Contact:
Elizabeth Blevins, Director, Office of Communications
Office: (740) 351-3810; FAX: (740) 351-3179; Cell: (740) 464-4854
940 Second Street – Portsmouth, Ohio 45662
E-mail: eblevins@shawnee.edu 
Web site: www.shawnee.edu

             The Shawnee State volleyball team will face a tough competitor as the Bears host Union College in the Opening Round of the NAIA National Tournament. The Opening Round match will take place on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 6:00 p.m. in the Frank and Janis Waller Gymnasium on the Shawnee State campus.
             Shawnee State University won the American Mideast Conference with a perfect 12-0 record to receive the school's second overall and second consecutive bid. The Bears finished the regular season with their best record in school history at a mark of 30-3 on the season.
             Union College will make their first-ever appearance in the NAIA National Tournament as they finished the regular season with an overall record of 29-4 and won both the Appalachian Athletic Conference regular season title and the AAC tournament championship.
             The Bears are led by floor general and American Mideast Conference Setter of the Year junior Haley Halcomb. Halcomb ranks eighth in the NAIA as she averages 11.1 assists per game.
             At the net, the Bears bring a balanced attack. Junior First Team AMC honoree and outside hitter Heather Koehler leads the Bears in kills as she averaged 3.7, while junior Second Team AMC honoree Jami Turrill averages 2.7 kills per game in the middle. Freshman outside hitter Kim Rosen (Honorable Mention All-AMC) is a persistent attacker as she averages 2.6 kills per game and ranks eighth in the NAIA with a hitting percentage of 39 percent. Other players to watch include senior outside hitter Megan Wills, who earned honorable mention All-AMC recognition and junior outside hitter Chelsea Howard.
             Defensively, the Bears have a solid back line and rank first in the NAIA as they average over 22 digs per game. The Bears are led by defensive specialist and Second Team honoree Tiffany Dailey. Dailey is ranked 26th in the NAIA with 645 total digs on the season. Freshman Jessica Winkleman, Turrill and Howard will assist Dailey in the back row.
             The Bulldogs of Union College will provide stiff competition for the Bears. They are lead by the Appalachian Athletic Conference Setter of the Year junior Monica Moreland. Moreland averages 10.2 assists per game and ranks 25th in the NAIA.
             Offensively, the Bulldogs are led by outside hitter Brooke Vinovich and Autumn Combs in the middle. The two averaged 2.4 and 2.2 kills per game and earned First Team recognition in the AAC. Others to watch at the net include Amanda Cantrell and freshman Chelsea Kirshman.
             The Bulldogs also bring a solid back row defense. They are led by AAC Libero of the Year junior Amanda Silva. Silva ranks 23rd in the NAIA with 5.5 digs per game.
             “This is a great experience for Shawnee State University, our program, and our community,” says Shawnee State Head Volleyball Coach Kristy Kamer. “Our program has come a long way and our ladies have worked hard. They deserve this opportunity.”
             The 30th NAIA Volleyball National Championship has the top 11 teams receiving opening round byes, while the next 24 teams will play in the opening round matches on November 21. All matches will be played at on-campus sites.
             The winners of the NAIA National Championship Opening Rounds matches will advance with the teams that received first-round byes to the Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena in Sioux City, Iowa, location of the NAIA National Championship presented by Siouxland Sports Medicine Foundation Dec. 1- 5.
             The final 24 teams will be placed into six pools and will play a round robin pool play Dec. 1-3, with the top two teams from each pool advancing to the single elimination bracket starting Dec. 4. The championship match will take place at 8 p.m. (CST) on Dec. 5. Final site pool assignment and schedule will be announced by Nov. 22 before 6 p.m. (CST).