AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas was chosen as one of four sites that will host 2006 NCAA Volleyball Championship regional matches, the NCAA Division 1 Women's Volleyball Committee announced on Monday. The 4,400-seat Gregory Gym will serve as the venue for the matches, which will be played Friday-Saturday, December 8-9.
The other three sites chosen to host Regionals include Gainesville, Florida (Stephen C. O'Connell Center), Honolulu, Hawai'I (Stan Sheriff Center) and Seattle, Wash. (Bank of America Arena). The 2006 selection marks the first time since the move to predetermined regional sites in 2003 that Texas has been chosen to host. UT has hosted regional action nine times prior to this selection, the last time in 1993.
"We are thrilled to have the opportunity to bring our regional championships to these four outstanding sites," said Kelly Andrews, chair of the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Committee. "The volleyball committee felt this year's selections were capable of enhancing the student-athlete experience through the excitement and enthusiasm of their fans, as well as take the regionals to the next level."
Texas finished the 2005 season ranked ninth nationally in attendance, averaging 2,185 fans per match at Gregory Gym. All four of the selected regional sites were ranked in the top 10.
"We're proud of Texas' selection as a site for the 2006 NCAA Regionals," Texas head coach Jerritt Elliott said. "Texas has always had a great volleyball tradition and we have a long history of postseason matches played in Austin. We've worked hard the last few years to return UT Volleyball back among the nation's elite programs, and our selection to host Regionals only reinforces that fact."
Texas, which entered the 2005 NCAA Tournament ranked seventh nationally, officially opens the 2006 season on August 25, when the team faces Wisconsin in the AVCA Showcase in Madison, Wisc.
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