FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Albanese, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Media Relations
Official Tournament Website
SOMERS, Wis. (Sept. 12, 2013)-- There will be no shortage of good volleyball inside DeSimone Gymnasium on Friday and Saturday as the University of Wisconsin-Parkside volleyball squad opens its home schedule by hosting the seven-team UW-Parkside Tournament.
Joining the Rangers (2-2) in the two day jamboree is Gannon University, University of Minnesota-Duluth, Upper Iowa University and Wayne State University (Mich.) along with Great Lakes Valley Conference rivals University of Indianapolis and Lewis University. All seven teams compiled a winning record during the 2012 season while three of the squads appear in the most recent American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25 Poll. UM-Duluth leads the way at No. 2 while UIndy sits tied for 19th. Wayne State is one of 12 teams in the other receiving votes section of the poll. The tournament will run on two courts inside the gymnasium with matches beginning at 12 p.m. on Friday and resuming at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Each squad will play two matches a day.
UW-Parkside returns home looking to snap a two-game skid after finishing the Florida Southern Classic with a 2-2 mark. The Rangers won the final three sets of the match to down Anderson University, 3-2, to open the season on Sept. 6 before rolling Kentucky State University 3-0 later in the day. The win over Anderson gave third-year head coach Christine Paciero her 100th career win as her record now stands at 101-66 overall (38-28 at UW-Parkside and 63-38 in three seasons at Dominican University). The squad's fortunes turned the following day, suffering a 3-0 setback at the hands of then second-ranked University of Tampa before the host Moccasins downed the Rangers 3-0 to close the tournament.
Despite playing in just three of the four matches, Bridget Nickel made a big impact for the Rangers, finishing the tournament with a team-best 46 kills to earn a spot on the six player All-Tournament Team.
UW-Parkside opens the tournament on Friday at 2 p.m. against Wayne State and close the day at 6:30 p.m. against Gannon. On Saturday, the Rangers square off against Minnesota-Duluth at 12 p.m. and Upper Iowa at 5 p.m.
Gannon (2-0) hits the road for the first time this season. The Golden Knights opened the season last Saturday with a pair of 3-0 victories over Roberts Wesleyan College and Walsh University. Gannon won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championship in 2012, finishing the season with a 29-6 record and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Gannon plays at 12 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Friday and 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Defending GLVC East Division Co-Champion UIndy (1-3) looks to rebound after just winning one match at the star-studded Concordia University Tournament last weekend in Saint Paul, Minn. The 19th-ranked Greyhounds began the year with a 3-0 loss to 20th-ranked Wayne State University (Neb.) before falling on the short end of a 3-2 decision against No. 21 Wingate University. The Hounds dispatched Hillsdale College 3-0 last Saturday before ending the tournament with a 3-0 defeat at the hands of host and six-time defending national champion Concordia. UIndy posted a 31-8 record in 2012, advancing all the way to the Final Four where the squad was ousted by the University of Tampa.
Indianapolis hits the floor at 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Fellow GLVC East Division Co-Champion Lewis (1-3) returns to the mainland after winning just one match at the Honolulu Invitational. The Flyers opened the season on Sept. 5, stumbling 3-0 to then fifth-ranked Brigham Young University-Hawaii before falling 3-1 to Hawaii Pacific University. Lewis downed Fort Hays State University 3-1 on Sept. 7 and closed out the tropical tournament with a 3-1 defeat at the hands of host Chaminade University. The Flyers posted a 26-11 record in 2012, earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Lewis plays at 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Friday and 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Second-ranked Minnesota-Duluth (4-0) looks to continue its winning ways, after sweeping all four matches at the West Florida Invitational in Pensacola, Fla. The Bulldogs edged then 18th-ranked Wheeling Jesuit University 3-2 to open the season before blasting host and 19th-ranked West Florida 3-0. UMD closed out the tournament with a pair of wins over GLVC squads, blanking Missouri University S&T 3-0 and defeating University of Southern Indiana 3-1. The Bulldogs finished 2012 with a 29-5 overall record, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament where they fell to eventual national champion and Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference rival Concordia 3-0.
UMD opens on Friday with contests at 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. The Bulldogs return on Saturday for matches at 12 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Upper Iowa (2-2) comes to Somers with a .500 record after splitting four games at the Winona State Tournament. The Peacocks opened the season with a 3-2 win over Michigan Tech University and a 3-1 decision over Saint Joseph's College of the GLVC before falling by identical 3-0 scored on Sept. 7 against Minnesota State University-Moorhead and Northwest Missouri State University. Upper Iowa finished the 2012 season with a 16-13 record, including a 10-10 mark in NSIC play.
The Peacocks open at 12 p.m. on Friday before finishing the day at 4 p.m. UIU is back on the floor on Saturday at 12 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Wayne State (3-1) enters the UW-P Tournament having won three straight. The Warriors began the season on Sept. 6 at the Laker Classic in Allendale, Mich., falling to Eckerd College 3-0. Wayne State downed Adelphi University 3-0 before taking down then No. 6 Southwest Minnesota State 3-2 on Sept. 7. WSU closed the tournament with a 3-0 over Saint Leo University. The Warriors, the lone representative from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, posted an 18-13 record in 2012 and an 11-7 mark in conference action.
WSU begins the tournament on Friday with matches at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. On Saturday the Warriors are in action at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
