December 07, 2003
After sweeping both Nicholls State and Wisconsin in the first two rounds of the NCAA Championship, No. 16 seed Texas A&M will now face top-seeded and defending national champion USC in the regional semifinals Friday at 4:30 p.m. at the NU Coliseum in Lincoln, Neb.
No. 8 seed UCLA takes on No. 9 seed Nebraska at 7 p.m. in the other regional match, and the two semifinal winners will battle Saturday at 7 p.m. to earn a spot in the Final Four to be contested in Dallas, Dec. 18 and 20 at Reunion Arena.
Schedule of NCAA Regional at Lincoln, Nebraska
Friday, December 12
4:30 p.m. #16 Texas A&M (23-9) vs. #1 USC (31-0)
7 p.m. #8 Nebraska (28-4) vs. #9 UCLA (23-8)
Saturday, December 13
7 p.m. Winner of Regional Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Regional Semifinal #2
A&M (23-9), which received an at-large bid after tying for third in the Big 12 Conference, is making its sixth regional appearance, including its third regional in five years. The Aggies, who also are competing in their 11th consecutive NCAA Championship and their 15th overall, advanced to the second round of the 2002 tournament before being eliminated by eventual national champion USC. It was the second consecutive year A&M was ousted by the eventual champion. The Aggies reached the regional finals in both 1999 and 2001 to mark their best tournament finish in school history.
The Aggies, who are 0-5 all-time against USC - including a 3-0 loss to the Trojans on Sept. 13 in College Station - are led by two-time all-Big 12 selection Melissa Munsch. The junior middle blocker/outside hitter is averaging team highs of 3.73 kills, 0.38 aces and 4.69 points per game and is second on the squad with 1.06 blocks per game.
USC, the Pacific-10 Conference champion, is 31-0 after sweeping both New Hampshire and No. 15 Loyola Marymount in the first two rounds in Los Angeles. The Women of Troy, who have won two NCAA titles and have made five Final Four appearances, are the only Division I team to remain undefeated this season. They have won 43 consecutive matches overall, and they need one more victory to tie the NCAA record for consecutive victories set by Penn State, Aug. 31 to Dec, 7, 1990.
USC, which is making its 13th consecutive appearance and its 21st overall appearance in the NCAA tournament, is led by Pac-10 Player of the Year April Ross. The senior outside hitter is hitting .311 while averaging 3.63 kills, 0.56 aces, 3.08 digs and 0.70 blocks per game. Head coach Mick Haley, the former longtime coach of the Texas Longhorns and the head coach of the U.S. Olympic Team at the 2000 Olympic Games, is 87-5 in his third season at the helm of the Trojans.
UCLA (23-8), ranked seventh in the USA Today/AVCA Top 25 Poll (as of Dec. 1) is making its 22nd appearance in the 23-year history of the NCAA tournament after tying for third place in the Pac-10. The Bruins, who have won three NCAA crowns (1984, 1990, 1991) and finished runner-up four times, advanced to the regional after sweeping both San Diego and UC Irvine. Head Coach Andy Banachowski is 962-243 in his 37th year at UCLA and has led the Bruins to six total national titles.
All-Pac-10 selection Brynn Murphy leads the Bruins with a .301 hitting percentage and 3.82 kills per game. The junior middle blocker was joined on the All-Pac-10 first-team by teammates Heather Cullen (2.86 kpg, 2.26 dpg), a junior outside hitter, and junior libero Chrissie Zartman (4.51 dpg).
Nebraska also is making its 22nd appearance in the NCAA tournament. The Huskers, who captured NCAA crowns in 1995 and 2000, swept both Valparaiso and Dayton in East Lansing, Mich., to advance to the third round. They are 2-0 against the Aggies this season and 11-0 all-time against A&M in Lincoln.
The Huskers, who finished second in the Big 12, are led by All-Big 12 first-team selections Melissa Elmer and Jennifer Saleaumua. Elmer, a 6-2 middle blocker, is hitting .360 and averaging 3.07 kills and 1.60 blocks per game. Saleaumua, a sophomore outside hitter, leads the Huskers with 3.28 kills and 3.87 digs per game.
Live scoring of all matches will be available at www.Huskers.com. Matt Simon will be calling the play-by-play for the Aggies and can be heard at www.AggieAthletics.com.