Nov. 30, 2003

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The 64-team NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship field was announced Sunday, with 22nd-ranked UC Santa Barbara paired up against No. 16 Northern Iowa in first round action.

The UCSB-UNI match will be held on Dec. 5 at 3:00 p.m. PST/5:00 p.m. CST in Minneapolis, Minn. Host school Minnesota - ranked No. 19 and seeded 13th in the NCAA Tournament - faces Wisconsin-Green Bay at 5:00 p.m. PST in Friday's other first round contest in the Sports Pavilion. The winners of each match will square off on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 5:00 p.m. PST, with the victor advancing to the NCAA Regional Semifinals in Long Beach, Calif., the following weekend.

"I feel like this is a very tough draw, having to play a team that reached the Elite Eight last year," 29-year Santa Barbara head coach Kathy Gregory said. "Northern Iowa is very tall and has a number of exceptional hitters. However, it's always exciting to play a team you've never faced before, and to travel somewhere with a great volleyball atmosphere, which Minnesota has."

UCSB is one of only four schools to qualify for all 23 NCAA Championships dating back to the tournament's inception in 1981, with Pacific, Penn State and Stanford being the others. In 2003 the Gauchos enter postseason play with an overall record of 19-8, having won their second-consecutive Big West Conference Championship with a 14-4 league mark. Santa Barbara posted an 11-7 mark against fellow teams in this year's Big Dance.

This marks the Gauchos' first-ever match with the Northern Iowa Panthers, who have won the past six Missouri Valley Conference titles and finished the 2003 regular season at 27-5, 16-2 in league play. Minnesota (22-10 overall, 15-5 in the Big Ten Conference), last met UCSB in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2000 NCAA Tournament, a match won by the Gauchos 3-1 in Honolulu, Hawai'i. Santa Barbara leads the all-time series with the Golden Gophers 3-2. Meanwhile Wisconsin-Green Bay (23-10, 10-4) earned an automatic berth into the field of 64 by winning the Horizon League Tournament last week. UCSB has never faced the Fighting Phoenix.

All-session ticket prices for matches at the Sports Pavilion on Dec. 5-6 will be $20 for reserved seating, $17 for general admission, $12 for students and seniors and $8 for children 12 & under. Single-session tickets, if available, won't go on sale until the day of the match. Tickets can be purchased at www.gophersports.com.