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Mount Vernon Nazarene University |
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Lady Cougars Set to Make Run at NCCAA National Titlewritten by Dave Parsons, Sports Information Director
ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Mount Vernon Nazarene University women’s volleyball team made final preparations on Wednesday to take the court in the Lady Cougars’ quest for the 2006 National Christian College Athletic Association national title as the team will take part in the 10-team NCCAA National Tournament starting on Thursday at Northwestern (Minn.) College.
MVNU enters the tournament with a 25-14 overall record as the second seed. The Lady Cougars will face host Northwestern (18-14), the tenth seed, to start the pool play portion of the schedule at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday. Then, MVNU will take on sixth-seeded Trinity International (Ill.) University (20-14) at 8:00 p.m.
On Friday, the Lady Cougars will take on seventh-seeded Simpson (Calif.) University (11-5) at noon and third-seeded Palm Beach Atlantic (Fla.) University (20-14), the 2004 national champion, at 4:00 p.m. to close out pool play. The top two teams from the pool will then advance to the semifinals on Saturday at noon.
"We are looking forward to the opportunity to represent our institution and our region at the NCCAA Tournament,” said MVNU head coach Paul Swanson, who is taking the Lady Cougars to the tournament for the sixteenth straight year. "If we play with a lot of intensity, desire, and consistency, we are capable of beating anyone. We are looking forward to a great weekend of volleyball.”
In the other pool, top-seeded Cedarville University (33-6) will look to defend its 2005 crown and is the favorite to win the title again. Fourth-seeded Bethel (Ind.) College (17-17), fifth-seeded Hope International (Calif.) University (8-20), eighth-seeded Oakland City (Ind.) University (14-10), and ninth-seeded Faulkner (Ala.) University (17-20) round out the tournament field.