Alaska Sports Hall of Fame

Anchorage’s Kate Ferrin is putting on her dancing shoes because the Chapman University volleyball team is going to the big dance.

The Panthers of Orange, Calif., received an at-large berth to the NCAA D3 Championships and will travel to Thousand Oaks, Calif., to open regional play against Southwestern University of Texas in Friday’s first round.

“This is huge,” Ferrin told me.

Led by Ferrin, Chapman University tied a school-record with 23 victories and reached the national tournament for the seventh time. The team enters the postseason on a 15-3 tear.

Ferrin, of Grace Christian fame, leads Chapman with 413 kills – making her just the second Panther in the school’s D3 history to surpass the 400-kill plateau.