EVANSVILLE, Ind.—The University of Southern Indiana volleyball team will face the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament champion, Ferris State University, in the first round of the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Tournament Friday at 1:30 p.m. (CST). The tournament will be hosted by top-seeded Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan.

Tickets for the regional tournament are $5 for adults and $3 for college students of competing teams with an ID, seniors age 55 and over, and kids between the ages of 3-17.

USI (23-6), which is making its second NCAA II Tournament appearance in three years, enters as the seventh seed, while the Bulldogs will be the second seed. This year's tournament is comprised of 64 teams from eight regions. The winners of each region will advance to the NCAA II Elite Eight which will be hosted on a campus site of one of the remaining teams.

The Screaming Eagles advanced to the NCAA post-season after winning the GLVC regular season and tournament titles. They were 17-1 against the GLVC in 2004.

USI knocked off Lewis University before falling to Grand Valley State in its only trip to the NCAA II Tournament in 2002.

This year, the Eagles are 0-3 against the regional tournament field. They lost to fourth-seeded Hillsdale College in five games and to sixth-seeded Northwood University in four games, while GVSU swept the Eagles. All the matches were at the Great Lakes Regional Crossover back in September.

Since falling to GVSU, the Eagles have been one of the hottest teams in the region. Under the direction of first-year Head Coach Molly Alvey, the Eagles have gone 17-2 and nearly pulled off a road upset of the defending national champion University of North Alabama.

USI also is familiar with FSU after defeating the Bulldogs in five games last year.

Like the USI, FSU is making its second trip to the NCAA II Tournament in three seasons. The Bulldogs lost to Wheeling Jesuit University in the first round of the 2002 NCAA II Tournament.

Friday, November 19 (First Round)
Match 1: #3 Ashland vs. #6 Northwood, 11 a.m.
Match 2: #2 Ferris State vs. #7 Southern Indiana, 1:30 p.m.
Match 3: #4 Hillsdale vs. #5 Northern Michigan, 4 p.m.
Match 4: #1 Grand Valley State vs. #8 Charleston, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 20 (Semifinals)
Match 5: Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2, 4 p.m.
Match 6: Winner of Match 3 vs. Winner of Match 4, 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, November 21 (Championship)
Match 7: Winner of Match 5 vs. Winner of Match 6, 4 p.m.