WEST PLAINS, Mo. – “LET’S GO GRIZZLIES!!!” was the cry of approximately 75 students, faculty, staff and community members who gathered for a pep rally at the grizzly statue off West Trish Knight Street Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 13, to celebrate the Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzly Volleyball team’s upcoming appearance in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I Women’s National Volleyball Tournament Nov. 15-17 at the West Plains Civic Center.

During the rally, West Plains Mayor Jack Pahlmann read a proclamation touting the team’s accomplishments this season and throughout the program’s history, Grizzly Basketball Head Coach Yancey Walker gave the team a framed photo from his basketball team with inspirational words from U.S. tennis great Arthur Ashe and U.S. Olympic champion gymnast Mary Lou Retton, and each member of the volleyball team received a good luck souvenir from Chancellor Bennett and Pahlmann.

The ninth seeded Grizzlies (25-9) are making their 12th appearance in the tournament and their first since 2009.  Their first match will be at 1 p.m. Thursday against eighth seeded Hillsborough Community College (27-12), Tampa, Fla.  Tournament action begins at 9 a.m. that day and concludes at 6:30 p.m. Saturday with the championship match.

Other teams competing include No. 1 seed College of Southern Idaho (29-1), Twin Falls; No. 2 Western Nebraska Community College (37-2), Scottsbluff; No. 3 Iowa Western Community College (43-2), Council Bluffs; No. 4 San Jacinto College-Central (32-2), Pasadena, Texas; No. 5 Tyler Junior College (29-5), Tyler, Texas; No. 6 College of Central Florida (33-6), Ocala; No. 7 North Idaho College (22-5), Coeur D’Alene; No. 10 Hutchinson Community College (27-8), Hutchinson, Kan.; No. 11 Western Texas College (26-8), Snyder; No. 12 Redlands Community College (23-9), El Reno, Okla.; No. 13 Casper College, (23-17), Casper, Wyo.; No. 14 Temple College (22-17), Temple, Texas; No. 15 Wallace State Community College-Hanceville (33-6), Hanceville, Ala.; and No. 16 Faulkner State Community College (27-7), Bay Minette, Ala.

Other first-round matches scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 15, include Iowa Western vs. Temple and Central Florida vs. Western Texas at 9 a.m.; North Idaho vs. Hutchinson and Western Nebraska vs. Wallace State at 11 a.m.; Southern Idaho vs. Faulkner State at 1 p.m.; and Tyler vs. Redlands and San Jacinto vs. Casper at 3 p.m.

For more information about the tournament, visit http://www.njcaavbd1.com/.