The No. 14-ranked Southwestern volleyball team punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament, earning its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017 with an at-large bid to the NCAA Regional hosted by Emory in Atlanta, Ga.
Southwestern (24-5) will face Washington and Lee (26-7) on Thursday, Nov. 11. The Generals earned their way into the NCAA Tournament with their second-consecutive Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODADC) championship.
The Pirates earned an at-large bid by building an impressive resume, posting wins over Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference champion Aurora, American Southwest Conference Texas-Dallas, and No. 7-ranked Colorado College. Southwestern has been firmly entrenched at No. 16 nationally for weeks and is ranked third in Region X.
Southwestern ranks No. 17 in the nation in kills per set (13.32), led by All-SCAC First Team selection and Elite 19 winner Emma White (2.98). The Pirates are also No. 14 in digs per set (19.63), led by All-SCAC Second Team libero Ali Grona (5.52), and No. 14 in assists per set (12.46) led by the setter duo of Katelyn Whitehead and Claire Romo. The Pirates also have All-SCAC Second Team right-side hitter Lauren Crabtree and All-SCAC Third Team middle blocker Riley Brantley.
Washington and Lee lacks a top-20 statistical profile in any specific category but is led by ODAC Player of the Year Sydney Heifner, a sophomore outside hitter who led the ODAC in kills (417) and finished third in kills per set (3.90) with 313 digs, 46 blocks, 30 aces, and 22 assists. In addition, the Generals had five all-conference selections overall.
The Generals played five matches against NCAA Tournament qualifiers, including Southern Athletic Association champion Berry (twice), Centennial Conference champion Johns Hopkins, Atlantic East Conference winner Cabrini, and Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference winner Christopher Newport. Washington and Lee was 1-4, picking up a win against Cabrini.
Southwestern and Washington and Lee have faced each other six times, with the Pirates holding a 5-1 record. The last match the two teams played was on Nov. 8, 2007, with the Pirates winning 3-0 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. For all live streaming and tournament information, visit the Tournament Website.
