• Tournament Central

WHEELING, W.Va. (Nov. 14) - The 2018 Atlantic Regional Volleyball Tournament returns to the Alma Grace McDonough Center from November 15-17, with top-seed Wheeling Jesuit serving as the host for the event.

The Cardinals received their seventh-consecutive bid to host the regional tournament after posting a 34-3 overall record. The Cardinals will face Shaw (23-8), the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) champion, on Thursday in the first round.

The other opening round matches on Thursday include third-seeded Seton Hill (24-8), the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Champion, versus California (Pa.) (20-12) at 12 p.m., second-seeded Gannon (30-2) against Shepherd (20-12) at 2:30 p.m., and fourth-seeded Shippensburg (25-7) against Clarion (21-11) at 5 p.m.

The winner from the Atlantic Regional advances to the national quarterfinals in Pittsburgh at the A.J. Palumbo Center, as part of the 2018 NCAA Division II Fall Festival. Teams advancing to the final site will be reseeded before the quarterfinals.

Below are previews of each of the eight participating teams: 
 
No. 1 Wheeling Jesuit
The Cardinals earned the automatic bid out of the Mountain East Conference (MEC) after winning its league title for the sixth-straight year (since its inception). Wheeling Jesuit leads Division II in both kills per set (15.49) and assists per set (14.98), yet curiously ranks 290^thout of 290 schools in the country with 0.60 aces per set. Defensively, they rank seventh in digs per set (20.57) and 20^thin blocks per set (2.35). Haley Kramer, both the MEC and D2CCA Atlantic Region Player of the Year, leads the team with a .397 hitting percentage (eighth in D2) and 1.26 blocks per set (22^ndin D2). MEC Libero of the Year Audrey Francis ranks ninth in the country with 6.26 digs per set, while Cassie Meyer sits 12^thwith 4.35 kills per set.
 
No. 8 Shaw
The Bears earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Tournament after winning the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) championship and come in as the No. 8 seed. Shaw ranked first in the CIAA for aces per set, assists per set, hitting percentage, and kills per set. The Bears currently have 2.27 aces per set, ranking the team fourth in the nation. Keveesha Wattley was named the 2018 CIAA Tournament MVP, CIAA Offensive Player of the Year, and CIAA First Team All-Conference. Kelly Murphy earned CIAA Defensive Player of the Year and CIAA First Team All-Conference with 4.56 digs per set. 
 
No. 4 Shippensburg
The Raiders earned the No. 4 seed in the Atlantic Region after losing to No. 3 Seton Hill in the semifinal round of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) tournament. Shippensburg ranked first in the PSAC for assists per set and digs per set. The team is currently ranked fourth in the nation with 21.12 digs per set. Morgan DeFloria and Emily Hangen earned All-PSAC First Team honors. Emily Hangen ranked first in the PSAC and 21st in the nation with 11.15 assist per set, while Morgan DeFloria ranked in the top-10 in the PSAC for kills per set (3.52) and hitting percentage (.292).
 
No. 5 Clarion
The Golden Eagles earned the No. 5 seed in the Atlantic Region after losing to No. 3 Seton Hill in the quarterfinals of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) tournament. Clarion ranked third in the PSAC for assists per set (12.28) and kills per set (13.01). Redshirt sophomore Chrissy Cotton was named PSAC Defensive Player of the Year and is currently seventh in the nation with 6.36 digs per set. Julia Holden, a First Team All-PSAC selection, ranks 34th in the nation for kills per set (3.83).
 
No. 2 Gannon
The Knights earned the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic Region after finishing as the runner-up in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) tournament. Gannon ranked first in the PSAC for aces per set, hitting percentage, and kills per set while ranking second for assists per set and blocks per set. The team is currently ranked second in the nation with 2.37 aces per set. Lauren Sampson was named PSAC Freshman of the Year and earned PSAC First Team All-Conference ranking in the top-15 in the PSAC for aces per set (0.44) and kills per set (3.24). Ashley Beyers also earned PSAC First Team All-Conference honors, ranking first in the PSAC and fourth in the nation with 0.58 aces per set and third in the PSAC for assists per set (10.43).
 
No. 7 Shepherd
The Rams earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Tournament as the No. 7 seed. Shepherd ranked first in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) for aces per set (1.84) and third for hitting percentage (.212). Peyton Lindblad earned All-MEC First Team honors after ranking in the top-five in the MEC for aces per set (0.39) and kills per set (3.69). Cambriea Hill and Imani Major were both named All-MEC Second Team. Hill ranked in the top-10 in the MEC for aces per set, attacks per set, and kills per set while Major ranked fourth in the conference with 5.16 digs per set. 
 
No. 3 Seton Hill
The Griffins earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Tournament after winning the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) championship and come in as the No. 3 seed. Seton Hill ranks second in the PSAC for hitting percentage (.220) and third for blocks per set (2.10) and digs per set (18.16). Viktoria Farian was named PSAC Athlete of the Year and earned PSAC First Team All-Conference honors, ranking ninth in the PSAC with 3.42 kills per set. Leah Bisignani earned PSAC Second Team All-Conference honors and ranked in the top-15 in the PSAC for blocks per set and hitting percentage.
 
No. 6 California (Pa.)
The Vulcans earned the No. 5 seed in the Atlantic Region after losing to No. 2 Gannon in the semifinal round of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) tournament. The team ranked second in the PSAC for aces per set (1.81) and seventh for digs per set (17.41) and hitting percentage (.185). Rachel Priore earned PSAC First Team All-Conference honors, ranking twelfth in the PSAC with 3.25 kills per set. Lois van Schaik earned PSAC Second Team All-Conference honors and ranked in the top-20 in the PSAC for blocks per set and kills per set.