FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 11-11-01

AASU Volleyball Earns 2001 NCAA Championships Bid

SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Armstrong Atlantic State volleyball squad has earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Volleyball Championships for the second consecutive season as the NCAA announced the 48-team field this evening.

The Pirates (28-9), who finished runner-up in this weekend's Peach Belt Conference tournament for the third straight year, are the No. 4 seed and will face fellow PBC school USC Spartanburg, the No. 5 seed, in the first round of the South Regional on Thursday, November 15 at 8:00 p.m. at the University of Tampa.

AASU defeated USC Spartanburg last season, 3-1, in their first ever NCAA Championships action and the Pirates have defeated the Rifles two out of three matches this season, including a 3-0 victory in the semifinals of the PBC Tournament on Friday.

The top two seeds in the regional, host and No. 7-ranked Tampa and No. 6-ranked Barry, have first-round byes in the South Regional. The other first-round region match pits No. 21-ranked North Florida, the third seed, against the sixth-seeded Catawba Indians, champions of the South Atlantic Conference.

- Pirates -