Tournament Central

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The 2011 NCAA Newport News Volleyball Regional will begin Friday, with four first-round matchups beginning at Noon. The host Captains will face Maryville (Tenn.) at 8:00 p.m. in their first round match with the winner advancing to play the victor of the Salisbury/Gallaudet match at 5:30 p.m.

The other two first round matches feature Emory vs. Richard Stockton at 3:00 p.m. and the day's first match between Johns Hopkins and Randolph-Macon at 12:30 p.m.

The Newport News Regional will play host to 16 AVCA All-Region selections, released Thursday by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. Ten All-South region, five All-Mid-Atlantic region and one All-New York region selections are among the eight-team field, all vying for a trip to the NCAA National Championships in St. Louis next weekend.

Game Programs
No programs will be sold at this year's championship site. You can download a copy of the program by going to the NCAA site or by scanning the QR code below with your phone. The QR code will also be available on site for fans to scan with their phones.



About Randolph-Macon
The Yellow Jackets earned their third straight ODAC Championship for the automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, and second straight into the Newport News Regional. Last season, the Jackets reached the Regional Final and stretched host CNU to five sets before the Captains advanced with the win. This year, R-MC is 23-5 heading into the tournament, led by All-Region selections Marli Dabareiner and Mallory Carter. Carter set a program-record with 414 total kills on the season while adding 385 digs while Dabareiner added 430 digs on the season.

About Johns Hopkins
The Blue Jays won their first ever Centennial Conference championship this season, earning a trip to Newport News and the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. Hopkins has met their first round opponent R-MC four times in school history with a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series. This season, the team has been led to a 25-4 record by a pair of AVCA All-Region selections in senior Melissa Cole and rookie Meagan Donohoe. Cole is just three digs shy of 1,000 for her career while the outside hitter also has 244 kills. Donohoe is the first JHU rookie to earn First Team All-Conference honors and leads the team in kills with 254.

About Emory
The third-ranked team in the nation, Emory, has posted an impressive 34-4 overall record. The Eagles were national champions in 2008 and reached the championship site last season, defeating Christopher Newport in the Elite Eight. Senior Natalie Schonefeld was on the national championship team in 2008 and is the only Emory player to earn First Team All-UAA First Team honors. She has dished out 10.91 assists per set to lead the way for the Eagles, with over 5,600 career helpers. She was also a four-time All-Region selection by the AVCA and was joined on the team by teammates Amelia McCall and Breanah Bourque.

About Richard Stockton
Junior Stephanie Warner garnered New Jersey Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors to lead the way for the Ospreys, while head coach Allison Walker also earned Coach of the Year laurels. Stockton has matched a 25-year old record by winning four-straight conference championships to earn entry into the NCAA Tournament with a record of 25-8. Ashley Gubista has posted 561 digs for the Ospreys to help lead the way, while Nicole Serekian was the lone All-Region selection for Stockton. Serekian led the team in kills with 362 on the season.

About Salisbury
The Sea Gulls reached its seventh NCAA Tournament this season with a 31-3 overall mark so far. Salisbury was led by All-Region selection and Capital Athletic Conference Player of the Year Carley Todd. The setter has been a force all over the court for the Gulls, with 211 kills, 609 assists, 297 digs and 83 blocks, playing in all but one match this season. She has also added 57 aces to lead the squad. Salisbury's other All-Region selection was outside hitter Chelsea Glowacki, leading the team in blocks with 128 total and 1.07 per set. Glowacki also has tallied 262 kills while swinging at a .265 clip.

About Gallaudet
Led by Honorable Mention All-Region selection Jessica Israel, the Bison are making their eighth NCAA Tournament appearance this year. Gallaudet won the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) and have posted a 28-7 overall record this season. Israel hit at an impressive .374 attack percentage and was third on the team in kills with 205. She added a team-high 126 blocks for a 1.11 per set average. Kalai Frowick leads the team with 375 kills and is second in digs with 312.

About Maryville (Tenn.)
The Scots had posted 26-7 overall record and claimed their ninth Great South Athletic Conference Tournament championship to earn the league's automatic berth into the Newport News Regional. Maryville will be playing in their tenth NCAA Tournament, and are led by Kristin Findley. The senior has posted over 1,300 kills in her career and nearly 1,200 digs. This season, she has 406 kills and 368 digs. Katherine Nadler has posted 4.33 digs per set and two different players have over 5 assists per set, as Teri Lind (6.03) leads the way and Lauren Bonee (5.17) is right behind.

About Christopher Newport
The sixth-ranked Captains are led by four All-Region selections, including three-time All-Region libero and two-time USA South Libero of the Year Abby Hogge. Hogge is the first three-time All-Region selection for CNU after compiling 542 digs in her junior season. Two-time USA South Player of the Year Jessie Heavenrich also helped the Captains post a 33-4 overall record this season as she has a 9.6 assist per set average. Bailey Jensen leads the team in kills and in hitting percentage as the third All-Region selection while Christie Fellows earned Honorable Mention All-Region honors as well for CNU.

Live Stats and Live Video
Each of the seven NCAA Regional matches will be presented in live statistics and in a live video webcast. The links can be found at the Tournament Central website.