THE MATCH
No. 13 Tarleton Volleyball is hosting the NCAA South Central Regional tournament for the first time in program history. The TexAnns are the top seed in the region and will take on No. 8-seed Arkansas-Fort Smith in the opening round of the tournament on Thursday, Nov. 15 at 5 p.m. in the Wisdom Volleyball Gym.
 
NCAA REGIONAL TOURNAMENT
The eight-team, single-elimination tournament consists of four first-round matches on Thursday beginning at noon, followed by two semifinal games on Friday evening starting at 5 p.m. and the championship match on Saturday at 4 p.m. Teams will compete for the NCAA South Central Regional championship for the rights to advance to the NCAA Championship tournament in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from Nov.29 – Dec. 1. All seven games will be streamed live free of charge through the NCAA Regional Tournament Central Page (TarletonSports.com/NCAAVolleyball2018).
 
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets will be sold by session and all-tournament passes will be available. The tournament will be broken down into four sessions. The first two matches of Thursday – featuring Colorado Mesa vs. Dixie State and Texas A&M-Commerce vs. Angelo State – will be Session 1. The last two matches of Thursday – featuring Tarleton vs. Ark.-Fort Smith and Colorado Mines vs. MSU Denver – will be Session 2. Both matches of the semifinal round on Friday will be Session 3 while Saturday's championship match will be Session 4. Adult tickets for each session will be $7 while student tickets will be $3. There will be all-tournament passes available for $20 for adults and $10 for students. Children five and under get in free.
 
NCAA REGIONAL TEAMS
1 seed: Tarleton (29-4, LSC Champions)
2 seed: Texas A&M-Commerce (28-5, LSC Tournament Champions)
3 seed: Colorado Mesa (23-6, RMAC Tournament Champions)
4 seed: Colorado Mines (23-5, Co-RMAC Champions)
5 seed: MSU Denver (21-9)
6 seed: Dixie State (22-5, Co-RMAC Champions)
7 seed: Angelo State (22-9)
8 seed: Arkansas-Fort Smith (20-11, Heartland Tournament Champions)
 
TARLETON'S PATH
The TexAnns are the No. 1 seed in the tournament and will open the event against Arkansas-Fort Smith at 5 p.m. on Thursday. With a win, the TexAnns will advance to the NCAA Regional semifinal round for a showdown against either (4) Colorado Mines or (5) MSU Denver on Friday at 7:30 p.m. The Championship is set for 4 p.m. Saturday against the winner of the opposite side of the bracket that includes (2) Texas A&M-Commerce, (3) Colorado Mesa, (6) Dixie State, and (7) Angelo State.
 
BACK-TO-BACK LSC CHAMPS
Tarleton earned the right to host the NCAA Regional Tournament after going 29-4 and winning the LSC Championship for the second straight year. The TexAnns advanced to the LSC Championship Tournament final for the fifth straight year. Tarleton's season was highlighted by a program-record 24 straight wins, including 19 straight conference victories. Tarleton went 17-2 at home this season.
 
IN THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Tarleton comes into the week at No. 13 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association national poll. The TexAnns have been ranked in every poll this season, including six straight weeks in the top 15, and have been ranked as high as No. 10, which was a program record. The TexAnns are the highest ranked team in the LSC with Texas A&M-Commerce coming in at No. 20.