WEST PLAINS, Mo. – The Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzly Volleyball team will make it’s 14th appearance at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I Women’s National Volleyball Championship Tournament Nov. 20-22, and everyone is invited to come and give the team a rousing send-off beginning at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, in the Student Recreation Center at the corner of Garfield Avenue and West Trish Knight Street.
The Grizzlies, 25-12, punched their ticket to this year’s event Saturday afternoon, Nov. 8, after defeating Monroe College 25-23, 25-14, 25-18 for the NJCAA District N title in Joe Paul Evans Arena at the West Plains Civic Center.
“We are extremely proud of our Lady Grizzlies this year and for Head Coach Paula Wiedemann’s sustained record of excellence for many years. Maybe 14 will be our lucky number!,” Chancellor Drew Bennett said.
The send-off will include brief remarks by Bennett; West Plains Mayor Jack Pahlmann, who will present a proclamation to the team; Student Government Association President Shelby Harris; Grizzly Basketball Head Coach Yancey Walker; and Wiedemann. Special “good luck” mementos also will be given to each team member.
The national tournament will get underway Thursday, Nov. 20, in Casper, Wyo., with Casper College as host. The tournament will remain in Casper next season as part of a three-year contract with the NJCAA.
According to information provided by NJCAA officials, the Grizzlies are seeded 11th. Other teams and their seeds are No. 1 Iowa Western Community College (42-1), Council Bluffs; No. 2 Blinn College (36-1), Brenham, Texas; No. 3 College of Southern Idaho (32-2), Twin Falls; No. 4 Tyler Junior College (35-4), Tyler, Texas; No. 5 Miami Dade College (27-3), Miami, Florida.; No. 6 Salt Lake Community College (21-9), Salt Lake City, Utah; No. 7 Western Nebraska Community College (28-7), Scottsbluff; No. 8 State College of Florida (27-5), Bradenton; No. 9 Northwest College (28-8), Powell, Wyoming; No. 10 Arizona Western College (19-5), Yuma.; No. 12 Polk State College (19-22), Winter Haven, Florida; No. 13 Hill College (28-12), Hillsboro, Texas; No. 14 New Mexico Military Institute (20-18), Roswell; No. 15 Hutchinson Community College (27-12), Hutchinson, Kansas; and No. 16 Wallace State Community College (35-8), Hanceville, Alabama.
The Grizzlies will face No. 6 Salt Lake at 10 a.m. locally Nov. 20 in first-round action. Match times listed on the tournament’s website, http://njcaacasper.net/, are listed in Mountain Standard Time, one hour earlier than local Central Standard Time. Matches can be viewed online at http://www.njcaatv.com/volleyballchamp/.
“We are so excited about going to the national tournament and appreciate all the tremendous support and encouragement we have received getting to this point,” Wiedemann said. “Even though we will be many miles away, we know there will be a lot of people with us in spirit, and for that we are grateful. We are representing our university and our community, and we are very proud to do so!”
For more information about the Grizzly Volleyball team, visit the team’s website at http://wp.missouristate.edu/grizzly/vb/. For more information about the national tournament, visit http://njcaacasper.net/.