CONWAY, Ark. - Hendrix College will travel to Washington University in St. Louis, Mo. to compete in the 2014 NCAA Division III Regionals this weekend. The Warriors will face Maryville College (Tenn.) in the first round on Friday, November 14 at 5:30 p.m.
Hendrix is one of 64 participants in the national tournament, and one of 44 teams to earn an automatic qualifier berth in the tournament after capturing the Southern Athletic Association crown for the first time in program history.
The Warriors (30-5), seeded third of eight teams in the regional bracket, will take on sixth-seeded Maryville College (26-8) on Friday night. Seeded ahead of the Warriors in the regional bracket are top seed Emory College (34-3) who face Webster in the first round, and host Washington University (33-5) who will take on Bluffton. Rounding out the regional bracket, fourth seed Millikin University will battle Thomas More College.
SAA Coach of the Year Ryan Meek, in his fourth season, will lead the Warriors into their first NCAA Tournament. The team has rewritten the program record books this season, setting a new best in single-season wins and earning the team's first Southern Athletic Association Championship and NCAA Tournament berth.
MC Rogers has been the most consistent player on the Hendrix roster, averaging a team-high 3.45 kills per set with a .247 hitting percentage. The sophomore has been complemented by a trio of outstanding freshmen. Sara Dyslin, Bradi Ryan, and SAA Newcomer of the Year Lauren Petrisin have combined for 8.33 kills per set, and rank among the team's top hitters. Petrisin leads the squad with a .313 hitting percentage, while Dyslin leads the squad with 0.82 blocks per set. Ryan is second on the team in kills per set with 3.06.
All season the offense has run through setters Allison Gaia and Holyn Duyck. Gaia has logged 776 assists on the season with an average of 6.58 assists per set while Duyck has notched 459 total assists and 5.22 per set. Libero Felicia Beeman leads the team with 524 digs and 4.60 digs per set.
Maryville is attending their 12th NCAA tournament under the direction of Head Coach Kandis Schram, who is 693-395 in 29 seasons at the helm for a .655 winning percentage. Her Scots have claimed back-to-back USA South regular season and tournament titles since joining the league in 2013.
The Scots are led by USA South Player of the Year Kelsey Handel who led the conference with a .362 hitting percentage this season, ranking her 18th in the nation. She threw down 257 kills averaging 2.34 kills per set played. USA South Libero of the Year Mallory Bonee paced MC on defense with her 438 digs. The senior averaged 4.09 digs per set played.
Hendrix and Maryville will square off at 5:30 p.m. at Washington University in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Live stats and live streaming video are available for the match.
