The Central Lakes College volleyball team has spent much of 2018 ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 in the NJCAA national poll and steamrolled their way to a 12-0 record in the MCAC Northern Division. However, the Raiders also needed to accomplish one last important task to earn the right compete for a  2018 NJCAA Division III National Championship; they had to beat Mesabi Range College for the third time in 2018. 

Veteran head coach Jane Peterson, the CLC mentor for the past 29 years, had her team ready to go on Saturday, as Central Lakes dispatched the Norse, 3-0, on their home court on Saturday, November 3, to claim the NJCAA Region XIIIB title. 

Third-seeded Mesabi Range head coach Sara Matuszak helped her team upset No. 2 seed Northland Community & Technical College on Friday evening, with the Norse outlasting NCTC in a five-game shootout, 3-2.  On Saturday, Mesabi Range was unable to channel more upset magic, and conclude their season with a 14-10 regular season record, and a 7-5 MCAC Northern Division mark. 

Central Lakes College advances to the 2018 NJCAA Division III Volleyball National Championships, hosted by RochesterMn Sports and fellow MCAC program, RCTC.  New this year, the 2018 NJCAA tournament will feature an expanded 12-team field.  Two MCAC programs, RCTC and Central Lakes, will be among the teams seeking a national title.

More information on the 2018 NJCAA Division III Volleyball National Championship tournament is available at: https://www.rochestermnsports.org/njcaavolleyball

For more information on the host school: http://www.rctcyellowjackets.com/sports/wvball/index

Be sure to follow our MCAC Volleyball social media feeds on our Facebook page and on Twitter: @MCACSPORTS

Conference Stats Leaders are at: http://www.mcacsports.org/sports/wvball/2018-19/leaders

Also, look to @NJCAAVolleyball on Twitter for NJCAA Volleyball news and information. 

This release sponsored by: 

About the Minnesota College Athletic Conference

The Minnesota College Athletic Conference is the organizational body for NJCAA-affiliated two-year technical and community college athletic programs in the Minnesota State system.  The mission of the Minnesota College Athletic Conference is to advance intercollegiate athletics by providing an engaging and supportive environment for success of our student athletes and competition among member institutions.  The MCAC is committed to the guiding principles of encouraging the development and success of student athletes, promoting the integrity, honesty and loyalty to member schools as well as upholding the sustainability of conference athletic programs.