INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Chico State volleyball team’s 2009 season ended quietly and on a disappointing note Sunday with the announcement that the Wildcats did not receive a West Regional bid to the NCAA Championship Tournament. Despite finishing 23-9 – the most wins by any Chico State volleyball team in 17 years – the ’Cats came up short in their quest to reach the postseason for a fourth straight year.

“This team exceeded all expectations, and it’s a shame the girls won’t get to experience the Regionals,” Head Coach Cody Hein said following Sunday’s announcement. “I really feel bad for [lone senior] Gillian Heydorff. It was her goal to make it to the NCAA Tournament four straight years.”

Out of the postseason for the first time since 2005, Hein tried to put a positive spin on the disappointing news. “To get this close and not get in just might serve as a rallying point for next season’s team,” he said. Indeed, 11 players on the current Wildcats squad will return in 2010.

California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) champion Cal State San Bernardino earned the No. 1 seed in the West Regionals, with conference rivals UC San Diego (seeded No. 2), Sonoma State (No. 3), Cal State L.A. (No. 6) and San Francisco State (No. 7) also selected to compete this Thursday through Saturday in San Bernardino. The Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) is represented by conference champ Alaska Anchorage (seeded No. 5) and Seattle Pacific (No. 8). Pacific West Conference winner Hawaii Hilo rounds out the field with the No. 4 seed.

Eight eight-team regionals will be played across the country, with the winner of each regional advancing to the finals December 3-5.

COMPLETE LISTING OF NCAA REGIONAL SELECTIONS