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Flyers face UW-Milwaukee in NCAA volleyball opener

Dayton is making its sixth tournament trip in the last seven years.

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By Debbie Juniewicz, Contributing Writer 8:24 PM Sunday, November 29, 2009

The University of Dayton Flyers will face the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers in the first round of the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship on Thursday, Dec. 3, in Champaign, Ill.

Both the Flyers (29-3) and the Panthers (16-14) earned automatic NCAA bids by winning their respective conference tournaments. Dayton battled back to topple Saint Louis 3-2 in the Atlantic 10 tournament, while Milwaukee edged Cleveland State, 3-1, to win its second straight Horizon League title.

This marks the Flyers’ sixth trip in the past seven years, but they have only tallied a pair of first-round wins in 2003 and 2007.

“When the lights come on, you’ve got to be playing your best volleyball,” Flyers coach Kelly Sheffield said.

The Flyers have had to make some adjustments in the past week as A-10 All-Rookie team member Rachel Krabacher reinjured her foot. Dayton responded with a 3-2 win over the NCAA tournament-bound Ohio Bobcats on Friday, Nov. 27.

“We played really well but we’re going to have to play better,” Sheffield said. “But this team doesn’t think doomsday is coming if something goes wrong. They do a pretty good job focusing on the task at hand.”

Despite the loss of Krabacher, the balanced Flyers offense has plenty of weapons including Lindsay Fletemier, the A-10 Co-Player of the Year who has tallied 20 or more kills six times this season, and Amanda Cowdrey, the Outstanding Player of the A-10 Tournament.

Sheffield and the Flyers would like to keep the fun going all week. The winner of Dayton/Milwaukee match will face either host No. 5 seed Illinois (24-5) or Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (20-11) on Friday.

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