Dec. 3, 2008
2008 Miami Volleyball Postseason Guide 
OXFORD, Ohio - Miami is in the NCAA Tournment for the eighth time in school history and second consecutive. This is the third time the RedHawks have earned an at-large bid; the other five (including last year's) were automatic bids for winning the MAC Tournament championship. This is the first time Miami has earned an at-large bid without winning the MAC regular-season title. The RedHawks are 1-7 all-time in NCAA Tournament play with their win coming in 1998, a 3-0 (15-12, 15-12, 15-9) win over Nevada.
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Go to this link on the Purdue site for all updated tournament information, as well as gametracker and a free live webcast of the RedHawks' match. -- 2008 Tournament Central
OPPONENTS LOOK FAMILIAR: With one notable exception, this four-team pod in West Lafayette looks like the Dayton Flyer Classic that Miami participated in earlier this season (Sept. 19-20). That tournament included Miami, Dayton, Purdue and Louisville. While the RedHawks did not win a match in three tries at that tournament, the high level of competition helped them learn to function as a team and resulted in a 12-4 MAC season and a run to the tournament semifinals. The exception to the bracket is Miami's opponent in round one, Middle Tennessee State. The Blue Raiders had a very similar season to the RedHawks, finishing in second place in their division and making it to the conference semifinals. If Miami can defeat Middle Tennessee, it will face either Purdue or Louisville in the second round. Purdue beat Louisville 3-0 (27-25, 25-18, 25-22) when they met at that Dayton tournament.
ABOUT MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE: Middle Tennessee State is 26-7 overall and finished 14-3 in the Sun Belt Conference. It split its final two matches, defeating Connecticut before falling to Saint Louis on Sat. Nov. 29. The Blue Raiders' top player is senior middle blocker Ashley Asberry. She leads the team with 394 kills, an average of 3.20 per set, and in blocks with 15, an average of 1.41 per set. Also of note is junior setter Leslie Clark, who averages 11.70 assists per set, which ranks fifth in the nation.
THE SERIES AGAINST THE BLUE RAIDERS: Middle Tennessee leads the all-time series against Miami, 2-0. The teams will be meeting for the first time since the 2006 season, when the Blue Raiders defeated the RedHawks, 3-0, at the Middle Tennessee Invitational. Carli Reihman led Miami with 15 kills in that match.
ABOUT PURDUE: Purdue is 24-8 overall and 13-7 in the Big Ten, finishing fourth in the conference. The Boilermakers ended its regular season last weekend when they defeated Wisconsin, 3-2, on Nov. 29. They are led by senior middle hitter Stephanie Lynch, who has 417 kills on the season, an average of 3.45 kills per set, and leads the team in blocks with 20.
ABOUT LOUISVILLE: Louisville is 19-10 overall and 12-3 in the BIG EAST. It finished the season as BIG EAST champions after defeating Notre Dame 3-1 on Nov. 23 in the tournament finals. The Cardinals are led by junior outside hitter Justine Landi who has the most kills on the season with 341, averaging 3.10 per set, and is second in digs with 278.
TOURNAMENT GUIDE: Click on the link at the top of this page for a complete recap of the 2008 regular season and preview of the RedHawks' upcoming NCAA Tournament run.
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