INDIANAPOLIS - The Niagara volleyball team will face the sixth-seeded
Northern Iowa Panthers in the 2011 NCAA Tournament. The Purple Eagles
and Panthers will play on Friday, Dec. 2 at 8:30 p.m. ET in the McLeod
Center on the campus of UNI.
"We are excited to go somewhere new and not face a Big Ten team for the first time," head coach Susan Clements said. "It is always exciting to wait and see your name pop up on the screen."
The Purple Eagles were drawn into the Gainesville Regional along with Florida (24-5) and Missouri (21-12), who will play each other at 6:00 p.m. ET.
Niagara is making its third straight and third all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament; the Purple Eagles will face a non-Big Ten team for the first time. Instead, Niagara will face the three-time defending Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) champion UNI Panthers (32-1) who are currently on a 23-match winning streak, rank 12th in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll and will be making their 17th appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
"I don't know that much about them," Clements said. "I know they have been consistently ranked in the top 10 all season. They will probably be really quick and have great defense. They have knocked off some really good competition.
This will be the second-ever meeting between the two programs. Niagara fell in straight sets to the Panthers on Sept. 12, 2003 in the Radisson Invitational hosted by Western Michigan.
"We are excited to go somewhere new and not face a Big Ten team for the first time," head coach Susan Clements said. "It is always exciting to wait and see your name pop up on the screen."
The Purple Eagles were drawn into the Gainesville Regional along with Florida (24-5) and Missouri (21-12), who will play each other at 6:00 p.m. ET.
Niagara is making its third straight and third all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament; the Purple Eagles will face a non-Big Ten team for the first time. Instead, Niagara will face the three-time defending Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) champion UNI Panthers (32-1) who are currently on a 23-match winning streak, rank 12th in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll and will be making their 17th appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
"I don't know that much about them," Clements said. "I know they have been consistently ranked in the top 10 all season. They will probably be really quick and have great defense. They have knocked off some really good competition.
This will be the second-ever meeting between the two programs. Niagara fell in straight sets to the Panthers on Sept. 12, 2003 in the Radisson Invitational hosted by Western Michigan.
