Selection Monday: Women's soccer, volleyball headed to NCAA playoffs
ORANGE, Calif. – The Chapman University women's soccer team took the anticipation out of it with a win on Saturday, but volleyball had to sweat it out a little. In the end, both Panther teams are headed back to the NCAA Division III playoffs this weekend.
The Chapman women's soccer team clinched the Pool 'A' automatic berth as SCIAC Tournament champions and will travel to Trinity University (Texas) as part of a four-team first/second round bracket this weekend. The Panthers will face American Southwest Conference champion and No. 2-ranked Hardin-Simmons (Texas) on Saturday.
The Panther volleyball team earned an at-large Pool 'C' bid as the second place team in the SCIAC and will travel to Cal Lutheran and square off against Northwest Conference champion and No. 14-ranked Pacific Lutheran (Wash.) in the first round of an eight-team tournament beginning on Friday.
Women's Soccer Preview
Chapman (16-5-1) has been one of the hottest teams in Division III since Oct. 1, posting a 10-1-1 record over the final half of the season, including winning the SCIAC Tournament championship 4-1 over Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday afternoon. The Panthers are in the playoffs for the second time in three years and third time overall under head coach Courtney Calderon.
The Panthers are led by a defense that ranks in the top-50 in the nation in goals-against average (0.63) and has posted 12 team shutouts. Sophomore GK Marissa Fehrman has been the last line of the Chapman defense, posting a 0.56 GAA and nine of those shutouts to go along with 78 saves. The scoring tandem of junior F Val Sobol (10 goals, five assists) and sophomore F Rebeccah Bortz (10 goals, four assists) have the Panthers averaging over 2.25 goals per game.
Unranked Chapman will have a tough task, trying to give Hardin-Simmons (17-0-1) its first loss of the season in the first round on Saturday. The bracket also includes host and No. 6-ranked Trinity who will take on Northwest Conference champion Puget Sound (Wash.). The winners will face off on Sunday for the chance to go to the 'Sweet 16'.
Women's Soccer Playoff Bracket
Volleyball Preview
No. 22-ranked Chapman (23-6) is returning to the volleyball championships for the second year in a row and third time in four years; its most successful run of playoff appearances since 1994-97. The Panthers have now posted 20-win seasons in back-to-back years for the first time since 1990-91 and can equal the Division III school record for wins in a single season with one more.
First-team All-SCIAC selections senior OH Ashleigh Gideon (352 kills, 434 digs) and sophomore Val Geiger (341 kills, .376 pct.) lead the Panther attack, along with Division III assists leader junior S Corrine Ostrovsky (school record 1,238 assists this season). The Panthers went 14-2 in conference play and lost in the SCIAC Tournament final to No. 8 Cal Lutheran on Saturday.
The eight-team bracket includes some familiar schools, including reigning West Region champions and host Cal Lu. Six of the eight teams are returning to Thousand Oaks from last year's tournament: Chapman, PLU, No. 19 Colorado College, Southwestern (Texas) and Hardin-Simmons (Texas). The tournament also boasts six of the top-25 teams in Division III, including No. 13 Puget Sound (Wash.) and No. 25 La Verne.
by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director
Become a fan of Chapman Athletics on Facebook
Follow Chapman Athletics on Twitter @ChapmanSports
#CUPanthers