Volleyball's path to a potential National Championship is set
Lemont Furnace, Pa - Less than 24 hours after winning its 11th PSUAC volleyball championship, the Penn State Fayette volleyball team found out is road to a potential USCAA Division II National Championship.
The Nittany Lions (21-7) are the fourth seed, and head coach Sam Swetz thought the team would be ranked higher in the six-team tournament but is content with the ranking.
"I thought for sure we were going to place higher, but I am happy with our seed because we are going in with already beating the number one seed during the season."
Swetz was talking about top-seeded University of Cincinnati Clermont, who Fayette defeated in four sets on October 6.
Fayette and Clermont are in Pool A, as is fifth-seeded Paul Smith's College.
Pool B consists of second-seeded Johnson & Wales University Charlotte, third-seeded Christendom College and sixth-seeded Penn State DuBois.
The bid selection show for the championships, although recorded before Fayette won the PSUAC championship, can be found at https://www.theuscaa.com/sports/wvball-2/index.
Besides beating Clermont, Fayette split with DuBois and lost to Christendom during the regular season.
The team will travel to the championships, which take place in Virginia Beach, VA Wednesday, on November 7 and will open play Thursday, November 8 at 1:30 p.m. against Clermont.
Fayette then plays Paul Smith's College Friday, November 9 at 9:30 a.m. to conclude pool play.
The two teams with the best records in each pool will advance to the semifinals later in the day next Friday with the national championship being decided on Saturday, November 10 at 3:30 p.m.
With a week to prepare, what does Swetz feel the tam has to work on the most?
"The team has to focus on finishing games," she said. "When at Nationals, there is no room to be soft.
"You must have a killer instinct."
For more information on the championships, go to www.uscaafallchampionships.com.
For more information on the volleyball team, go to https://www.psfathletics.com/sports/wvball/index.
Written by Bill Hughes