Oilers Begin NCAA Tourney Play this Week
The Oilers are the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region and will be competing in the NCAA Division II National Tournament for the second straight year on Dec. 1-3 in Big Rapids, Mich. The winner of the regional will then advance to the Elite Eight, which will be held on Dec. 8-10 in Sioux Falls, S.D.
NCAA Division II Midwest Regional
1. Ferris State – 28-5
2. Findlay – 21-9
3. Lewis – 25-7
4. Rockhurst – 27-6
5. Saginaw Valley State – 19-11
6. Ashland – 23-10
7. Cedarville – 26-8
8. Truman State – 18-16
Live Stats/Video
Live stats/video will be available on the tournament web page.
Follow the Oilers on Social Media
Follow the Oilers on social media to keep up with all the exciting news surrounding UF athletics.
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
Youtube
Findlay
The Oilers are 21-9 on the year and have been led by senior Hannah Tong, who was voted the 2016 GLIAC Attacker of the Year. Tong, who has been named first team all-conference in each of the past three years, also earned Attacker of the Year accolades during the 2014 season.
As a senior, Tong has accumulated 465 kills and hit .301. A two-time All-American, Tong ranks fifth all-time at Findlay with 1,548 career kills.
Red-shirt junior Nickyla Garverick also earned first team all-conference honors and leads the GLIAC with a .368 hitting percentage. She has also recorded 258 kills and 96 blocks on the year.
Garverick was also named first team all-conference during the 2014 season. She was named an honorable mention All-American in 2014 as well while also securing league honors as the GLIAC Blocker of the Year and GLIAC Freshman of the Year. She was a second team all-GLIAC pick during the 2015 campaign.
Garverick currently has the highest career hitting percentage in Findlay history at .350. She has also registered 834 kills and 335 total blocks, the ninth-best total in school history.
The Oilers have also received stellar seasons from sophomores Hailee Olson, Amanda Winner and Kara Scherger. Olson and Winner each earned second team all-conference honors while Scherger was voted honorable mention.
Olson is leads the GLIAC with 10.89 assists per set and ranks seventh in the league with a total of 1,209 assists. She has also contributed 134 digs, 71 kills, 50 blocks and 35 aces this season.
Olson, who was voted the NCAA Division II Freshman of the Year and was a third team All-American for the Oilers in 2015, ranks sixth all-time at Findlay with 2,732 career assists in just two seasons with the program.
Winner had a great all-around year for the Oilers and leads the GLIAC with 65 aces. She also ranks seventh with 379 kills and has added 223 digs and 21 blocks.
Scherger has led the Oilers defense and ranks fifth in the GLIAC with 488 digs, the sixth-best total in school history. She has also recorded 34 aces and 72 assists for the Oilers during the 2016 campaign.
Series Information
The Oilers and Yellow Jackets will be playing for the third time this season in the first round of the NCAA Division II National Tournament. Each team has won a home match against the other during their previous two meetings during the 2016 campaign.
The Yellow Jackets claimed a 3-1 (23-25, 25-21, 25-14, 25-23) win over the Oilers on Sep. 20 in Cedarville. They were led by Krissy Pratt and Abby Shelton, who each pounded 16 kills in the win. Amanda Winner led Findlay with 13 kills while Hannah Tong and Nickyla Garverick each produced ten kills in the loss.
The Oilers scored a 3-1 (25-16, 25-12, 24-26, 25-14) win over the Yellow Jackets in their most recent match on Nov. 8. Tong led the team with 19 kills while Winner had 16. Cedarville received nine kills from Taylor Wilkerson.
Midwest Region Opponents
#1 Ferris State
Ferris State comes into the tournament as the No.1 seed with a 28-5 record. The Bulldogs are led offensively by GLIAC Player of the Year Stephanie Sikorski, who leads the team with 1,309 assists. Allyson Cappel was named the GLIAC Freshman of the Year and ranks fourth in the GLIAC with 408 kills.
#3 Lewis
Lewis has a record of 25-7 and are the No. 3 seed in the tournament. Elizabeth Hyland leads the Flyers with 361 kills and 34 aces. Defensively, Lewis is led by Nichole Yuede, who has accumulated 584 digs. Caroline Stefanon has been a force at the net with 97 blocks as well.
#4 Rockhurst
The Hawks have a 27-6 record. The team is led by Morgan Rietzke, who has 433 kills, 368 digs, 41 blocks and 18 aces. Lily Thornburg and Grace Carter make the offense go and have recorded 612 and 505 assists, respectively.
#5 Saginaw Valley State
Saginaw Valley State has a record of 19-11. Kaylee Schmitt leads the Cardinals offensively with 339 kills. Emily Nieman leads the defense with 542 digs and is second in the conference with 4.75 digs per set.
#6 Ashland
Ashland comes into the tournament with a 23-10 record. Alli Cudworth leads the Eagles with 470 kills and 57 aces. Her kill total leads the GLIAC. Casey Clark has 436 digs to lead the Eagles' defense.
#7 Cedarville
Cedarville has a record of 26-8. They are led by Gabby Olson who has 360 kills and Abby Shelton who has 356 kills. Kristin Cardwell has distributed 1,205 assists for the Yellow Jackets.
#8 Truman State
The Truman State has a record of 18-16. Kayla Bastain leads the team with 371 kills and 38 aces. Savvy Hughes leads the team in assists with 1,043 while Lauren Wacker has a team-high 541 digs.
Links