INDIANAPOLIS --- For the first time in school history, the Tusculum College volleyball team has received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament. The announcement came with the release of the 64-team national bracket.

The Pioneers (18-14) will be the No. 8 seed in the Southeast Regional and will face top-seed and host Wingate University (34-1) in an opening round match this Friday at Cuddy Arena on the Wingate, N.C. campus. Match time will be announced on Monday.

Flagler, which won the Peach Belt Conference tournament, is the second seed, and will face seventh-seed Lees-McRae College, the Conference Carolinas Tournament winner and received that conference's automatic bid.

Defending regional tournament champion Armstrong Atlantic State, out of the Peach Belt Conference, is the third seed and will face sixth-seed Lincoln Memorial University. LMU is making its second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Carson-Newman College, which lost to Wingate in Sunday's Food Lion SAC Tournament championship, is the fourth seed and will face Catawba College.

The winners of each of the eight regionals will advance to the finals, December 3-5, on the campus of a participating institution.

Tusculum has already clinched its fourth straight winning season.

- NCAA -

NCAA Division II Southeast Regional
Hosted by Wingate University, Wingate, North Carolina - November 20-22
No. 1 Wingate (34-1) vs. No. 8 Tusculum (18-14)
No. 2 Flagler (30-8) vs. No. 7 Lees-McRae (28-5)
No. 3 Armstrong Atlantic State (25-8) vs. No. 6 Lincoln Memorial (21-9)
No. 4 Carson-Newman (22-9) vs. No. 5 Catawba (17-11)