Volleyball Tournament Begins Friday

2012 Horizon League Volleyball Tournament Schedule:
Friday, Nov. 16
(5) Green Bay vs. (4) Loyola, 5:00 p.m. ET
(6) Youngstown State vs. (3) Valparaiso, 7:30 p.m. ET

Saturday, Nov. 17
Lowest seed remaining vs. (1) Cleveland State, 4:00 p.m. ET
Highest seed remaining vs. (2) UIC, 6:30 p.m. ET

Sunday, Nov. 18
Championship Match, 2:00 p.m. ET

The 2012 Horizon League Volleyball Tournament gets underway Friday afternoon at the Woodling Gymnasium on Cleveland State's campus with two quarterfinal matches.

In the opening match, fifth-seed Green Bay faces fourth-seed Loyola. The Ramblers (16-11, 8-6 HL) enter the tournament having already won 12 more matches this season than they did last year in a season that saw them finish with a 1-15 League record. Loyola was rejuvenated by a talented newcomer class, led by senior transfer Anna Eytchison, who was named Newcomer of the Year. Eytchison was joined on the League’s All-Newcomer team by teammates Brittany Brown, Stephanie Kinane and Kathleen Vogel as Ramblers comprised four of the seven slots on the team. The Phoenix (15-13, 6-8 HL) are led by All-League members Brittany Groth and Carmen Leitermann. Groth led the Horizon League for the second consecutive season in digs, averaging 6.27 per set, while Leitermann led the Green Bay attack with 292 kills and a .284 hitting percentage.

The two teams split their regular season matches with Loyola coming back from a 2-0 deficit to win in five sets at home on Oct. 6. The Phoenix won their home match against the Ramblers, sweeping Loyola, 3-0, on Nov. 2.

In the second quarterfinal match, sixth-seed Youngstown State takes on third-seed Valparaiso. Youngstown State (15-13, 5-9 HL) is making its first tournament appearance since the 2008 season as the Penguins have already won 10 more matches this season than last year in head coach Mark Hardaway’s first season with the program. Missy Hundelt represented YSU on the All-League team. The junior had a team-high 362 kills in the regular season, averaging 3.45 kills per set to rank fourth in the conference. Valparaiso (20-11, 10-4) enters the tournament having won seven of its last eight matches to extend its streak of 20+ win seasons to 11. Valpo senior Taylor Root was named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year for the third consecutive season, a first in League history, after leading the Crusaders with an average of 5.75 digs per set. She is joined on the conference’s All-League team by teammates Ellen Vanden Berg and Morgan Beil.

Valparaiso won both regular season matches between the two programs, dropping the Penguins by the same score, 3-1, on Oct. 6 and Nov. 2.

The lowest seed to advance to the semifinals from Friday’s matches will play top-seed and host Cleveland State Saturday at 4 p.m. ET, while the highest seed to advance to the semifinals will face second-seed UIC at 6:30 p.m. ET.