BC3 women’s volleyball set for NJCAA national championships as No. 3 seed. Here’s what to know
Butler County Community college women’s volleyball has finished a program best fifth at the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III National Championships twice.
The Pioneers are hoping to improve on that in their fifth appearance, which starts Thursday.
No. 3 BC3 (22-0) faces 14th-seed Westchester Community College (N.Y.) at 10 a.m. ET Thursday in the first round of the 16-team tournament, which is being held in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The Pioneers bring one of the nation’s top net-front presences, ranked second in D-III with a .291 hitting percentage and third in blocks per set (2.56), into the matchup with WCC (21-3).
A handful of Butler County high school graduates are key players on the team: Freeport grad Josie Ruso is top five in the nation in hitting percentage (.438) and blocks per set (1.38); and Slippery Rock High product Anora Robare is ninth in the country with 9.13 assists per set.
Sara Lucas (Butler), Molly Bissell (Slippery Rock), Emmy Fisher (Seneca Valley) and Kristen Gallagher (Knoch) also make up part of the team.
Longtime head coach Rob Snyder recently won his 500th career game, the same night BC3 won the Mid-Atlantic District title and clinched a berth in nationals.
The winner of BC3 vs. WCC advances to the quarterfinals at 6:30 p.m. ET Thursday against the winner of No. 6 College of DuPage or No. 11 Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute.
The semifinals are Friday; should BC3 advance, it would play at 7:30 p.m. ET. And Saturday’s final is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Minnesota West (35-4) is the No. 2 seed on BC3’s half of the bracket. The top seed is Dallas College Eastfield (27-1).
Each team gets at least two games in the tournament, with losers falling into consolation brackets.
