Toreros looking forward to a great start in NCAA Championship - Volleyball news
After closing a successful season with a record of 27-4, the women’s volleyball team of University of San Diego is ready to start the postseason journey on Friday, December 2. The 20th-ranked Toreros’ squad will strike against Long Beach State
in the first round match of the 2011 NCAA Tournament. University of California, Los Angeles will host the match. Long Beach State is ranked at No. 23 and it will be interesting to watch them playing against the Toreros.
This is the second straight year that Toreros have clawed their way to the NCAA Tournament. Overall, they will make their 15th appearance in the tournament. They are at 10-14 all-time in the tournament and have qualified for the Sweet 16 in both the 2004
and 2006 seasons. San Diego is currently playing with temporary Coach Brent Hilliard, who has a post-season record of 2-1. He served in the same capacity in 2006 and helped the Toreros to down Jacksonville, 3-0, and Blue Devils, 3-2.
Toreros have five players with All-West Coast Conference honours. The duo of sophomore middle hitters Chloe Ferrari and Katie Hoekman took the first-team honours, whereas junior libero Kandiss Anderson and junior outside hitter Amber Tatsch followed the
footsteps of their teammates. Freshman outside hitter Sandra Lozic also joined the honourees when she was named to the All-WCC Freshman Team.
Sophomore Chloe Ferrari is another good player that Toreros will be relying on. She led the team with 169 kills, 57 blocks and emerged as the second in the WCC. Overall, she led the team with 325 kills and hit for a .385 clip in the season. Ferrari will
be among the top attackers as she loves to smash the ball hard. The Toreros will surely put her up against Long Beach State, in order to get some good points.
Equally talented Katie Hoekman, a 6-1 sophomore from Folsom, California, takes home her first All-WCC honour after leading the WCC in hitting percentage at .414, while recording 154 kills and notching 45 blocks in WCC action. Overall, she led the team with
a .393 attack percentage, while placing third in kills at 262 and she led the team with 101 blocks. She is enjoying a great form and will serve as a top weapon for the team.
Sandra Lozic will also fight for the better status of Toreros. During the regular season, she busted onto the collegiate scene. Lozic dished out 162 kills in the conference play and played an important role in overall success of Toreros. She was fifth on
the team in kills with 197 with hitting percentage of .212 and also added 141 digs.
The Toreros are all ready to give out a wonderful performance at the 2011 NCAA championship. If they win the opening match, they will advance to the next stage of the tournament. Ultimately, if they keep up the momentum they will surely make it to the final
round of the championship.
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