Cal State San Bernardino secured its 17th straight NCAA Tournament appearance and will face a familiar foe in the first round when it begins in Anchorage, Alaska, next month.
The No. 2 seed Coyotes, coached by 26-year head coach Kim Cherniss, will face No. 7 seed Central Washington in the opening round. This marks the fourth time in the last five years the Coyotes and Wildcats have played in the opener.
Alaska-Anchorage (29-2) earned the top seed and will face No. 8 Chico State (23-7). The other first-round matches are No. 4 Simon Fraser (21-7) vs. No. 5 Northwest Nazarene (20-7), and No. 3 Western Washington (21-7) vs. No. 6 Cal Baptist (20-8).
CSUSB takes a 24-4 overall record into the tourney and should it defeat Central Washington in the opener, the Coyotes would give Cherniss her 600th career victory — all at CSUSB.
The Coyotes own a 3-2 record against the field with victories over Chico State, Western Washington and Cal Baptist, and losses to Chico State and UAA.
2016 NCAA Division II West Region Volleyball Championship Alaska Airlines Center (5,000) – Anchorage, Alaska Hosted by the University of Alaska Anchorage All times listed as AST (1 hour behind PST)
Thursday, Dec. 1 – Quarterfinals
- Noon: No. 6 Cal Baptist (20-8) vs No. 3 Western Washington (21-7)
- 2:30 p.m. : No. 7 Central Washington (17-11) vs No. 2 Coyotes (24-4)
- 5 p.m.: No. 5 Northwest Nazarene (20-7) vs No. 4 Simon Fraser (21-7)
- 7:30 p.m.: No. 8 Chico State (23-7) vs No. 1 Alaska Anchorage (29-2)
Friday, Dec. 2 – Semifinals
- 5 p.m.: CBU/WWU winner vs CWU/CSUSB winner
- 7:30 p.m.: NNU/SFU winner vs Chico/UAA winner
Saturday, Dec. 3 – Championship
- 7 p.m.: — (winner advances to NCAA DII Elite Eight, Dec. 8-10, in Sioux Falls, S.D.)
Keep up with the latest sports news at CSUSB Athletics.
Also see the tournament's online interactive bracket.