic Region.
The bottom of the bracket, from which the Coyotes potential semifinal opponent would come, had some upsets. In fact a No. 6 regional seed (Nova) advanced. The Coyotes wouldn't see the host team till the final.
The stars all seem aligned.
About Michelle
Michelle Gardner has been a staff writer for The Sun and the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin since 2002 and has covered the local college sports scene since 2004. She ventured West after working at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale for eight years and is a graduate of the University of Florida.
E-mail Michelle here.
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