Hutch draws North Idaho in NJCAA VB

LADY DRAGONS DRAW NO. 10 SEED, PLAY NORTH IDAHO IN NJCAA OPENING ROUND

The Region VI champion Hutchinson Community College volleyball team was seeded 10th for the 2012 NJCAA Division I Volleyball Championships on Nov. 15-17 at West Plains, Mo.

Seeding and brackets were released on Wednesday by the NJCAA.

The Lady Dragons (27-8) will meet seventh-seed North Idaho College (22-5) at 11 a.m. on Court 1 at the West Plains Civic Center. If Hutchinson wins its opening-round match, it would play again on Nov. 15 at 5:30 p.m. A loss would send HCC to the consolation bracket at 10 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 16.

For the complete bracket and schedule, go to www.njcaavbd1.com.

Hutchinson will be making its sixth appearance in the national tournament and the first since 2009.

HCC was the No. 2 seed in 2004, No. 5 seed in 2005, No. 12 seed in both 2006 and 2008 and the No. 8 seed in 2009.

As a double-figure seed, the Lady Dragons are 1-1 in opening-round matches at nationals.

In 2006, arguably the program's best match ever was played when No. 12-seed Hutchinson shocked defending national champion and fifth-seed Miami Dade in five sets (30-23, 20-20, 29-31, 21-30, 18-16). Current HCC assistant Brandi Hood was an All-America middle blocker on that team. That match was played in West Plains.

Two years later, the 12th-seeded Lady Dragons were swept by fifth-seed San Jacinto in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Hutchinson and North Idaho have met once at the national tournament. Coming off the high of the Miami-

Dade victory, the Lady Dragons met North Idaho in the 2006 quarterfinals and lost 30-19, 30-27, 30-21.

The teams have met three other times in the regular season, all in Salt Lake City. The Cardinals won 2-0 in both 2006 and 2007 and 2-1 in 2008.

2012 NJCAA DIVISION I VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT OPENING-ROUND PAIRINGS

Thursday, November 15, 2012 at West Plains Civic Center, West Plains, Mo.

9 a.m. - Court 1 - No. 3 Iowa Western (43-2) vs. No. 14 Temple College (22-17)

9 a.m. - Court 2 - No. 6 College of Central Florida (33-6) vs. No. 11 Western Texas College (28-6)

11 a.m. - Court 1 - No. 7 North Idaho College (22-5) vs. No. 10 Hutchinson (27-8)

11 a.m. - Court 2 - No. 2 Western Nebraska (37-2) vs. No. 25 Wallace State (33-6)

1 p.m. - Court 1 - No. 1 College of Southern Idaho (29-1) vs. No. 16 Faulkner State (27-7)

1 p.m. - Court 2 - No. 8 Hillsborough (27-12) vs. No. 9 Missouri State-West Plains (25-9)

3 p.m. - Court 1 - No. 5 Tyler Junior College (29-5) vs. No. 12 - Redlands (23-9)

3 p.m. - Court 2 - No. 4 San Jacinto (32-2) vs. No. 13 Casper College (23-17)