Indianapolis – Daemen and Molloy are among the 64 teams selected to compete for a Division II Women’s Volleyball National Championship as the NCAA unveiled its bracket on Sunday evening.
Daemen (20-5), the defending East Region Champion, will be the No. 2 seed as they attempt to hold on to their title. The Wildcats earned the program’s fourth NCAA Championship bid by winning the ECC Championship and the accompanying automatic berth on Saturday evening.
No. 7 Saint Anselm (20-9) will be the Wildcats first round opponent. Daemen holds a 2-1 edge in the all-time series, including a four set victory earlier this season.
After a streak of three straight NCAA appearances was snapped last season, Molloy (16-11) returns to the field with an at-large bid. The Lions will take on top-seed and host American International (29-2) who won a second straight Northeast 10 Championship earlier Sunday.
AIC has dominated the all-time series between the two programs with 10 wins in 11 matchups, including a 3-0 sweep earlier this season.
Other matchups in the East Region bracket include No. 3 Bentley (23-6) taking on No. 6 Southern New Hampshire (16-7) and No. 4 Jefferson (24-6) facing off against No. 5 Adelphi (21-10).
Daemen holds a 5-1 record against other teams in the bracket with wins against Molloy (three times), Saint Anselm, and Bentley. Their loss came to AIC in five sets in a rematch of last season’s East Region Final.
Molloy holds a 1-6 record against fellow East Region participants this season. The win was over Adelphi, while losses came to Daemen, AIC, Bentley, and Saint Anselm.
The tournament will take place at Butova Gymnasium on AIC’s campus in Springfield, Massachusetts. First serve of the regional will be on Thursday, November 17. The semifinals will follow on Friday, November 18 and the tournament will wrap up with the regional final on Saturday, November 19.
To view the full NCAA Division II Volleyball Championship bracket, click here.
