NCAA bid secured despite loss

Saturday's 3-1 loss to Illinois was potentially dire for the women's volleyball team. The loss placed them into a three-way tie with Northwestern and Michigan for sixth place in the Big Ten. All three teams stood at 10-10 in the conference with varying overall records. With only five to seven conference teams expected to make it into the bracket, a Hoosier post-season bid was in jeopardy.\nBut, after sitting through 48 selections and seven Big Ten teams, IU's wish for a post-season bid came true. The Hoosiers will play in the opening game of the Pacific Regional in Tucson, Arizona Thursday against the Texas Longhorns. \nThe Big Ten stood at second in the country in conference RPI (Ratings Percentage Index). With eight schools named, the Big Ten conference tied the PAC-10 for the most invitations this year. \nThe Hoosiers will come into the match with a 20-12 overall record and will face the 22-18 Longhorns. The winner of that match will play either Arizona or Texas-Arlington in the second round.\nIU's offensive game is led by sophomore outside hitter Christina Archibald and junior middle blocker Melissa Brewer. Archibald tied Anne Eastman's 1994 single season kill record with 539 while Brewer led the Hoosiers with a .312 hitting percentage. Setting up Archibald and Brewer's impressive hitting is sophomore Victoria Zimmerman who set an IU single season assist record with 1,711 and is among the nation's top ten in that category.\nIU's last NCAA Tournament appearance came in 1999, when the Hoosiers advanced to the second round by defeating Clemson and then falling to Northern Iowa. Texas last met with the Hoosiers in 1990 and leads the series 2-0 overall.\n"Certainly, the Big Ten had a tremendous regular season and we are proud to be one of eight teams representing the Conference in the NCAA Tournament," coach Katie Weismiller said in a press release. "We're excited about playing Texas. They are traditionally one of the top teams in the Big Twelve Conference and consistently made the Elite Eight throughout the 1990s, including an appearance in the NCAA finals"