Warrensburg, Mo. (Nov. 13, 2000) -- For an NCAA Division II-record 18th straight year, the Central Missouri State University Jennies are in the Division II Volleyball Tournament. Coach Peggy Martin's Jennies, 26-7 and ranked 20th in Division II, travel to Florence, Ala., this weekend as one of six teams in the South Central Regional.

Seeded second behind top-seed University of North Alabama (37-2), the Jennies have a first-round bye and will play Friday at 3 p.m. against the Missouri Western State College (20-10)-Truman State University (28-5 and ranked 22nd) winner from Thursday. North Alabama will play Friday at 5 p.m. against the Arkansas Tech University (37-4)-University of Montevallo (30-8) winner from Thursday. The regional championship match will be Saturday at 2 p.m., with the winner advancing to the Division II Elite Eight Nov. 30-Dec. 2 on the campus of one of the eight participants.

The Jennies, who made their first NCAA appearance in 1983 and who have appeared every year since, already have played their Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association opponents twice this season. They won both matches from Missouri Western and split their two matches with Truman State. The split with Truman State forced the Jennies to share this season's MIAA title with the Bulldogs, after winning it outright for 18 straight years.

The Jennies also have a four-game win over Arkansas Tech earlier in the season, as well as a three-game loss at North Alabama. They have won both previous meetings with Montevallo, but those took place in 1984 and 1985. The Jennies' 26 wins this season have pushed Martin's career win total to 841, the most in Division II history.

In each of their last three NCAA appearances, the Jennies have lost their first match. Their last NCAA win came in 1996, when they won the South Central Regional at North Alabama and went on to finish fourth at the Division II Championship.

Freshman Trudy Carter (Overbrook, Kan./Santa Fe Trail H.S.) leads the Jennies in kills with 400 and has a .274 hitting percentage. Senior Rhea Griffin (Red Bud, Ill.) leads the team in digs with 443 and is second in kills with 346. Junior Janell Mohme (Columbia, Ill.) leads the team in hitting percentage at .297 and also leads in blocks with 182. Senior Mandy Feldmann (Villa Ridge/St. Francis Borgia H.S.) is second on the team in hitting percentage at .277 and second in blocks with 134. Junior Robyn Griffin, Rhea's sister, is the Jennies' setter and has 1,410 assists.