March 29, 2006
UC Santa Cruz Chosen as Midwest-West Representative for Molten Division III Men’s Invitational Volleyball Championship^SM

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and USA Volleyball, in conjunction with Molten U.S.A., Inc., are pleased to announce UC Santa Cruz as the 2006 Molten Division III Men's Invitational Volleyball Championship^SM Midwest-West Region representative. The tournament will be hosted by Stevens Institute of Technology on April 7-8 at Hoboken, N.J.

As the host institution, Stevens Institute receives an automatic berth into the four-team field. The tournament field will also include the champions from the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) and the North East Collegiate Volleyball Association (NECVA) tournaments.

UC Santa Cruz holds a 6-8 record this season with a remaining match against Lewis on March 28. The fifth-ranked Banana Slugs hold a 4-1 record in NCAA Division III competition this year, including a 3-1 mark against teams currently ranked in the CSTV/AVCA Division III Men’s Coaches Top 15 Poll^SM, the best mark among the four Midwest-West Region Teams eligible for the Molten event. UC Santa Cruz has defeated fourth-ranked Clarke (3-0), seventh-ranked Stevens Institute (3-1) and 10^th-ranked Medaille (3-0) this season. Five of the Banana Slugs’ losses this season have come against NCAA Division I opponents, four of which are currently ranked in the CSTV/AVCA Division I-II Men’s Coaches Top 15 Poll^SM.

UC Santa Cruz is making its second appearance in the Molten Division III Men's Invitational Volleyball Championship^SM. The Banana Slugs finished third in the 2004 event held at Eastern Mennonite University.

The EIVA and NECVA conference tournaments will decide the final two spots in the Molten Invitational, as each conference tournament champion receives an automatic berth into this year's Molten field. If Stevens Institute wins the NECVA title, the runner-up will receive the conference’s bid to the national event. The NECVA Tournament will be played March 31 to April 2 at Endicott College. The EIVA Tournament will be hosted by Juniata as the league top seed on March 31 and April 1.

Now in its 10^th year, the Molten Division III Men's Invitational Volleyball Championship^SM was formed due to a need for a culminating event for NCAA Division III men’s volleyball. While the NCAA sponsors a national championship for men’s volleyball, programs from all three divisions compete for just four berths in the yearly tournament. In the 34-year history of the men’s tournament, no Division III program has earned a berth or been selected to participate in the NCAA National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Championship.

The Molten Division III Men’s Invitational Volleyball Championship^SM selection committee consists of Doug Beal (USA Volleyball chief executive officer); Kathy DeBoer (AVCA executive director); Ivan Marquez (EIVA commissioner); Bob Newcomb (UC Irvine/at-large representative); Mike Ricciardi (Ramapo College of New Jersey assistant director of athletics/NECVA representative) and Al Scates (UCLA men’s head coach/AVCA men’s representative).

Molten U.S.A., Inc. is the “Official Volleyball of the Division III Men’s Invitational Volleyball Championship.” Sports Imports is the “Official Net System Supplier of the Division III Men’s Invitational Volleyball Championship.” Mizuno USA is the “Official Apparel & Shoe Sponsor of the Division III Men’s Invitational Volleyball Championship.”

 - AVCA -