INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. --- Randolph-Macon College will be the lone representative for the ODAC in the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Tournament, as announced by the NCAA on Monday afternoon. The Yellow Jackets will be making their ninth appearance on the national stage. They own an 8-8 mark from their previous berths.
The field of 64 teams includes 44 squads their earned Pool "A" bids as automatic qualifiers from their respective conferences. Randolph-Macon falls into this category. One program received a Pool "B" berth for true independent programs or those competing in leagues without automatic qualification. Pool "C" -- at-large choices among all remaining teams eligible for selection -- account for the remaining 19 teams in the bracket.
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Randolph-Macon (23-6) opens its NCAA journey at one of eight eight-team regionals hosted around the country. Transylvania University is the early round destination for the Yellow Jackets, and they face the host Pioneers (25-5) in their opening matchup. Transylvania won the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) title.
The other opening matchups in the Transylvania pod include Emory University (21-6) versus Bethany College (W.Va.)(17-12), Berry College (23-4) versus Covenant College (21-11), and Carnegie Mellon University (20-8) versus Southern Virginia University (27-7). Carnegie Mellon is the lone at-large selection of the group. Covenant won the Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS) title, but as a new league, the CCS does not yet feature an automatic bid. Covenant received the lone Pool "B" bid in the field. Emory won the University Athletic Association (UAA) championship, while Bethany hoisted the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) trophy. Berry collected the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) plaque, while Southern Virginia won the USA South championship.
Pod play is set for Thursday through Saturday, November 10-12. The eight winners will be seeded for competition in the quarterfinal through championship rounds at UPMC Cooper Field House in Pittsburgh, Pa. Saint Vincent College will serve as host for the four-day event. The quarterfinals will be played on Wednesday, November 16, followed by the semifinals on Thursday, November 17. Following a day off, the championship will be played on Saturday, November 19.
Match times and ticket information will be announced later this week. For more information, visit the websites of any of the participating schools. You can also go to the home of the ODAC on the Internet at www.odaconline.com. Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.