Michigan Picked to Host NCAA First and Second Rounds
11/6/2001 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
NCAA Release and Bracket (from NCAA.org)
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The University of Michigan has been selected to serve as one of four first- and second-round sites for the 2001 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship, the National Collegiate Athletic Association announced Tuesday night (Nov. 6) during its Field Hockey Championship Selection Show. The games, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday (Nov. 10-11), will be staged at Phyllis Ocker Field Hockey Field on the U-M campus, and will feature four of the 16 teams competing for the NCAA championship, including three teams currently ranked in the top 10 in the latest STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll.
No. 7 Michigan (14-5 overall), which is hosting the event for the first time in school history, will entertain No. 4 North Carolina (14-6) in the first round at 11 a.m. on Saturday in a rematch of a Sept. 8 meeting between the two. The Tar Heels posted a 2-1 victory over the Wolverines in that contest, played in Philadelphia, Pa., as part of the Temple Invitational. Michigan is making its third straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, while North Carolina, NCAA runner-up in 2000, is in the event for the 19th consecutive season.
In the other first-round matchup, the No. 7 Michigan State Spartans (15-5), co-champions of the Big Ten Conference, will face No. 11 Kent State (13-7) at 2 p.m. MSU posted a 3-2 win over the Golden Flashes in Kent, Ohio, in the only meeting between the two schools during the regular season. Michigan State is making its inaugural appearance in the NCAA Tournament, while Kent State has been invited for the fourth straight year.
The winners will advance to the second round, which is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday, with the winner of that matchup advancing to the semifinals on Friday, Nov. 16, at Dix Stadium on the campus of Kent State University in Kent, Ohio.
Admission for each day will cost $5 for adults and $3 for students, seniors and children under 18 years of age. Tickets may be purchased at the field on the day of the game and are good for the date of purchase only.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Marcia Pankratz
On North Carolina ... "North Carolina is a fantastic team, and we're looking forward to the challenge. We played them earlier in the year and it was a really tight, exciting match. Ann Arbor's going to get some great field hockey this weekend."
On hosting ... "It's a first for Michigan field hockey, and that's always exciting, and we always do a wonderful job at home hosting the events. It's a great bracket, and all the teams are very tough and very close. It should be exciting."
On the state of the team entering the NCAA Tournament ... "I feel really good. The kids have been playing really well, and we've been outshooting and outcornering every team we've played so far. Our kids are strong and fit, and we're ready to go."
Senior Goalkeeper Maureen Tasch
On hosting ... "We were prepared for anything, so this is the greatest outcome possible. I'm so excited to be in my hometown, have another game on my home field, and we're planning on going out with wins. I couldn't hope for anything better right now."
Contact: Paul Thomas (734) 763-4423
