BRUNSWICK — The 2018 NESCAC Volleyball Championship heads to Bowdoin College this weekend for the first time since 2015.
The Polar Bears earned the top seed and the right to host the tournament at Morrell Gymnasium, with quarterfinal round action beginning on Friday at 5 p.m.
Semifinal matches will be played on Saturday, followed by the championship game on Sunday. All matches are free admission, and for fans unable to get to Brunswick this weekend, the matches will be carried live on the Northeast Sports Network.
Bowdoin (24-1, 10-0 NESCAC) grabbed the No. 1 seed with a tightly contested 3-1 win over Wesleyan during the final weekend of the season. The Polar Bears, who are the top seed for the third time, won both of their NESCAC titles as the No. 1 seed in 2011 and 2015. Bowdoin went unbeaten in the NESCAC for the second time in program history (2011) and is averaging a league-best 13.78 kills per set.
The Polar Bears are looking to advance to the semifinals for the eighth consecutive season when they face No. 8 Trinity (13-10, 2-8 NESCAC) in the opening round (Friday, 5 p.m.).
The Bantams are making their first appearance in the NESCAC Championship since 2014, the last time they were the No. 8 seed. Trinity is seeking its first semifinal appearance since 2011.
Bowdoin holds a 2-0 advantage in the NESCAC postseason series, with the last meeting between the two teams taking place in the 2013 quarterfinals. The Polar Bears swept the Bantams, 3-0, at Bowdoin on Oct. 5 during the regular season.
In other quarterfinal action on Friday, No. 7 Bates meets second-seeded Wesleyan at 5 p.m., followed at 8 p.m. by No. 6 Williams-No. 3 Amherst and No. 5 Tufts-No. 4 Middlebury.
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