Complete Notes (pdf)
The Ichabods will face seven-time defending NCAA national champion Concordia-St. Paul Thursday at 2:30 p.m. in the first round of the NCAA Central Region tournament. Minnesota Duluth is the No. 1 team and will host all three rounds of the regional in Romano Gymnasium.
Ichablogging Weekly Notes
The Ichabods are making their 11th straight trip to the NCAA tournament and 12th overall as they head to Duluth, Minnesota, for the NCAA South Central Region tournament.
Washburn is the No. 7 seed at 24-6 overall this year. The Ichabods will face second-seeded Concordia (26-5) Thursday at 2:30 p.m. in the first round.
The winner will play at 5 p.m. Saturday in a semifinal against the No. 3 Southwest Minn./No. 6 Neb.-Kearney winner. The championship match is Saturday at 7 p.m.
WU is 11-11 in the NCAA tournament and 6-5 in the opening round. The Bods are 1-2 against CU but they have never met in the postseason.
Concordia has won seven straight NCAA national championships. The Golden Bears won their first title in 2007 in Topeka as Washburn hosted the three rounds of the NCAA national tournament.
The other half of the bracket features No. 1 Minn.-Duluth/No. 8 Ark. Tech and No. 4 Central Mo./No. 5 Wayne State (Neb.).
WU was knocked out of the NCAA tournament in the first round by Southwest Minn. last year and by UNK in 2013 in the only meetings with those two schools in the NCAA tourney.
The Bods are 1-5 against UCM in the tourney and 1-0 against Ark. Tech.
Marissa Cox is 12th in school history with 1,244 career kills. She is fifth hitting .319 in her career and 15th with 324 blocks. She's the 10th Ichabod with 1,000 career kills and 300 blocks.
Sarah Vicory's .370 attack percentage this year is currently the third best in Washburn single-season history. Her .332 career percentage will be second at WU once she has completed two seasons.
The Ichabods dropped a spot to 14th in this week's AVCA national poll. They have been ranked 146 straight times going back to 2003 and were in the top 10 in the first nine polls this year.
Ichabods headed back to Duluth to play Concordia in 11th straight NCAA tournament appearanceThe Ichabods earned the seventh seed in this year's NCAA Central Region tournament and will play second-seeded Concordia-St. Paul Thursday at 2:30 p.m. in the first round of the tournament. Washburn is making its 11th straight trip to the NCAA tournament and 12th in school history.
Minnesota Duluth is the top seed in the region and will host all three rounds of the regional at Romano Gymnasium. The Bulldogs also hosted last year's regional.
Washburn is 24-6 overall and finished tied for fourth in the MIAA at 16-6. The Golden Bears are the seven-time defending NCAA Division II national champions. They went 26-5 this year and were second in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference at 18-2.
The winner will play the winner of the No. 3 Nebraska-Kearney/No. 6 Southwest Minnesota State match on Friday at 5 p.m. The regional championship match is Saturday at 7 p.m. The winners of the eight regional tournaments will advance to the national quarterfinals in Louisville, Kentucky, and Washburn's region will play the West Region champion.
The other two matches in the Central Region on Thursday include No. 1 Concordia against No. 8 Arkansas Tech at 7:30 p.m. and No. 4 Central Missouri against No. 5 Wayne State (Neb.) at 5 p.m.
Washburn is 11-11 all-time in the NCAA tournament, 6-5 in the opening round and 9-7 in neutral sites. The Ichabods and Golden Bears have never met in the NCAA tournament but they have met three times in the regular season. Washburn won the first meeting in 2003 but has lost twice since then. The last was in in 2011.
The No. 7 seed is the lowest Washburn has been ranked entering a regional. The Ichabods were a No. 6 seed last year. They are 0-2 when facing the No. 2 seed and 1-4 overall as the underdog.
Concordia won its first of seven straight NCAA national championships in 2007 in Topeka when the Ichabods won the South Central Region and hosted the three rounds of the national tournament in Lee Arena. Washburn finished as a national semifinalist that year.
