DANBURY, Conn. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | For the first time since the 2007 season, the New Jersey City University women's volleyball team is postseason bound. The Eastern College Athletic Conference announced on November 7 that after a 15-win campaign, NJCU has been selected to the field of 16 for the 2016 ECAC Division III Women's Volleyball Championship tournament.
 
NJCU is the No. 4 seed in region 3 and the Gothic Knights (15-14) will face the region's top seed and host team, New York University (16-16), members of the University Athletic Association, in the ECAC First Round on Wednesday, November 9 at NYU's Brooklyn Athletic Facility (6 Metrotech) at 7 p.m.. The winner will face the survivor of No. 2 Arcadia (16-13) and No. 3 FDU-Florham (16-14) in the quarterfinals on Saturday, November 12. NJCU has not faced either of the three teams in the region this year.
 
NJCU will make its first playoff appearance in nine years and its fifth all time. The Knights are 3-2 all-time in the ECAC Tournament and 3-3 in all post-season play. NJCU captured the 2006 ECAC Division III South championship in a tournament it hosted and was seeded No. 1. It also reached the ECAC Division III South Quarterfinals in 2004, the NCAA Division III Tournament First Round in 2005 when it won the New Jersey Athletic Conference title, and the ECAC South Quarterfinals again in 2007.
 
In that last ECAC appearance in 2007, the opponent was also NYU. Then, the #7 seeded Violets eliminated defending champion and #2 seeded NJCU, 3-1 (30-20, 29-31, 30-22, 30-19), in Jersey City. It ended a run of four consecutive years in the postseason for NJCU.
 
The meeting in 2007 was the last for NYU and NJCU. The Violets are 9-0 all-time again the Knights, sweeping eight of the encounters. NYU is 5-0 at home against the Knights.
 
At 15-14, NJCU finished above .500 in the regular season for the first time since 2008 and it last won 15 matches in 2007 when it ended 28-6 after the ECAC loss.
 
"We're obviously excited about the prospect of postseason play," said third-year head coach Robert Cole. "The program has come a long way, but we're not satisfied with the progress we've made. We want to continue to get better every day. We've got a tough couple of days ahead to get ready for a very good NYU team."
 
NJCU is one of three NJAC squads to qualify for the tournament. Rutgers-Camden is the third seed in Region 1 while Rutgers-Newark is seeded fourth in Region 2. Montclair State, the NJAC champions, and Ramapo, the NJAC finalist, both made the NCAA Tournament, giving the league five total postseason schools out of nine that sponsor the sport.
 
Previously, the ECAC only crowned regional champions—Metro, New England, North and South. The 2016 season will mark the first where there will be one overall ECAC champion in every sport. Marymount University will be the overall top seed for the four regions and four rounds of playoff action.
 
Region 1 First Round - Wednesday, Nov. 9 at Marymount University
No. 1 Marymount (23-5) vs. No. 4 PSU-Altoona (13-13) at Marymount 4:00 p.m.
No. 2 Lebanon Valley (21-10) vs. No. 3 Rutgers-Camden (16-15) at Marymount 7:00 p.m.
 
Region 2 First Round - Wednesday, Nov. 9 at Swarthmore College
No. 1 Swarthmore (23-5) vs. No. 4 Rutgers-Newark (15-13) at Swarthmore 4:00 p.m.
No. 2 Moravian (18-14) vs. Neumann University (18-17) at Swarthmore 7:00 p.m.
 
Region 3 First Round - Wednesday, Nov. 9 at New York University
No. 2 Arcadia (16-13) vs. No. 3 FDU-Florham (16-14) at NYU 5:00 p.m.
No. 1 NYU (16-16) vs. No. 4 NJCU (15-14) at NYU 7:00 p.m.
 
Region 4 First Round - Wednesday, Nov. 9 at Emerson College
No. 1 Emerson (17-11) vs. No. 4 Morrisville State (21-10) at Emerson 4:00 p.m.
No. 2 Manhattanville College (17-9) vs. No. 3 Anna Maria (21-11) at Emerson 7:00 p.m.
 
Quarterfinals - Saturday, Nov. 12 at highest remaining seed
Quarterfinal 1: 11:00 a.m.
Quarterfinal 2: 2:00 p.m.
Quarterfinal 3: 4:00 p.m.
Quarterfinal 4: 6:00 p.m.
 
Semifinals - Sunday, Nov. 13 at highest remaining seed
Semifinal 1: 11:00 a.m.
Semifinal 2: 2:00 p.m.
 
Championship - Sunday, Nov. 13 at highest remaining seed
Winner Semifinal 1 vs. Winner Semifinal 2 - 5:00 p.m.