UNH Set to Battle Washington in NCAA 1st Round

UNH Set to Battle Washington in NCAA 1st Round

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America East Communications

The University of New Hampshire Wildcats will take on third-seeded Washington in the NCAA Volleyball Championship First Round on Friday night at 10 pm ET in Seattle, Wash.

The Wildcats earned the America East automatic bid to the NCAA tournament after winning the conference tournament title for the second-straight season, beating Albany in four sets on November 23.

This will be the Wildcats' second consecutive appearance in the tournament and fifth in program history. UNH advanced to the NCAA's in 1998, 2002, 2003 and 2013. UNH most recently played the University of Southern California after winning the America East Championship title in 2013.

The winner of the New Hampshire vs. Washington first round match will play the winner of the University of Hawaii and Duke University tilt Saturday, Dec. 6 (10 p.m.).

UNH and Washington meet for just the second time in the all-time series. In the first match between the two schools on August 30, 2003, the Huskies downed the Wildcats at the University of Wisconsin in three sets (14-30, 15-30, 17-30).

UNH, under the tutelage of 19th-year head coach Jill Hirschinger, enters the tournament with a season-long 11-match winning streak.

Notes:

  • America East teams are 1-17 all-time in the NCAA tournament.
  • The America East won back-to-back CCA/NCAA play-in games in 1996 and 1997.
  • The one America East win came in 2007 when Albany defeated Cleveland State in straight sets in State College, Pa. The Great Danes lost to host Penn State in the second round.
  • This is the first time an America East team will take on Wasthington in the NCAA tournament
  • It is the sixth time an America East team will meet a Pac-12 team in the NCAA first round. Albany made the trip to Stanford twice in 2008 and 2010 to go with the meetings with USC in 1999, 2003 and 2013.
  • UNH is playing in its fifth NCAA tournament with an 0-4 record.The America East has had success during the 2014 NCAA Fall Tournaments with Albany field hockey advancing to the final four and UMBC playing in the men’s soccer Elite Eight on Friday night at Creighton.
    • 1998 - Arkansas def. New Hampshire, 3-0 (15-3, 15-0, 15-13)
    • 2002 - Minnesota def. New Hampshire, 3-1 (30-18, 28-30, 30-17, 30-21)
    • 2003 - USC def. New Hampshire, 3-0 (30-17, 30-18, 30-17)
    • 2013 - USC def. New Hampshire, 3-0 (25-9, 25-10, 25-12)