The Aurora University volleyball is set to compete in the 2021 NCAA Division III Regional Tournament on Friday, November 12 with game time starting at 3:00 p.m. The Spartans finished the regular season with a 20-8 record and reached the NCAA field of 64 for the third time in school history as a pool A selection by winning the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference automatic qualifier.

Regional Information - 
Location: Waverly, Iowa
Host School: Wartburg College
Regional Website - view here
View the complete 2021 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship bracket - click here.
Regional Field: Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Wartburg College, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Ohio Northern University, Colorado College, Bethel University and Cornell College..
- All eight teams in the Waverly Regional are ranked or receiving votes in the latest AVCA Division III Top 25.

AU's Match-up -
The Spartans are the seven-seed and will take on the second-seed from Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Friday, November 12 at 3:00 p.m. Live stream and live stats are available.
- AU and ONU played four common opponents. Both the Spartans and Polar Bears went 2-2 in those common match-ups.
- All-time, AU is 0-3 against Ohio Northern. ONU won 3-2 in 2017 at the Illinois Wesleyan Invitational and won a pair of 2-0 decisions in 1990.
 
About the Spartans –
- The Spartans hold a 20-8 overall record, receiving votes in the latest AVCA poll and won the 2021 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference regular season and tournament championship.
- AU will make its fourth NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championships appearance.
- In 2019, AU lost to Ohio Northern in the Calvin College regional.
- In 2018, AU set program history in their trip to the NCAA Tournament, winning the Chicago Regional before falling in the NCAA quarterfinal to Calvin College.
- In 2021, AU went 1-6 against their opponents who also made the NCAA field of 64.
- Junior Sydnei Avery was an AVCA All-Region selection and leads AU in kills averaging 3.54 per set while hitting .215. She has 20 aces with 2.40 digs and 0.62 blocks per set.
- Junior Kaitlyn Beebe was an AVCA All-Region selection and leads the Spartans with 10.44 per set average, and has 27 service aces. She adds 0.49 kills, 2.72 digs and 0.49 blocks per set.
- Freshman Lulu Torres was named the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Freshman of the year averaging 2.93 kills per set.
- The Spartans as a team average 12.5 kills per set along with 11.6 assist per set.

About Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges - 
- No. 3-ranked Claremont Mudd-Scripps demanding schedule, included beating the No. 1 (Trinity) and No. 2 (Emory) ranked teams in the country at the time on the same day. CMS also traveled to Calvin, where it met top-six teams Hope and Calvin on the same day, splitting the two matches (defeating Hope and falling to Calvin in four for the only loss of the year), as well as Ohio Northern on the second day. 
- CMS (27-1) earned its way into the NCAA Tournament with a 3-2 win over Chapman in the SCIAC Championship match on Saturday at Roberts Pavilion. 
- The Athenas earned the 2017 national championship, and have gone 27-4 in each of the last two full seasons in 2018 and 2019, but fell in the second round to Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Carthage, respectively.
- This year, they enter the NCAA Tournament with a best-ever record of 27-1, including the first 16-0 season in SCIAC that the Athenas have ever recorded. 
- Jenna Holmes leads CMS with 3.49 kills and 2.60 digs per set.
- Georgia McGovern leads a 6-2 offense with 7.52 assists per set.
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Quick note about rest of the NCAA Regional Opponents –
- No. 1 seed is the host school, Wartburg College. Ranked fourth in the latest AVCA poll with a 27-0 record.
- No. 3 seed is the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point, ranked 22nd in the latest AVCA poll with a 26-7 record.
- No. 4 seed is Ohio Northern University, ranked 16th in the latest AVCA poll with a 22-5 record.
- No. 5 seed is Colorado College, ranked 11th in the latest AVCA poll with a 29-5 record.
- No. 6 seed is Bethel University, ranked 21st in the latest AVCA poll with a 22-6 record.
- No. 8 seed is Cornell College, receiving votes in the latest AVCA poll with a 20-11 record.

What's Next for AU - 
- With a victory over CMS, AU would take on the winner of the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point and Bethel University match-up on Saturday, November 13 with a 2:30 p.m. match time in Waverly, Iowa.