VOLLEYBALL | |||||
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Saturday, December 1, 2007 - Columbia, Missouri Canaday, Julio pound FPU into final Box score (30-25, 30-22, 30-28) Columbia, Missouri - The Sunbirds are headed to the NAIA National Championship final for the second consecutive year thanks to the work of Marin (Shilling) Canaday and Thais Julio. Canaday and Julio each pounded 14 kills to lead the Sunbirds to a 30-25, 30-22, 30-28 sweep of Golden State Athletic Conference rival Biola. Canaday hit .440 for the match. Julio was not far behind at .391. They had plenty of help from the likes of Brittany Pierce, Fabiana Leomil, Lisa Shilling, Tiffany Marinos and Shu Liu. Pierce and Leomil each contributed 11 kills for FPU. Shilling added nine kills and four blocks. Liu passed out 43 assists and had seven digs. Leomil dug 15 shots to complete the double-double, while libero Marinos also had 15 digs. The Eagles raced to an 8-4 lead in Game I, but the Sunbirds finally tied it at 20-20 and went on to win 30-25. FPU controlled Game 2 from start to finish (30-22). Game 3 was headed in the same direction as Game 2 before the Eagles mounted a late rally. With FPU up 21-15 and looking to close, the Eagles clawed their way back into it, finally tying the game at 27-27 and trading points to 28-28. Leomil pounded a kill to get the Sunbirds to match point and a Jessica Buffum hitting error ended it on the next play. The Eagles out-hit the Sunbirds .436 to .400 in Game 3, but could not make the big play to get them over the hump. Megan Warkentin had 14 kills to lead the 32-8 Eagles. Maggie McGill added eight kills while setter Abbie Wright added a double-double with 10 digs and 19 assists. "I have great respect for Biola," said FPU head coach Dennis Janzen. "They are a superb team. Game 3 was a war. They gave us everything they had. We made a couple more plays than they did and that made the difference." The Sunbirds will face either California Baptist or Concordia in the championship tonight at 7:30 (CST), 5:30 (PST). It is FPU's 10 trip to the Final Four and fifth to the championship match. The Sunbirds previously won titles in 1989 and 2003. They finished as runner's-up in 1999 and last season. Updated Records Broadcast Notes Links | |||||
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Saturday, December 1, 2007 - Columbia, Missouri Final Four is an all GSAC affair Columbia, Missouri - This years' NAIA National Championship banner will reside in the home of a Region II team. It is a bold statement, but easy to make since the Sunbirds and rivals California Baptist, Concordia and Biola have all claimed spots in the semifinals. It is the first time in NAIA volleyball history that the Final Four teams are not only from the same Region, but the same conference. Make that the Golden State Athletic Conference. The Sunbirds (35-1) will face the Biola University Eagles (32-7) in the 9:30 a.m. (CST) semifinal, while California Baptist (31-4) will face Concordia (30-5) in the other at 12:30 p.m. The winners will play for the National Championship banner at 7:30 p.m. (CST). In the quarterfinals Friday the Sunbirds defeated Texas-Brownsville 30-17, 30-24, 30-21; Biola eliminated 2006 champion National American of South Dakota 27-30, 30-24, 30-22, 30-27; California Baptist defeated Northwestern (Iowa) 30-24, 30-14, 30-19; and Concord swept Lindenwood (Missouri) 30-17, 30-17, 30-18. Both semifinal matches, and the championship, are available from the NAIA on a pay-per-view basis. The link is listed below. Records 2007 Series All-time Series All-time Postseason Series Broadcast Notes Links | |||||
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FPU vs. The 2007 National Championship Field | |||||
| Date | Team |
Site |
Rank |
Result |
Rec |
| 8/31 | Savannah Art & Design (GA) |
N |
NAIA #10 |
W 3-0 |
1-0 |
| 9/1 | Westminster (Utah) |
N |
NAIA #25 |
W 3-1 |
2-0 |
| 9/8 | California Baptist |
A |
NAIA #3 |
W 3-2 |
3-0 |
| 9/25 | Biola |
H |
NAIA #5 |
W 3-0 |
4-0 |
| 9/29 | National American (S.D.) |
N |
NAIA #4 |
W 3-0 |
5-0 |
| 10/6 | Concordia |
A |
NAIA #3 |
W 3-0 |
6-0 |
| 9/13 | California Baptist |
H |
NAIA #2 |
W 3-0 |
7-0 |
| 10/31 | Biola |
A |
NAIA #4 |
L 2-3 |
7-1 |
| 11/10 | Concordia |
H |
NAIA #3 |
W 3-0 |
8-1 |
| 11/16 | Biola |
H |
NAIA #4 |
W 3-0 |
9-1 |
| 11/17 | California Baptist |
H |
NAIA #2 |
W 3-0 |
10-1 |
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At a Glance - FPU at the NAIA National Championship | |||||
| Year |
Seed |
NCT |
Place |
Final Match |
Final |
| 1989 |
6 |
7-1 |
Champ |
Championship: d. Hawaii Pacific (2-0) |
46-9 |
| 1990 |
6 |
2-2 |
9th (T) |
Pool play: did not advance to bracket play |
28-17 |
| 1991 |
6 |
5-2 |
4th |
Third place: L. Northwood, MI (2-3) |
34-8 |
| 1994 |
5 |
5-2 |
4th |
Third place: L. Puget Sound, WA (0-3) |
29-9 |
| 1995 |
4 |
5-1 |
3rd |
Semifinal: L. BYU-Hawaii (1-3) |
37-5 |
| 1996 |
2 |
4-1 |
5th |
Quarterfinal: L. Pt. Loma Nazarene (1-3) |
30-5 |
| 1997 |
3 |
3-2 |
5th |
Quarterfinal: L. Rockhurst, MO (2-3) |
31-4 |
| 1998 |
2 |
3-2 |
5th |
Quarterfinal: L. Columbia, MO (0-3) |
33-3 |
| 1999 |
2 |
6-1 |
2nd |
Championship: L. Columbia, MO (1-3) |
24-17 |
| 2000 |
8 |
3-2 |
5th |
Quarterfinal: L. Dickinson State, ND (2-3) |
26-13 |
| 2001 |
5 |
5-1 |
3rd (T) |
Semifinal: L. Columbia, MO (2-3) |
35-4 |
| 2002 |
4 |
5-1 |
3rd (T) |
Semifinal: L. National American, SD (2-3) |
41-2 |
| 2003 |
2 |
7-0 |
Champ |
Championship: d. Columbia, MO (3-1) |
42-2 |
| 2004 |
1 |
3-2 |
5th |
Quarterfinal: L. Concordia, CA (1-3) |
36-3 |
| 2005 |
1 |
4-1 |
5th |
Quarterfinal: L. California Baptist (1-3) |
38-1 |
| 2006 |
2 |
5-1 |
2nd |
Championship: L. National American (1-3) |
36-2 |
| Total |
72-22 (16) |
FPU is 72-22 in 16 previous NCT appearances | |||
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