Dec. 7, 2002

Truman Volleyball Team is 2002 NCAA Division II Runnerup

Truman's first-ever appearance in the NCAA Championship game did not turn out as the team would have liked as the Bulldogs lost 3-0 (30-21, 30-24, 30-21) to BYU-Hawaii. The loss did not diminish another successful campaign for the Bulldogs as their second-place finish established Truman as one of the top programs in the country.

The Bulldogs had no answer for BYU-Hawaii and especially first-team all-America Chun Yi Lin. The Seasiders hit .281 for the night while holding Truman to a .122 hitting percentage. Lin had 23 kills and just one error in 36 attacks (.611 hitting percentage) and also had four blocks. Ashley Moeai was in double-figures with 15 kills. Kaala Lo had 45 assists and Leiau Meatoga had 15 digs.

Jessica Sears led the team with 11 kills followed by Tiffany Graham with nine and Shelby Ortwerth with eight. Monica Marlowe had 45 assists and Ortwerth led the team with 10 digs. Both Bulldog seniors, Marlowe and Ortwerth, and sophomore Jessica Sears were named to the NCAA Elite Eight all-tournament team.

Truman struggled with its passing and could not contain BYU-Hawaii's middle attack in game one. The Bulldogs led early but a 10-3 Seasider run gave them a comfortable lead and another 7-2 run ended the game. BYU-Hawaii out-hit the Bulldogs .340 to .227 and had 24 kills to just 14 for Truman in the game.

The Bulldogs dug themselves into a hole again in the second game as a 7-0 run by BYU-Hawaii gave it a 11-5 lead. Truman's defense picked up after that and the squad retook the lead at 14-13. The 'Dogs led 17-15 but went three serving rotations without scoring as the Seasiders built a 25-20 advantage that the Bulldogs could not overcome.

Truman came out hot in the third-game and held a 11-6 advantage. The Bulldogs failed to score off their serve for the rest of the match however and BYU-Hawaii was able to finish the Bulldogs off and win the NCAA Division II Championships.

The loss ended the Bulldogs season with a 28-9 record which included the school's best postseason in school history. A few weeks ago, following a loss to Missouri Western, Truman appeared to be on the bubble for even making the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs responded with three sweeps to end the regular season, including a win over nationally-ranked Central Missouri, which helped Truman receive a number two seed in the South Central Regional Tournament.

The Bulldogs opened the NCAA Tournament with a narrow 3-2 win against North Alabama, winning the fifth game by a 15-13 score. Truman won the regional finals the next day with another 3-0 sweep over Central Missouri.

Truman drew a tough Elite Eight matchup, facing the number one team in the country and the host school West Texas A&M. The Bulldogs disappointed one of the largest crowds in Division II Tournament history by knocking the home team off by a 3-1 score. In the NCAA semifinals, the Bulldogs won another 3-1 victory, this time over fourth-ranked Grand Valley State, and advanced to their first-ever championship final.

Head Coach Qi Wang completed his second year as head coach of the 'Dogs and earned his second-straight regional coach of the year honor as well.