The University of Illinois Springfield volleyball team made school history on Sunday night when it earned a bid to the NCAA Division II National Tournament for the first time. The Prairie Stars are the No. 6 seed in the region and will face No. 3 Rockhurst in the first round.
 
"We are excited about making our first appearance in the NCAA Tournament," said head coach Trey Salinas. "We had a nice five-set battle against Rockhurst at their place in the regular season. They have a very talented group of kids and we will be preparing appropriately for the tough matchup."
 
UIS enters the regional tournament with a 25-7 overall record and it went 15-3 in GLVC play, which was good for earning a share of its first GLVC Championship. The Prairie Stars are the No. 3 blocking team in the nation.
 
Rockhurst will enter regionals with a 30-6 overall record after winning last week's GLVC Tournament. Earlier this season, Rockhurst won a narrow decision against UIS by a 3-2 score. The final set was not decided until late as the Hawks won by a 15-13 score.
 
The complete NCAA Regional Tournament schedule will be announced at a later time.