LA JOLLA, Calif. – Throughout the spring, UC San Diego Athletics will be taking a look back at the greatest moments and accomplishments from the Division II era. Each Tuesday, a #D2Tuesday segment will be featured on UC San Diego Athletics' Instagram and Twitter accounts.
This week, we are highlighting the women's volleyball team's run to the national semifinals in 2001.
In just its second season as an NCAA Division II program, the team finished with a 25-7 overall record and went 17-4 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The Tritons were ranked as high as ninth in the country.
After finishing second in the the CCAA standings, UC San Diego defeated Western Washington and then stunned league champion Cal State San Bernardino in the NCAA Pacific Region Championship to earn its first ever trip to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in Allendale, Michigan. There, the Tritons defeated Lock Haven University in the quarterfinals before seeing their incredible season come to an end with a loss to eventual national champion Barry University in the semifinals.
McFarland was honored as the NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year. Setter Teresa Ohta, a UC San Diego Athletics Hall of Fame member, earned All-NCAA Tournament, AVCA All-Region, and CCAA Freshman of the Year accolades. Kathleen Hentz was also an AVCA All-Region selection.
Other members of that 2001 powerhouse squad include Jessica Bartter, Diana Camarillo, Kendra Canape, Stacy Dunsmore, Katie Hogan, Lauren Mills, Ashley Peterson, Laura Santerre, Denelle Smalley, Jennie Wilson, and Jamie Woods.
Be sure to check the UC San Diego Athletics'
Instagram and
Twitter accounts every Tuesday throughout the month of June for more #D2Tuesday moments.
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program begins a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions III and II and helped guide more than 1,300 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.
