NCAA Southeast Regional Tournament Central
 
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Queens University of Charlotte women's volleyball team is set to begin play in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional on Thursday, taking on fellow South Atlantic Conference member Anderson University (S.C.).
 
The tournament, taking place on the campus of top-seeded Flagler College, hosts the top eight teams in the Southeast Region where Anderson and Queens were seed fourth and fifth, respectively. Tomorrow's regional match is scheduled for a 5 p.m. start time in St. Augustine, Fla.
 
Anderson sports a 27-4 overall record and took both regular season meetings over Queens, 3-1 and 3-0, and won the South Atlantic Conference Regular Season Championship to earn its fourth bid to the NCAA Tournament.
 
The Trojans are solid on both offense and defense, averaging 14.06 kills per set and a .246 hitting percentage as well as holding opponents to a .111 hitting percentage, the eighth lowest mark in the country. Three Trojans have earned All-Region accolades in sophomore Emily Conlin and seniors Rachel Burts and Marissa Mitter.
 
Burts is among the nation's most efficient attackers, putting down 253 kills (2.53/set) on a .374 hitting percentage. At the net, the middle has 83 total blocks, including 15 of the solo variety. Mitter, an outside hitter, is one of the SAC's most feared offensive weapons, ranking among the league leaders with 3.82 kills per set and a .234 hitting percentage as well as 3.15 digs per set on defense.
 
Conlin paces the offense from her setter position, placing inside the nation's Top 10 with 11.92 assists per set. A complete player, she also averages 3.15 digs per set and has tallied 39 service aces.
 
The Royals enter the match 23-7 overall after winning their first ever SAC Tournament Title two weeks ago, making its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and third in school history.
 
Queens also ranks among the league's top offensive teams, finishing with 13.31 kills per set. The Royals are among the nation's leaders with 198 service aces and hold opponents to a .152 hitting mark. Seniors Rebecca Cochran and Sydney Kunz earned All-Region honors for their team this past week.
 
Cochran, a South Atlantic Conference First Team All-Conference honoree, was the Royals' top offensive threat during the regular season after totaling 280 kills (3.15/set) across 23 total matches. The Harrisburg, N.C. native finished second on the team with 3.99 digs per set to go along with 26 service aces. She has missed the team's last seven contests, but hopes to make a return in the regional.
 
Kunz was also a SAC First Team All-Conference honoree as well as a D2CCA All-Region award winner. A setter from Germantown, Wisc., she ranked second in the league with 11.15 assists per set and led all players with 44 total service aces in 113 sets of play. She started every match for the Royals and collected 323 total digs (2.86/set) on defense.
 
The Queens' offense is aided by freshman Casey Tarvin (290 kills, 2.69/set), senior Jessica Raines (280 kills, 2.48/set) and junior Taylor Henry (230 kills, .354%), while the defense is led by freshman JayCee Jones (4.04 digs/set) and sophomores Lexie Dolecheck (3.47 digs/set) and Mallory Swarts (2.58 digs/set). Henry  and senior Alex Thompson have recorded 81 and 76 total blocks, respectively.