GEORGETOWN, Texas – Senior Nikki Welch begins her post season campaign with an honor for her work in the classroom, earning a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-Region announced Thursday.

Welch is a psychology major with a 3.60 grade point average and currently leads the nation in total assists.

The captain on the court for the #5 Pirates, Welch lead the Pirates to a 29-3 overall record for the regular season and a .217 attack percentage.

Southwestern begins their quest to defend their conference title on Friday, facing the winner of Texas Lutheran/Colorado College, at 6 p.m. in Shreveport.