November 8, 2008
(release courtesy of Jon Denham, Loras College sports information)

DUBUQUE, IOWA . . . The Loras College volleyball team now awaits their next opponent and destination after winning the program's second ever IIAC Tournament on Saturday afternoon in the AWC. The Duhawks defeated the Simpson College Storm 3-1 to earn the berth.

Every set was decided by five points or less, and the Duhawks dropped the first one 25-22 before rattling off three straight to win the match. Kate Russell posted her second consecutive 20-kill performance to lead the Duhawks. Betsy Neverman registered 12 and Julianne Lord followed with 8 for Loras. Iowa Conference MVP Jenny Dziubla sent up 39 assists and four Duhawks tallied double-digit digs, including Dziubla, Lord, Russell, and libero Morgan Murphy.

For Simpson, it was a match plagued by errors. The Storm committed 24 on the attack. Lara Gillespie, Amy Schuster, and Whitney Oviatt each reached double-digits in the kills column. Tara Christensen had 40 assists for the Storm and Megan Dunlavy was outstanding in the service game with nine aces. The loss closed the regular season for second-seeded Simpson at 20-14.

Loras tied their best win total since joining the Iowa Conference (32) with the win. It was the second tournament title for the Duhawks, who also won the tournament (with a different format) in 1990. Ironically enough, it was a 3-1 win over Simpson that year as well. This is, however, Loras' first trip to the NCAA III tournament. In 1990, the format was a combination of Iowa Conference regular season and Iowa Conference Tournament performances. It was the first time since 1995 anyone other than Central College or Simpson College won the tournament.

The Duhawks will know no later than 8:00 AM Monday morning who they face and where on the map they will make their first NCAA III appearance. The University of St. Thomas (Minn.) and University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh are the closest institutions who received the NCAA's "local" regional site opportunities.

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