Top seed in ECAC goes to Salve Regina

CENTERVILLE, Mass. - After finishing the regular-season with a 25-4 record, Salve Regina University was selected as the No. 1 seed in the 2013 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III New England Women's Volleyball Championship. The tournament is an eight-team field with a quarterfinal round followed by a semifinal and championship round.

In the first-round contests on Wednesday, Nov. 13, Salve Regina (25-4) will host Emerson College (15-12) at 7 p.m., while the second seed, Western New England University (22-9), will face No. 7 University of New England (14-10) at 7 p.m. at Western New England.  No. 3 Endicott College (22-15) plays Emmanuel College (23-13) at 7 p.m. at Endicott and Smith College (21-8) will take on Framingham State University (25-7) at 7 p.m. in the No. 4/No. 5 match-up at Smith. 

The first-round winners will advance to the semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 16, hosted by the highest remaining seed other than Salve Regina (the Seahawks did not bid to host the later rounds). The winner of No. 1 Salve Regina/No. 8 Emerson will face the winner of No. 4 Smith/No. 5 Framingham State in one semifinal and the winner of No. 2 Western New England/No. 7 University of New England and the winner of No. 3 Endicott /No. 6 Emmanuel in the other semifinal. The semifinal winners will meet later on Saturday, Nov. 16, for the championship at the same site.

First Round – Wednesday, Nov. 13
No. 8 Emerson at No. 1 Salve Regina, 7 p.m.
No. 7 University of New England at No. 2 Western New England, 7 p.m.
No. 6 Emmanuel at No. 3 Endicott, 7 p.m.
No. 5 Framingham State at No. 4 Smith, 7 p.m.

Semifinals – Saturday, Nov. 16 at Highest Remaining Seed
No. 1 Salve Regina /No. 8 Emerson Winner vs. No. 4 Smith /No. 5 Framingham State Winner, TBD
No. 2 Western New England /No. 7 University of New England Winner vs. No. 3 Endicott /No. 6 Emmanuel, TBD

Championship – Saturday, Nov 16 at Highest Remaining Seed
Two Semifinal Winners, TBD 

About the ECAC
The ECAC is the nation's largest and the only multi-divisional athletic conference in the country with more than 300 Divisions I, II, and III colleges and universities. The ECAC stretches from Maine to North Carolina and westerly to Colorado. Established in 1938, the ECAC, a non-profit service organization, sponsors nearly 100 championships in 37 men's and women's sports and assigns more than 4,400 officials in 12 sports. The ECAC also administers nine affiliate sports organizations and six playing leagues, and through the public relations arm of the conference, more than 2,500 student-athletes in 23 sports are recognized annually. Finally, the ECAC serves as the primary conference for select members in the sports of men's and women's ice hockey and men's lacrosse.