Nov. 1, 2005

ELIZABETH CITY, NC- The Elizabeth City State University Lady Viking Volleyball Team is preparing to participate in the 2005 CIAA Volleyball Tournament November 4-5 in Durham, NC.

ECSU will be making their first appearance at the CIAA Tournament after a three year absence. They last advanced to the post season in 2001 as the third seed in the CIAA East.

Now under the guidance of second year head coach Linda Bell, the Lady Vikings again enter championship play as the third seed in the CIAA Eastern Division. The Lady Vikings will begin their championship quest as a member of Pool A on Friday, November 4th at 9:00am when they face off against Saint Augustine's (#2, CIAA West). At 3:00pm ECSU will clash with division rival Virginia Union (#1, CIAA East) and at 5:00pm their day will conclude with a match-up against the Lady Golden Bulls of Johnson C. Smith (#4, CIAA West).

Each year, the top four teams in each division advance to tournament play, comprising a field of eight. Then the teams, which will be divided into Pools A and B, will play three games in the double elimination format. The top two teams from each pool will then advance to the semi-finals on Saturday at 10:00am with the finals' participants squaring off at 6:00pm on Saturday evening for the CIAA crown.

All pool play and semi-final matches will be played at the LeRoy T. Walker Complex on the campus of North Carolina Central University beginning at 9:00am on Friday, November 4th . The 2005 CIAA Volleyball Championship game will be played at the McLendon McDougald Gymnasium at 6:00pm on Saturday, November 5th. For a complete listing of the 2005 CIAA Volleyball participants and other fall championship information, log onto www.theciaa.com. For more information on ECSU athletics, log onto www.ecsuvikings.com.