2009 NCAA Division III Bracket

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Lebanon Valley will take on Mt. Union, at Juniata College, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at 5:30 p.m..

Opening regional play takes place this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. It is the second straight year LVC will head to Huntingdon for the first round. The winner of the match will play the winner of the Cabrini-Juniata first-round match.

Lebanon Valley (31-2), the champion of the Commonwealth Conference, is making its second NCAA Tournament appearance after debuting in 2008. Mt. Union (21-6), runner-up in the Ohio Athletic Conference, earned an at-large berth for its first NCAA appearance.

The Dutchmen have been led this season by hitters Joelle Snyder and Emily Hopkins as they have a .224 team attack percentage. Snyder, a returning all-American the MVP of the Commonwealth Conference tournament, has 347 kills and is hitting .333 with a team-best 55 aces on the serve. Hopkins has 288 kills and is hitting .203. Michelle Little (205 kills, .160) and Jess Raber (166 kills, .244), along with Jamie Hawk (162 kills, .258) and Nicole Barra (115 kills, .157) have also been key frontline contributors. Emily Perkins averaged 10.38 assists per set to drive the LVC offense.

Defensively, libero Angela Kuperavage leads the Dutchmen with 485 digs and 52 aces, while  Little (275 digs), Perkins (225), and Stephanie Derk (125 digs) have helped hold opponents to a .102 hitting clip.

The Purple Raiders, who have never met LVC, are 22-6 overall and finished second in the Ohio Athletic Conference regular season, falling in the semifinals of the OAC Tournament to eventual champion Ohio Northern. Mt. Union earned one of 19 Pool C bids to the 62-team field.

Mt. Union has been led by Melissa Mahnke and Sarah Parker up front. The dangerous hitting duo account for half of the team's offense; Mahnke has 324 kills to hit .249, while Parker has 257 kills and is swinging an impressive .382. As a team, the Raiders hit .243. Setters Julie Radigan (8.61 aps) and Katie Kmieck (5.59 aps) have split time this year.

Defensively, Mt. Union's Sarah Dean has scooped up 525 digs, and Mahnke has 343. A very good blocking team, the Raiders have four players with 30 or more stops, led by Parker's 83 and Leah Hirsch's 68.

Juniata Regional - Thursday Matches
Eastern vs. Frostburg State, 12:30 p.m.
Haverford vs. Richard Stockton, 3 p.m.
Lebanon Valley vs. Mount Union, 5:30 p.m.
Cabrini vs. Juniata, 8 p.m.