By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information
Toledo, Ohio---The No. 9 Owens Community College women's volleyball team has been seeded fifth in the upcoming National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II National Tournament in Phoenix, Ariz.
In earning the fifth seed, Owens (37-5 overall) will open against the No. 12 seed Kirkwood Community College (28-15) out of Iowa. That matchup will occur Nov. 19 at 5 p.m. E.T. Should Owens advance in the championship bracket, they would take on the winner of No. 4 Des Moines Area (Iowa) Community College and No. 13 Sauk Valley (Illinois) Community College at 9:30 p.m. that evening in a quarterfinal matchup.
The national semifinal is Nov. 20 at 8:30 p.m. E.T. and the championship is Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m.
Owens previously defeated Kirkwood 25-17, 25-19, 22-25, 25-18 on Sept. 18 in a neutral site matchup. In the match, Macy Reigelsperger (Coldwater/Coldwater, Ohio) and Erika Hartings (Coldwater/Coldwater, Ohio) combined for 31 kills, Deanna Smith (Riverview/Riverview, Mich.) had 30 assists and Brooke Gyori (Clay/Oregon, Ohio) had 17 digs.
Should Owens face Des Moines Area in the quarterfinals, they would take on a team that defeated them 30-28, 16-25, 27-25, 25-22 in a very close matchup on Sept. 18 in a neutral site matchup. Reigelsperger and Hartings combined for 30 kills in that matchup, while the team produced 120 digs as a team - led by 35 from Gyori and 28 from Ally Mikesell (St. Henry/St. Henry, Ohio).
Owens has a potential semifinal matchup against No. 1 seed and undefeated Parkland College (53-0). They defeated Owens in three sets on Oct. 30, but two of the sets were two point margins. Parkland is the two-time defending NJCAA Division II runner-up, and they defeated Owens in the national third/fourth place match in 2012.
The defending NJCAA Division II national champion, Glendale (Ariz.) Community College earned the tournament's No. 2 seed.
The tournament is being hosted by Phoenix College Nov. 19-20 in the Phoenix College Gymnasium.
Owens stamped their ticket to nationals by winning the Region XII District F championship this past weekend. They defeated Columbus State Community College, the two-time defending OCCAC champion, in the finals.
Championship bracket - here
Consolation bracket - here
Full seeding list - here
Watch games online - here
Tournament website - here