OSHKOSH, Wis. – The University of Dubuque women's volleyball team is set to face No. 3 seed (#21) WashU in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The No. 2 seed (#22) Spartans defeated No. 7 seed Cornell College 3-2 and the Bears swept No. 6 seed Saint Benedict 3-0 on Thursday.
This matchup between ranked teams comes in the regional semifinal with the winner advancing to the regional championship game. The Bears defeated both Loras and Simpson during the regular season but dropped their regular season match with fellow Oshkosh Regional team Gustavus Adolphus. The Spartans and Bears have not met since 2022, when the Bears swept the Spartans 3-0.
About the Spartans
The No. 2 seed A-R-C regular season champions enter Friday's match at 26-4 coming off a thrilling victory over Cornell College. During Thursday's match,
Delainey Winkel,
Megan Cooley,
Alexis Kammerer, and
Ashley Glennon all set career highs in multiple categories. Winkel was named AVCA Region IX Player of the Year as well. The Spartans look to win twice in the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history.
About the Bears
The Bears enter Friday's match at 23-8 and advanced to the UAA Tournament Championship. The Bears had three players earn all-association first team awards and five honorees received honors in total. Sam Buckley, Ellie Laird, and Leah Oyewole all received AVCA First-Team Region VIII honors this week.
What's At Stake
The winner of Friday's match will advance to the regional championship game, which will be played Saturday at 5 p.m., likely against regional host No. 1 seed (#4) UW-Oshkosh. The Spartans and Bears will take the court on Friday at 4:30 p.m.
