MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. North Central Women's Volleyball comes into this weekend as the fourth seed in the NCCAA DII North Central Region tournament. But the Rams will be looking use home court advantage as the tournament host Friday and Saturday, October 28-29.

NCU hosts the Friday and Saturday event with the tournament winner earning a spot in the 2011 NCCAA DII Women's Volleyball National Championship. North Central comes into the event as the fourth seed and will open play on Friday with a 3 p.m. match verses the region's top team, Providence College (Otterburne, Manitoba). NCU and Providence met back on October 7 at the NCU Ram Volleyball Invitational with the Lady Freeman sweeping NCU 3-0 (25-7,25-15,25-14). Since that time NCU has played its best volleyball of the season and will try to use that momentum to overcome the three-time reigning regional champions.

The other first round match features second seed Trinity Bible College (Ellendale, N.D.) and third seed Faith Baptist Bible College (Ankeny, Iowa) in the opening game of the tournament which begins at 1 p.m. on Friday afternoon. NCU lost its only match with Trinity Bible 3-1 (16-25,25-15,25-22,25-18) on October 7. The Rams are 2-1 verses Faith Baptist having lost two matches on the road in Ankeny and then defeating the Eagles 3-1 (25-18,18-25,25-23,25-20) on October 8 in Minneapolis.

The losers of the NCU/Providence and TBC/FBBC matches will play an elimination match at 5 p.m. while the winners will return to action with a regional championship game berth on the line in a 7 p.m. match.

Saturday's action begins with another elimination match at 11 a.m. and continues with the regional final scheduled for 1 p.m. If necessary the double-elimination format would provide for a second championship match at 3 p.m.

North Central's last regional banner came in 2007 when the Rams were also the regional tournament hosts. NCU defeated Faith Baptist in an exciting five-set match.

The Rams come into this weekend having one of the top attack players in the North Central region. Junior Mariah Simonson (Zumbrota, Minn./Zumbrota-Mazzepa) is seventh in the region with a 24.7 attack percentage. Simonson is also third in the region in blocking average and fourth in kill average. Freshman setter Alyssa Wallace (Mora, Minn./Mora) is currently the second ranked setter in the region averaging 6.52 assists per set.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, October 28, 2011
MATCH 1: 1 p.m.- #2 Trinity Bible College vs. #3 Faith Baptist Bible College
MATCH 2: 3 p.m.- #1 Providence College vs. #4 North Central University
MATCH 3: 5 p.m.- Match 1 loser vs. Match 2 loser
MATCH 4: 7 p.m.- Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner

Saturday, October 29, 2011
REGIONAL SEMI-FINAL: 11 a.m.- Match 3 winner vs. Match 4 loser
REGIONAL FINAL: 1 p.m.- Semi-final winner vs. Match 4 winner
REGIONAL FINAL #2: 3 p.m. Regional Final 1 winner vs. Regional Final 1 loser (if necessary)

ADMISSION FEES*
Adults: $6 per day
Students w/ID: $2 per day
Children under 10- free

*all fans must pay as the event is an official NCCAA tournament event.