Nov. 29, 2009

By Danny Mattie
Athletic Media Relations

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The 2009 Mountain West Conference champion Colorado State volleyball team is headed back to the NCAA tournament for the 15th consecutive season, and the journey will begin at home.

Moby Arena was selected as a site for the first and second rounds of the national tournament, and the Rams will play host to three schools, including in-state rival Northern Colorado, who will face off against the No. 6-seeded Washington Huskies in the opening round.  Colorado State begins its hunt for a national title against Middle Tennessee State, the Sun Belt Conference champion.

The first round will feature two contests at Moby Arena on Thursday, with the first match between UNC and Washington slated to begin at 5 p.m. MT.  The Rams and Blue Raiders are scheduled to face off at 7:30 p.m. MT.  The winners will then meet at 7 p.m. MT on Friday for a chance to head to the regional site in Minneapolis, Minn.

The tournament, which features a field of 64 teams, will culminate Dec. 19 at the national championship match in Tampa, Fla. The top 16 teams were seeded nationally and placed within four regions. Washington is the only seeded team coming to Moby Arena.

This marks the 10th time the Rams have hosted the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament, but the first time since 2005, when they beat CU before departing at the hands of Washington.

Ticket information
Colorado State volleyball season-ticket holders will have until 12 p.m. Tuesday to reserve their seats for the NCAA tournament matches, before the tickets are released to the general public. 

To reserve seats, or purchase additional tickets, fans should visit the CSU Athletics ticket office at the McGraw Athletic Center.  Fans can also purchase tickets by calling 800/491-RAMS.

Only all-session tickets are available for sale until the beginning of the first match on the first day of competition. At that time single-session tickets will go on sale.  Students will be admitted for a reduced price with a valid I.D. 

Single-Session (available only after beginning of first session)
• $8 Reserved
• $7 General Admission
• $5 Students/Senior Citizens
• $4 Youth General Admission

Additional information can be found at www.NCAAsports.com.