Scorpions Get 12th Seed for National Tourney
Posted November 19, 2007
The UTB/TSC Scorpions women's volleyball team received a 12th seed for the 2007 NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship Tournament November 28-December 1 in Columbia, Mo.

UTB/TSC qualified for the national tournament by completing a perfect stretch at the NAIA Region VI tournament in Lubbock Saturday, November 17. The Scorpions won all three matches by convincing 3-0 margins.

The Scorpions, 33-7 this season, were seeded 18th in the last NAIA poll released November 14. However, eight teams above the Scorpions in the rankings did not qualify for the tournament, and two teams seeded lower than the Scorpions moved ahead of them in the seeding for nationals.

There are 20 teams in the national tournament divided into five pools of four teams each. Every team plays three games within its pool, with two teams advancing into a field of 10.

As the No. 12 seed, the Scorpions were placed in Pool B with No. 2 seed California Baptist University of Region II (27-4), No. 9 seed Lewis-Clark State College of Idaho of Region I (25-6), and No. 19 seed University of Virginia College at Wise of Region XII (25-13).

Three courts will be used for pool play -- two at host Columbia College and one at nearby Stephens College.

The first three games for the Scorpions in Pool B will be as follows:

• 11:15 a.m. Wednesday, November 28 vs. Lewis-Clark, Arena

• 6 p.m. Wednesday, November 28 vs. California Baptist, Sport Court

• 3:45 p.m. Thursday, November 29 vs. Virginia-Wise, Stephens

The first-place team from Pool B advances into the quarterfinals Friday, November 30, while the second-place team advances into a First Round game at 10:30 a.m. the same day. The winner of the First Round game advances into the quarterfinals at 3:30 p.m. the same day.

The semifinals are scheduled on the morning of Saturday, December 1, with the championship match scheduled at 7:30 p.m. the same day.

The trip to the national tournament will be the first for the Scorpions since joining the NAIA in 2006. The Scorpions qualified for the national tournament when it competed as a junior college team in the NJCAA in 1988, 1991, 1995, 1998 and 2004.

The trip to the national tournament will be the second for three members of the team. Senior Ashley was a freshman with the Scorpions in their trip to nationals in 2004 in West Plains, Mo.

Juniors Claudia Alarcon and Daianarah Bracero advanced to the NJCAA national tournament in their freshman and sophomore years when they were played for Miami Dade College.