DENVER – The field is set and the seedings are in. Now the NCAA Division II Volleyball Championship is coming to MSU Denver.
 
Undefeated teams from Cal State San Bernardino and the University of Nebraska at Kearney are the top two seeds for the eight-team, single-elimination tournament, which begins at noon Thursday at the Auraria Event Center.
 
There is a local flavor to the event as Regis, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's regular-season champion as well as the South Central Regional tournament champion, has earned the No. 4 seed.
 
The four quarterfinal matchups for the opening day include No. 3 seed Rockhurst (Mo.) against No. 6 Carson-Newman (Tenn.) at noon; No. 2 seed Nebraska-Kearney against No. 7 Gannon (Pa.) at 2:30 p.m.; No. 4 seed Regis against No. 5 Saint Leo (Fla.) at 5 p.m.; and No. 1 seed Cal State San Bernardino against No. 8 Molloy (N.Y.) at 7:30 p.m.
 
The semifinals are Friday at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., with the national championship match set for 5 p.m. Saturday.
 
Top-ranked by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, Cal State San Bernardino brings a 30-0 record to Denver after defeating fourth-ranked Western Washington in the West Regional championship. Outside hitter Alexis Cardoza, the two-time California Collegiate Athletic Association and West Region Player of the Year, is third in Division II with 4.5 kills per set and with 5.1 points per set, leading the team with the best hitting percentage (.310) and most blocks per set (3.00) in the country. Middle blocker Sascha Dominique was also All-CCAA first team, while Leilia To'omalatai was the league's libero of the year. The Coyotes are in their 20^th straight national tournament and have been national runners-up twice and have made a total of four semifinals appearances and are in the quarterfinals for the eighth time.
 
UNK (36-0) defeated ninth-ranked Northern State (S.D.) in the semifinals and then beat third-ranked nine-time national champion Concordia-St. Paul (Minn.) – rallying from a 20-9 fourth-set deficit and a 9-4 hole in the fifth – to win the Central Regional title after losing two of the first three sets. Maddie Squiers ranks 20^th nationally with 11.0 assists per set. Squiers, middle blocker Anna Squiers, and Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Co-Player of the Year Julianne Jackson are all all-region selections, while fellow outside hitter Mary Katherine Wolfe joined them on the All-MIAA first team. The Lopers, who lead the country with 21.2 digs per set, have made 21 straight NCAA Tournament appearances and have one national runner-up finish as well as one other semifinal berth. This is their fifth trip to the quarterfinals.
 
Rockhurst, ranked 19^th, brings a 32-7 record to Denver after knocking off 17^th-ranked Ferris State (Mich.), 14^th-ranked Lewis (Ill.) and 10^th-ranked Hillsdale (Mich.) en route to the Midwest Regional title. Dani Prusha is 15^th in the country with 11.3 assists per set, while Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Year Karli Reichert is 36^th with 3.8 kills per set and with 4.3 points per set. Prusha and outside hitter Alyssa Woodman joined Reichert on the All-GLVC first team. The Hawks, fifth nationally in hitting percentage (.270), are playing in their sixth straight NCAA Tournament and their 13^th overall, and they are looking to make the semifinals for the second time while making their third quarterfinals appearance since 2015.
 
Regis (28-4) survived a five-set, first-round scare from MSU Denver in the South Central Regional before cruising to easy sweeps of Arkansas-Fort Smith and Colorado School of Mines to earn the right to play the entire postseason in its home city. Kristen Hornung is sixth in Division II with a .397 hitting percentage, and RMAC player of the year Silvia Basso is 11^th in the country with 11.3 assists per set. Besides Basso and Hornung, Regis had three other players on the All-RMAC first team: outside hitter Caitlyn Burroway, outside hitter Izzy Gosar and middle blocker Nikki Kennedy. The Rangers, fourth nationally in hitting percentage (.277), are playing in their 23^rd national tournament and have two semifinals appearances. This is their ninth trip to the quarterfinals.
 
Saint Leo (24-10) beat Barry (Fla.) in five sets for the South Regional championship after Barry had knocked off defending national champion Tampa (Fla.) in the regional semifinals. As a team, Saint Leo is 19^th in hitting percentage (.251), with Anilise Fitzi 28^th in hitting (.360) and 37^th with 1.17 blocks per set. Fitzi was an all-region pick after becoming the Lions' first All-Sunshine State Conference first team selection since 2016. The Lions are playing in their seventh straight NCAA Tournament and 11^th overall, and they have reached the quarterfinals for the first time.
 
Carson-Newman (28-7), third seed in the Southeast Regional, dropped only one set in three tournament matches to earn its trip to Denver. Morgan Ballard is fourth nationally with 6.2 digs per set and the Eagles are third in the country with 2.65 blocks per set, led by Fort Collins, Colo., product Kaina Roehrkasse (eighth, 1.31 blocks per set) and Katie Parnell (10^th, 1.29 blocks per set). Outside hitter Marnie Streeter was All-South Atlantic Conference first team for Carson-Newman. The Eagles are in their eighth national tournament and are looking to advance to the national semifinals for the first time after reaching the quarterfinals in 2015.
 
Gannon (30-6) swept top-seeded and 15^th-ranked Wheeling (W.V.) in the Atlantic Regional championships. Gannon ranks in the top 45 of seven major statistical team categories (13^th in opponent hitting percentage, 18^th in kills per set, 20^th in assists per set, 25^th in hitting percentage, 32^nd in aces per set, 35^th in digs per set, 45^th in blocks per set), with Ashley Beyers 12^th in assists per set (11.3) to lead the way individually. Beyers, Ally Smith and Ashley Kerestes were all named to the All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference first team. The Golden Knights are playing in the NCAA Tournament for the 12^th straight year and the 17^th time overall, and they have one semifinal appearance to their credit and are in the quarterfinals for the second time in three years and fifth time overall.
 
Molloy (28-4), survived a five-set scare from St. Anselm (N.H.) before defeating Bridgeport (Conn.) in four to win the East Regional. Molloy is 24^th in opponent hitting percentage (.135) and 41^st in digs per set (18.0). East Region Player of the Year Kacey Affrunti is fifth nationally with 0.54 service aces per set. Affrunti, Carly Banks and Jessica Fischetti were all named to the East Region first team, while Sophia Smith was the East Coast Conference Setter of the Year and joined Affrunti and Fischetti on the ECC first team. The Lions have reached the quarterfinals for the first time in only their third NCAA Tournament appearance, all of them in the past three years.