INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – After winning its first-ever South Atlantic Conference Regular Season Championship and advancing to the semifinals of the SAC Tournament, the Anderson volleyball team has been chosen as one of five at-large selections to the 2017 Southeast Region Tournament, and has been seeded fourth in the event, as announced by the NCAA selection Committee Monday night.
"We are excited to be returning to the NCAA tournament," said Anderson head coach Todd Hay. "It's definitely a great honor to be able to represent our university on the national stage. Making the field of 64 was a definite team goal back in August so it's great to be able to see that goal achieved. Our mindset now, however, needs to move beyond the satisfaction of making the field to playing well and advancing."
Anderson (27-4) will square off against a familiar foe in the opening round, as SAC Tournament Champion Queens (23-7), garnered the No. 5 seed in the opening round, with the matchup scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 30, in St. Augustine, Fla.
Joining the Trojans and Royals at Flagler Gymnasium from the SAC will be second-seeded Wingate (25-3) and No. 7 seed Carson-Newman (17-14). The three-day event will begin Thursday, Nov. 30. The regional semifinals will take place on Friday, Dec. 1, with the regional title match on Saturday, Dec. 2. Match times will be announced later this week.
The host Saints (24-3) claimed their third straight Peach Belt Conference Tournament title and sixth overall with a 3-0 win over Georgia College over the weekend. The Bobcats posted a 23-7 record and earned a No. 6 seed in their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
Anderson, a preseason selection to finish third in the South Atlantic Conference, finished the campaign at the top of the league standings, one game in front of preseason favorite Wingate and five ahead of third-place Queens. The Trojans posted a school-record 22-match win streak during the season, while earning the most wins in a single season in program history.
The contest will mark the fourth overall appearance by Anderson in the NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Championship, and the first since the 2014 campaign. AU also earned berths in the 2008 and 2013 NCAA Southeast Region Championships.
The Trojans are 25-11 versus Queens over the past 19 seasons and have won 22 of the last 27 meetings, including three of the last four matchups. The two teams have met just 10 times since 2009, when both were members of Conference Carolinas, with Queens joining the SAC in 2013.
The Trojans defeated Queens, 3-1 (25-16, 19-25, 25-20, 25-23) in the first regular-season matchup in Charlotte, N.C., in a victory that ignited the win streak, then swept the Royals at the Abney Center in mid-October.
The winner of the regional quarterfinal contest will advance to meet the winner of the No. 1 seed Flagler/No. 8 seed Barton match in Friday's semifinal round.
2017 NCAA Southeast Region Tournament
at Flagler College (Flagler Gymnasium)
#1 Flagler vs. #8 Barton
#4 Anderson vs. #5 Queens
#2 Wingate vs. #7 Carson-Newman
#3 USC Aiken vs. #6 Ga. College
