Central, Pitt State, Washburn Advance to Semis

WARRENSBURG, Mo. - Day one of the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Volleyball Tournament is in the books, and MIAA schools Washburn, Pittsburg State and host Central Missouri are moving on after victories Thursday.

The first match of the day was between No. 6 seed Truman and No. 3 seed West Texas A&M. Truman fell victim to fast starts by West Texas A&M in all three sets and was defeated, 3-0.

In match number two, MIAA foes Washburn (No. 2 seed) and Nebraska-Omaha (No. 7 seed) took the floor. Omaha took the first set, 25-23, but Washburn rallied to take the next three (25-16, 25-14, 25-22) to advance to the regional semifinals. The Lady Blues will play West Texas A&M Friday at 6 p.m. CT.

No. 4 seed Emporia State and No. 5 seed Pittsburg State met in the third match, the second matchup of MIAA squads. Pittsburg State took the first set, 25-15, but Emporia State struck back to win set number two, 25-16. Pitt State then dominated the third set, 25-12, and closed out the match in a fourth set that went down to the wire with the Gorillas prevailing, 25-23. With its 3-1 victory, Pittsburg State will now face top seed Central Missouri Friday at 8:30 p.m. in the regional semis.

Central Missouri earned its spot in the second round with a sweep of Dallas Baptist. The Jennies had few problems with DBU, winning the three sets 25-18, 25-15 and 25-14.

Both regional semifinal matches can be viewed free online at http://b2tv.com/upcoming_events.asp?q=s&value=womensvolleyball. The 2009 NCAA® Division II South Central Regional Tournament Web site can be viewed at http://www.ucmo.edu/athletics/volleyball/09-10%20news/NCAA/09_ncaatourney_info.htm.