NOVEMBER 3, 2007 -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Lady Pioneers Volleyball Sweeps Region X Tournament
3 Pioneers Named to All-Tournament Team

 SPARTANBURG, SC – The Spartanburg Methodist College Lady Pioneers swept the National Junior College Athletic Association’s Region X Volleyball Tournament on Saturday, knocking off Pitt Community College in a 3-0 match and advancing to the NJCAA Division I nationals in Council Bluffs, IA.

 The Pioneers scored 30-22, 30-25 and 30-17 on their home court in the final round matchup against Pitt, giving the team only its second trip ever to nationals, and its first since 1984 -- all under first year coach Brittany Harry.

 Pitt defeated the defending Region X champion Cape Fear earlier Saturday.

 SMC opened its showing at the tournament with a 3-0 defeat over No. 8 ranked Wilkes Community College and followed that up with a 3-1 defeat over No. 4 Blue Ridge Community College.

 “I am so proud of our girls. They have had a tremendous season. Now we need to focus on nationals and make sure that we’re at the very top of our game. We’re going to show everyone that SMC means business,” says Harry. 

The Pioneers (19-2, 25-2)  will be seeded in the national tournament within the next few days. It will be held Nov. 15-17 at the Mid America Center in Council Bluffs, IA. The 2006 nationals champion was Iowa Western Community College. 

Freshman Tiffany Dean, of Westminster, SC, was selected tournament MVP and named to the six-member All-Tournament Team. The Lady Pioneers’ Jen Kelly, of Camas, WA, and Tori Criminger, of Rock Hill, SC, were also named to the All-Tournament Team. 

SMC athletic director Mark Perdue says that the whole SMC community is excited about the volleyball team’s advancement to nationals and performance this season.

 “I’ve never seen a group of girls work this hard, this quickly for something – and they did this with a team of 10 freshmen and two sophomores. This shows everyone that we have top-notch athletes, coaching, and recruiting. This is a very exciting moment for SMC volleyball,” says Perdue. 

Spartanburg Methodist College has 14 intercollegiate teams that compete in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association, which includes colleges in the Carolinas, Virginia, and West Virginia.   

The College is in its 96th year of providing a quality education to students in a Christian environment. More than 90 percent of SMC graduates continue their education at other institutions of higher learning.  

For more information, contact volleyball coach Brittany Harry at (864) 587-4008 or athletic director Mark Perdue at (864) 587-4237. 

On the net: 

NJCAA Division I Volleyball Tournament home page: http://www.njcaavb.com

For tickets: http://www.ticketmaster.com/search?tm_link=tm_header_search&keyword=2007+NJCAA