Purple Eagles ready to rumble with Panthers at 2011 NCAA Tournament - Volleyball
Following the successful completion of the regular season of volleyball, the women’s volleyball squads from different schools are ready to take part in the upcoming National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament. Teams from Niagara University
and Northern Iowa are scheduled to meet on Friday, December 2, at the McLeod Centre in Northern Iowa University campus for the first round match.
The Purple Eagles of Niagara finished off the 2011 regular season with outstanding win/loss ratio of 25-8 and 17-1 conference record. It will mark Eagles’ third straight and third all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament, this year. However, it will be
the first time that Eagles will take a non-Big Ten team, the Uni Panthers of Northern Iowa University.
The Purple Eagles are headed by Coach Susan Clements, who has helped the team to achieve great success in 2011. NCAA Tournament will be another test of her abilities and team-management skills. Susan disclosed her thoughts about the upcoming volleyball scrimmage
in the following manner: "We are excited to go somewhere new and not face a Big Ten team for the first time. It is always exciting to wait and see your name pop up on the screen."
The University of Northern Iowa women's volleyball squad is regarded as the 6th-seeded team in the 2011 NCAA Volleyball Tournament. The UNI Panthers enjoyed a great form and dropped only one match during the regular season. They ended up the season
with an overwhelming record of 32-1 and also emerged as the winner of Missouri Valley Conference (MVC). They will make their 17th NCAA Tournament appearance and it's the sixth time that the Panthers have served as a first/second round host.
Bobbi Petersen is the woman behind the success of Panthers and she is making her 9th trip as the Panthers' head coach. Panthers’ 23-match winning streak in the 2011 is entirely credited to great hard work of Miss Petersen. Panthers are up to take up the
challenge at the NCAA Tournament. They have all necessary tools and tricks of the game to beat any good team in the tournament.
Speaking of Uni Panthers, the head coach of Eagles added: "I don't know that much about them. I know they have been consistently ranked in the top 10 all season. They will probably be really quick and have great defence. They have knocked off some really
good competition.”
This is going to be the second-ever meeting between Eagles and Panthers. Previously, they met in September, 2003 at the Radisson Invitational hosted by Western Michigan. Back then, the Purple Eagles lost the fight, while Panthers scored a straight-set win.
Once again, the two will face each other. The Eagles are very much in the need of taking advantage of the opportunity to take revenge from the Panthers. Nevertheless, there is extremely no telling about the potential winner of the match. The prospects are
high that Eagles will have to do extraordinary well, in order to shut down Panthers.
In the other matches of first round of NCAA Tournament, the Missouri Tigers (21-12) will cross their ways with the Florida Gators.
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