Washington University Tops Frostburg State In First Round Of NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional Tournament

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The No. 1 seeded Washington University Bears rolled into the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional Tournament semifinals Thursday with a 3-0 win over eight-seeded Frostburg State in first round action at Wittenberg University's Pam Evans Smith Arena.

The Bears, ranked third in the nation after capturing the 2007 national title, improved to 31-6 on the season, while Frostburg State, regular season and tournament champion of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference, saw its campaign come to a close at 29-6.

Tournament champion of the rugged University Athletic Association, Washington University's offense hummed throughout as the Bears finished with a .347 team attack percentage. Leading the charge was Nikki Morrison with 11 kills and an attack percentage of .562, while Erin Alberts added nine kills and Ali Crouch finished with six and an attack percentage of .385. Audra Janak directed the offense flawlessly, finishing with 30 assists and three service aces, while Laura Brazeal was tops in digs with 16.

Frostburg State's attack percentage, on the other hand, was .000 after the Bobcats posted 20 kills and 20 errors in 100 attempts. Lacie Johnson was solid with 16 assists, and her top target was Brooke Winterling, who topped both teams with 12 kills. Jamie Thomas led the defense with eight digs.