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The University of Minnesota Duluth will host the 2013 NCAA II Central Region Volleyball Tournament at Romano Gym beginning Thursday afternoon.

Three Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) rivals, three top teams from the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA), and the champions of the Great American Conference (GAC) will join the top-seeded No. 2 Bulldogs in Duluth in hopes of crowning themselves Regional Champion and advancing to the NCAA II Elite Eight, to be held in Cedar Rapids, Iowa the following week, Dec. 12-14.

The tournament sets off at Noon central time when the defending NCAA II National Champions of Concordia University, St. Paul take on a conference rival in Northern State University.

Quarterfinal #1: (3) No. 3 Concordia-St. Paul vs. (6) No. 22 Northern State (Noon)
About the Wolves
Northern State (22-7) finished fifth in the NSIC with a 14-6 league record, knocking off fourth-seed Augustana in the first round of the conference tournament before falling to Concordia in straight sets in the semifinal round. Head coach Brent Aldridge received conference Coach of the Year honors after leading the Wolves to their first-ever AVCA Top 25 ranking. Sophomore outside hitter Kelsey Chambers received First Team All-NSIC honors, finishing 10th in the nation at 4.32 kills per set. Sophomore setter Drew Smith also ranked in the NCAA II top ten with 11.72 assists per game, and as a team, NSU ranked 11th in the nation with a .286 attack percentage on the season. The Wolves are a perfect 5-0 on a neutral court in 2013 and handed Minnesota Duluth its lone home loss of the year at Romano Gym on Oct. 19.

About the Golden Bears
Concordia-St. Paul (29-3) won the NSIC regular season title with a 19-1 conference record before falling in the NSIC Tournament Championship game in straight sets at the hands of Minnesota Duluth. The Golden Bears lead the all-time series with Northern State at 26-7. including a pair of three-set sweeps in 2013. Coach Brady Starkey's squad enters the postseason with a 36-match NCAA tournament win streak. CU tied with UMD for the most 2013 All-NSIC selections with five, led by senior setter Amanda Konetchy ranking first in the nation in assists per game at 13.18 and senior right-side hitter Kayla Koenecke with the nation-leading .408 hitting percentage. Winners of the last six NCAA II tournament titles, the Golden Bears are 4-0 on a neutral court and have 11 wins against ranked opponents this season.

Quarterfinal #2: (2) No. 5 Central Missouri vs. (7) No. 11 Nebraska Kearney (2:30 p.m.)
About the Lopers
Nebraska Kearney (28-6) ranked third in the MIAA regular season and bowed out in the league's postseason championship game against Central Missouri. The two teams met twice in the past month, each a victory for the Jennies. Head Coach Rick Squiers has brought the Lopers to the NCAA II tournament each of his 15 seasons at Kearney. Senior right-side hitter Katie Soklowski and sophomore outside hitter MJ Massanet each earned First Team All-MIAA honors. Massanet came alive in the second half  of the season with 15-straight double-digit kill matches after recovering from a preseason injury. At 13.44 assists per set, sophomore setter Erin Seele and the Lopers ranked eighth in the nation. Nebraska Kearney is 4-1 on a neutral court but had most of its success at home, just 13-5 overall away from Kearney.

About the Jennies
Central Missouri (32-1) won a share of the MIAA regular season title at 15-1 in the league as well as the tournament championship and finished 2013 with the most victories of any team in NCAA II, leading to some general unrest by UCM fans on social media when the brackets were revealed last week. Head coach Flip Piontek is in his fifth season at the helm of the Jennies, who have made 31 straight NCAA tournament appearances. Sophomore libero Annie Reilly has not only shined on the defensive end but serving as well, ranking in the top ten in the nation averaging 0.68 aces per game. Senior outside hitter Taylor Goodness ranks in the top 20 in kills with a 4.04 per-set average. Senior setter Julia Bates was named the MIAA Player of the Year. Whether they feel slighted as their fans for receiving the second seed, the Jennies will have the opportunity to prove their rightful spot in the region and lead the all-time series with the Lopers 7-5 after a pair of victories in 2013.

Quarterfinal #3: (4) No. 8 Washburn vs. (5) No. 7 Southwest Minnesota State (5:00 p.m.)
About the Mustangs
Southwest Minnesota (23-7) finished third in the NSIC at 17-3 but stumbled in its conference tournament opener against Wayne State (Neb.), falling in straight sets. Head coach Terry Culhane has brought the Mustangs to the NCAA tournament in each of his 10 seasons at the helm of SMSU. Sophomore setter Emilee Gutzmer finished fifth in Division II averaging 12.26 assists per set. She was one of three second-year Mustangs to earn all-conference honors in the Northern Sun, joined by outside hitters Abbey Thissen and Claire Sames who averaged 3.88 and 2.94 kills per set, respectively. Senior libero Rachel Westby also earned All-NSIC honors for her  456 digs on the year. Southwest has won three straight tournament openers dating back to 2010 and is 7-10 all-time in NCAA postseason action.

About the Ichabods
Washburn (31-5) finished tied with Central Missouri for the MIAA regular season title this year but fell in the semifinal round of the conference tournament at the hands of Nebraska Kearney in four sets. Head coach Chris Herron's Ichabods are 11-10 in NCAA postseason action during his 12-year career at the helm of Washburn. Junior rightside hitter Marissa Cox posted a .340 hitting percentage  and 3.73 kills per set to earn All-MIAA First Team honors, while senior setter Abby Whitman finished 20th in the nation with an 11.09 assists per-game average. Whitman had 22 double-doubles in 2013 as one of six Ichabods named all-conference. Washburn is 11-4 on a netural court this season and has never met Southwest Minnesotat in regular season or postseason action.

Quarterfinal #4: (1) No. 2 Minnesota Duluth vs. (8) Arkansas Tech (7:30 p.m.)
About the Golden Suns
Unranked by the AVCA, Arkanasas Tech (25-11) earned the second seed in the GAC at 9-5 in league play and powered past regular season champion Harding in straight sets to claim the GAC tournament title and a NCAA postseason berth.In her 10th season, head coach Kristy Bayer brings the Suns to the NCAA tournament for the second time in three seasons and third time overall. Senior Amber Cerrillos earned GAC Setter of the Year honors, averaging 10.69 assists per set to lead the league, while junior-transfer outside hitter Emily Todd earned the league's Newcomer of the Year honors averaging 3.10 kills per set to lead Arkansas Tech. Sophomore libero Morgan McKellar averaged 4.80 digs per set in 2013 and was named an All-GAC Honorable Mention. As a squad, the Golden Suns hit just .229 on the season but held opponents to a miniscule .162 attack percentage. While Arkanasas Tech has earned 19 three-set sweeps in 25 victories, they are just 15-9 away from home in 2013.

About the Bulldogs
UMD (31-2) played its best down the stretch run, and the NSIC tournament champion enters NCAA postseason play on a 12-match winning streak. Head coach Jim Boos is the Bulldogs' all-time winningest coach and has brought UMD tournament appearances in each of his 12 seasons at the helm of UMD. Boos' Bulldogs have advanced to the regional final five times and as far as the national semifinals in 2004 and 2006. UMD is led offensively by NSIC Player of the Year and Daktronics Region Player of the Year, senior outside hitter Kate Lange. Lange led the nation with a 5.40 kill per-set average and set a new all-time kills record for the Bulldogs, currently at 2,022 for her career. On the defensive side, NSIC Libero of the Year Julie Rainey, a junior  also broke UMD's career digs mark in 2013 with 1,768 for her career. She ranks 13th in the nation at 5.69 per set. The Bulldogs hit .308 as a team this season, good for second in the nation, thanks to sophomore setter Ashley Hinsch's 12.38 assists per game. The Bulldogs are 12-1 at home in 2013 and have never faced Arkansas Tech in the history of the two programs.

The winners of each opening round match-up will advance to the second round on Friday evening, with the early match winners colliding at 5:00 p.m. and the later winners at 7:30. The winners of those semifinals will meet for the NCAA II Central Region Championship at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday in Duluth. All seven matches will be broadcast live via UMD and the iFan Sports Network and live stats will also be available via the links above.