NCAA announces brackets for Tournament, UA captures No. 5 seed

ERIC M. JUKELEVICS/Arizona Daily Wildcat

Opposite side hitter Jill Talbot serves earlier this season during a game in McKale Center. It was announced yesterday that the Wildcats would be a fifth seed in the 2001 NCAA Tournament.

The NCAA laid out the UA women's volleyball team's postseason path the yesterday.

The Wildcats got the No. 5 seed in the tournament, which usually allows them to play the first two rounds of the tournament at home, but the NCAA changed its policy this season.

Instead of assigning host sites to top-ranked teams, they were determined based on sites' locations in relation to the majority of the teams in each part of the bracket.

"The host sites were based on geographical proximity to the schools in each part of the bracket," UA head coach David Rubio said. "If NAU and ASU made the tournament, we would have hosted the first two rounds."

Because of the new rule, Arizona (21-4 overall) travels to Illinois to battle Eastern Illinois (20-8) in its first round match-up. The Panthers received an automatic berth by winning the Ohio Valley Conference.

"Everyone is a bit disappointed that we are not hosting," Rubio said. "I told the team to prepare for all possible scenarios. We are all prepared to go on the road."

Junior middle blocker Stefani Saragosa said the location will not play a factor in the team's performance.

"All of the top seeds have to go on the road," Saragosa said. "We are one of the top seeds and it shouldn't make a difference where we play as long as we play our game. "

The Wildcats were in the running with USC and Wisconsin for the No. 4 seed. The Trojans got the nod.

With the selection, USC has the top seed in Arizona's portion of the bracket.

Long Beach State, the lone undefeated team in the field, was given the top seed, and defending National Champion Nebraska and Pacific 10 Champion Stanford are second and third, respectively.

Six Pacific 10 Conference teams will play in the tournament - the Cardinal, the Trojans, the Wildcats, UCLA, Oregon State and Washington State.

Nebraska and USC join Arizona as high seeds that have to go on the road for the first two rounds.

For the first time in the 21-year history of the Women's NCAA Tournament, the host sites for the regional finals have not yet been determined.

Rubio said the Wildcats still have a shot to play host in the third and fourth round of the tournament if they can win their first two matches.

"I don't think USC submitted a bid for the Regionals," Rubio said. "If we win our first two matches, I think we have a good chance of being a host school."

Senior outside hitter Jill Talbot said that traveling to Illinois will be a good experience for the Wildcats.

"We are not disapointed that we have to go on the road," Talbot said. "It will be interesting to travel all the way to Illinois. It will be a good experience for us all."

The Wildcats are scheduled to leave for Urbana-Champaign tomorrow to prepare for their Friday match against the Panthers.