ROCK HILL, S.C. --- The Tusculum volleyball team will be the No. 2 seed at this week's Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament and will face seventh-seeded Mars Hill in a quarterfinal match this Friday at 5 p.m. The SAC Tournament is being held at Boshamer Arena on the campus of Brevard College in Brevard, N.C.

The Pioneers finished runner-up in the conference standings for a second time in the last three years. TC has posted a 20-6 overall record, including 14-4 in league play. The Pioneers have won their last seven consecutive matches, including 11 straight sets.

Wingate (26-2, 16-2 SAC) will be the top-seed this week and will open the tournament on Friday against No. 8 Anderson (13-16, 5-13 SAC) at noon. No. 4 seed Lenoir-Rhyne (19-10, 11-7 SAC) will face fifth-seeded Newberry (17-13, 10-8 SAC) in the second quarterfinal match at 2:30 p.m.

Tusculum and Mars Hill (14-14, 7-11 SAC) will square off at 5 p.m., followed by the final match of the day as No. 3 seed Lincoln Memorial (20-12, 12-6 SAC) will square off against No. 6 Catawba (12-14, 9-9 SAC) at 7:30 p.m.

The winner of the Wingate/Anderson match will face the Lenoir-Rhyne/Newberry winner in Saturday's first semifinal that begins at 2:30 p.m. The Tusculum/Mars Hill winner will take on either LMU or Catawba at 5 p.m. in the second semifinal.

The SAC Tournament Championship will be held on Sunday at 2 p.m. with the winner earning the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament.

Tusculum swept the regular season series against Mars Hill, including last Tuesday's 3-0 sweep of the Lions at Pioneer Arena. This will mark only the second time the Pioneers and Lions have met in the SAC Tournament. TC defeated Mars Hill in straight sets in the 2010 quarterfinal round as the Pioneers parlayed that win into the program's first trip to the SAC Tournament championship match.

Tusculum is in quest of its fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. TC has already secured its seventh consecutive winning season and fifth 20-win campaign in the last seven years.

- SAC -

2012 Food Lion SAC Volleyball Tournament
Boshamer Arena, Brevard, N.C.
Friday, November 16, 2012 (Quarterfinals)
No. 1 Wingate vs. No. 8 Anderson, noon
No. 4 Lenoir-Rhyne vs. No. 5 Newberry, 2:30 p.m.
No. 2 Tusculum vs. No. 7 Mars Hill, 5 p.m.
No. 3 Lincoln Memorial vs. No. 6 Catawba, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 17, 2012 (Semifinals)
Wingate/Anderson winner vs. Lenoir-Rhyne/Newberry winner, 2:30 p.m.
Tusculum/Mars Hill winner vs. LMU/Catawba winner, 5 p.m.

Sunday, November 18, 2012 (Championship)
Semifinal winners, 2 p.m.