Nov. 29, 2007

ATHENS, Ohio - The No. 19 Ohio volleyball team is one of several teams featured in a recent ESPN.com article discussing the increased number of "Mid-Major" schools in the NCAA Tournament this season.

Dave Reed's article, Mid-Major conferences use strong schedules to earn at-large bids, looks at how the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee rewarded several "Mid-Major" schools with invites to the field of 64 for their tough nonconference schedules.

Ohio is mentioned as one of those teams, as the Bobcats played the 16th-hardest nonconference schedule in the country this season. The Bobcats fell short of a fifth-straight automatic bid to the NCAA tournament after losing to Miami in the MAC championship match, leaving their tournament fate up to the committee. The committee sided with the Bobcats' tough schedule, which included wins over four tournament teams, as Ohio not only received its first ever at-large bid, but was also selected to host the NCAA First and Second Rounds this upcoming weekend. Ohio takes the court for its first round match against Purdue on Friday at the Convocation Center at 7:30 p.m. Prior to Ohio's match, Cal Poly and Xavier play at 5:30 p.m. To view Dave Reed's article in its entirety please click on the link in the paragraph above.