March 20, 2009
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Vanderbilt women’s basketball team will open its 2009 NCAA Tournament on Saturday, March 21, against Western Carolina at The Pit in Albuquerque, N.M. The Commodores and Catamounts are scheduled to tip-off at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
The No. 4 seed in the Raleigh Region, Vanderbilt (24-8, 10-4 SEC) is making its second consecutive trip to play its first- and second-round games in Albuquerque. Last year, Vanderbilt defeated No. 13 seed Montana and No. 5 seed West Virginia at The Pit to advance to the Sweet 16.
This year, No. 13 Western Carolina and either No. 5 Kansas State or No. 12 seed Drexel stand in the way of the Commodores and another Sweet 16 berth. Vanderbilt has never faced Western Carolina, but the Catamounts’ coach — former Tennessee Lady Vol Kellie Jolly Harper — is familiar with the Commodores.
Vanderbilt is making its 22nd overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and its 10th consecutive trip since 2000. This year, Vanderbilt received the SEC’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament after winning the SEC Tournament for the fourth time in eight years. The SEC Tournament championship marked Vanderbilt’s sixth overall and the school’s second in the last three seasons.
Western Carolina (21-11) won the Southern Conference Tournament championship in a triple-overtime thriller over College of Charleston. Senior Brooke Johnson leads the Catamounts with 11.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.