NAIA VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIERS

ASHLAND – Seven Cascade Conference teams qualified for the NAIA Volleyball National Tournament but sixth-place Southern Oregon was not among them when the 48-team field was announced on Monday.

The selection committee bypassed the Raiders after their strong finish that included wins on the road against No. 1 Eastern Oregon and No. 20 Bushnell and at home against No. 21 Northwest (Wash.) over the final three weeks of the season.

They went 7-3 during the second half of CCC play, moved up to No. 24 in the final NAIA coaches' poll and were No. 22 in the Massey computer rankings. The selection committee, however, was ultimately unable to look past the Raiders' .500 record despite them accumulating 13 of their 14 losses against qualifying teams. They also compiled six wins against the tournament field.

Curiously, Northwest received an at-large bid after finishing two wins behind the Raiders in the CCC standings and suffering a six-match losing streak in October that included a stop at SOU. Walla Walla was the other team that finished behind SOU and got in anyway.

The Raiders had qualified for the tournament in three consecutive and five of their last six seasons. They advanced to the NAIA semifinals last year and reloaded after graduating six starters.