Northridge Expected Postseason Invitation : College volleyball: Playoff tradition continues despite step up to Division I competition.

When the call from Coach Walt Ker finally came late last Sunday night, few members of the Cal State Northridge women’s volleyball team expressed surprise.

In Northridge’s first few years of competition in Division I, the NCAA’s highest level, postseason berths figured to scarce for the majority of the school’s teams. But not in women’s volleyball.

“Nobody here had ever seen a season that we didn’t go to the playoffs,” outside hitter Marianne Dixon said. “Not going was just unthinkable.”

The question was: To which tournament would the team go? Would it be the 32-team NCAA tournament, or would it be the 20-team Women’s Invitational Volleyball Championship in Knoxville, Tenn.?

Naturally, the NCAA tournament was the preferred choice. The WIVC, volleyball’s equivalent to college basketball’s National Invitation Tournament, just happened to be more realistic and logical for a program still in its major-college infancy.

So when the selections were made and CSUN was sent to Knoxville, there were few complaints.

“We were very successful in Division II and we’d like to do the same thing in Division I. This is a great step in that direction,” Ker proclaimed.

This is not to say that Ker wasn’t just a bit disappointed about getting passed over for an NCAA bid.

“There’s a natural tendency to look back at a few matches that we could have won,” he said, mentioning losses to USC and Oregon. “Had we beaten them, maybe we’d be playing in the NCAA tournament. Those would have been significant wins.”

As it is, Northridge (24-8) is seeded first in its five-team pool and second overall in the WIVC. The Matadors, who won their final six regular-season matches, will open pool play today at the University of Tennessee’s Stokely Athletic Center against Alabama Birmingham (31-13) and Colorado State (13-15).

On Friday, CSUN will play Eastern Kentucky (24-17) and Iowa (15-14). The winners of each pool advance to the semifinals Saturday. The championship will be played Saturday night.

“Even to make the second tournament is special,” said middle blocker Kathleen Dixon, Marianne’s twin. “There are only 50 teams left playing and we’re one of them.”

Since 1981, when the NCAA started a Division II playoff tournament, Northridge had always been a part of the postseason field. The Matadors won two national championships and were second five times.

But even with that background, Ker said he didn’t quite know what to expect after CSUN moved up in class.

“I remember people asking me if we could be competitive and my answer was, ‘We could be 24-8 or 8-24,’ ” Ker said. “I knew (USC) and UCLA from watching them and watching the Final Four each year, but I hadn’t seen or played against mid-level competition.”

Ker said he first felt certain Northridge belonged when it returned from its first tournament, at Arizona State, with a 3-1 record. The loss came against Texas Tech, the second-seeded team from the South in the NCAA tournament.

“We played them close even without (outside hitter) Nancy Nicholls,” Ker said. “I felt like we were competitive, but after that point, being competitive wasn’t enough.”

The same thought applies to Ker’s approach in Northridge’s inaugural Division I postseason appearance. Being there simply is not enough.

“At this point we’re looking at 10 to 12 teams that are very competitive,” Ker said. “We’re one of those teams.

“What will satisfy us? Like I said before, the heck with being competitive. We want to win the thing.”