ANDERSON, S.C. - How difficult is the Division II East Regional? The No. 2 seeded team in the tournament (California, Pa.) is the defending national champion. Four of the eight teams in the field are in the top 14 of the WBCA Division II Top 25 Coaches' Poll. Three of those teams are in the top 10. The team that survives the East Regional will be battle tested for the Elite Eight Mar. 23-26 at Hot Springs, Ark. CVAC regular-season and tournament champion Anderson College plays host to the nation's toughest regional beginning Friday afternoon at the Abney Center. In Friday's afternoon session, No. 3 Charleston W.Va. (26-4) will face No. 6 Clarion (23-6) at 1 p.m., No. 2 California, Pa. (25-5) will take on No. 7 Wheeling Jesuit (23-8) at 3 p.m., No. 4 Fairmont State (27-3) will tangle with No. 5 Glenville State (24-7), and host and top-seed Anderson (31-2) will put its 21-game winning streak on the line against Millersville (21-8), which has won 15 straight. On Saturday, Friday's afternoon winners will play at 6 p.m. and Friday's evening winners will play at 8 p.m. The regional championship game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday. Tickets are $10 per session for adults and $5 per session for students college age and under. A tournament booklet will be sold on Friday only for $30. Anderson is led by sophomore LaShonda Chiles, the CVAC Player of the Year and MVP of the CVAC Tournament, who averages 22.6 points and 5.2 assists per game. Sophomores Stephanie Ponds (16.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg) and Deidra Langston (15.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg) are Anderson's top inside threats. Anderson is 1-1 in the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Trojans beat West Liberty State in the opening round last year before losing to Glenville State, 72-71. Anderson is one of the nation's top scoring teams at 88.8 points per game, while Millersville allows just 58.3 points per game. The Marauders have three players averaging in double figures - junior Danielle Marshall (14.0), senior Destinne Parker-Stewart (11.6), and senior Kristy Garner (11.0). Millersville qualified for the regional by winning the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament to earn the automatic bid. The Marauders, who are 5-6 in NCAA play, are making their seventh appearance in the tournament. In the first game will be a matchup of Golden Eagles. Clarion will be making its sixth regional appearance but its first since 1995. Senior Heather Cigich leads Clarion with 17.4 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Charleston was ranked No. 1 in the East Region in the final poll before the conference tournaments, but the Golden Eagles got upset in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals. Charleston, making its third trip to the NCAA Tournament, has yet to win an NCAA Tournament game. Charleston head coach Sherry Winn, a former WVIAC Player of the Year, was named the league's coach of the year this season. Junior Lisa Lee leads Charleston in scoring (19.1) and rebounding (8.2). In the second game of the afternoon session, California, Pa., will start its quest to defend its national championship against WVIAC Tournament champion Wheeling Jesuit. The Vulcans have won two straight East Region titles and have appeared in three straight regional championship games. Cal allows just 54 points per game and has a rebounding margin of plus 8.3. PSAC Player of the Year Sarah McKinney averages 17.8 points and 10.5 rebounds for the Vulcans. Wheeling Jesuit is making its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinals limited four opponents to 44.5 points per game in the WVIAC Tournament. Katie Repicky leads the Cardinals at 14.5 points per game. The Cardinals do not have a player who is averaging more than 5.2 rebounds per game. The first game of the evening session is a heated rivalry between Fairmont State and Glenville State. Fairmont State established a school record for victories this season. The Fighting Falcons shoot 44 percent from the field and 35 percent from behind the arc. Senior Kristen Gattuso leads the Falcons in scoring at 22.4 points per game. Glenville State, the team that eliminated Anderson from the 2004 NCAA Tournament, has reached three straight regional finals and reached the Final Four in '02. The Pioneers allow just 53.9 points per game and have a rebounding margin of plus 5.3. The Pioneers are unbeaten this season when they win the boards. Sophomore Rachel Redick leads Glenville State's nine-woman roster at 18.0 points per game.