NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament – Volleyball to Face MIT
Framingham, Mass. – The 2016 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Volleyball Regular Season and Tournament Champion Framingham State University Rams will make their third straight appearance in the NCAA Division III Volleyball Championship Tournament this weekend in Medford at Tufts University.
The Rams will face MIT of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) in an opening round match on Friday, November 11th at 3 p.m. in Cousens Gym on the campus of Tufts. The winner will advance to face the winner of the Springfield/Endicott match on Saturday afternoon in the semifinals at 1:30 p.m.
Under the direction of 13th year head coach and the 2016 MASCAC Coach of the Year Dick Casali, the Rams went 22-11 this season including a perfect 6-0 mark in the MASCAC en route to the 2016 MASCAC Regular Season Title. The Rams received the MASCAC's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament after defeating third seed MCLA 3-0 in the final match of the conference tournament on November 5th. The Rams, who are making their fourth trip in five years to the NCAA Tournament, defeated MCLA in the finals of the 2015 MASCAC Tournament to reach the NCAA Tournament a year ago.
The Rams are led by two-time MASCAC Player of the Year and three-time MASCAC Tournament MVP senior right side Alycia Rackliffe (Feeding Hills, Mass.). Rackliffe led the conference in kills (520), kills per set (4.73), blocks per set (0.92), total blocks (101), solo blocks (30), and block assists (71), while ranking third in hitting percentage (0.275).
Senior middle blocker Julia Wan (South Deerfield, Mass.) and junior defensive specialist Vicki Anderson (Attleboro, Mass.) earned second team All-MASCAC honors. Wan earns her third all-conference accolades after recording 215 kills and 241 digs on the year, while Anderson compiled 302 digs and 42 services aces in route to her first all-conference selection.
MIT received the NEWMAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Volleyball Championship after defeating Clark University 3-1 to claim their fifth NEWMAC Tournament Title on Sunday. MIT will be making their 18th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Senior Megan Gebhard was named the NEWMAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player as MIT enters the NCAA Tournament with an overall record of 28-4 including a 10-0 mark in the NEWMAC.
The Jumbos of Tufts University are the host for the eight team regional taking place November 11th-13th. The other teams in the region include Maine Maritime, UMass Boston, Johnson & Wales, Springfield, and Endicott.
Click here for the complete NCAA Tournament Bracket.