MVNU, which is currently 21-8 overall, jumped into the NAIA Division II Top 25 poll for the first time this season at No. 24 early on Wednesday afternoon. This set the stage for the Lady Cougars to possibly earn one of the 12 at-large berths that were available into the single elimination event.

MVNU will be the No. 6 seed in their eight-team quadrant of the bracket and will take on No. 3 seed Saint Ambrose (Iowa) University on March 9 at 5:15 p.m. CST. The Queen Bees (28-4), who are in the midst of a 10-game winning streak, earned their ninth berth into the NAIA Division II National Championship by winning the Midwest Collegiate Conference Tournament. Saint Ambrose has posted a 6-8 record in their previous eight trips.

"What an awesome opportunity this is for a group that has worked so hard and had so much success,” said MVNU coach Steve Gregory of his senior class that has posted an 87-39 record over the past four years. "I am happy for this group of seniors to get a chance to do something no other MVNU women's basketball team has done in the previous 33 years of the program. It is nice to be a part of history in the making. God has blessed us with this opportunity and we plan on continuing to give Him all the praise and glory through our actions and our play.”

The potential to receive one of the 12 at-large berths into the field began to unfold last Tuesday when MVNU knocked off then No. 17 Cedarville University on the road in the first round of the American Mideast Conference Tournament. It was the Lady Cougars' second win over the nationally-ranked Lady Jackets in a span of 11 days and moved them up from fifth to third in the weekly conference rankings even though MVNU went on to lose to then No. 11 Daemen (N.Y.) College in the AMC Tournament semifinals.

No. 4 Walsh University is the No. 1 seed in their quadrant of the bracket, while No. 12 Daemen is the No. 3 seed in their quadrant with both of those teams playing first round games on March 10. Despite being passed by MVNU in the conference rating, Cedarville was ranked No. 25 in the final poll and earned an at-large bid and the No. 7 seed in their quadrant of the bracket and will play on March 9 as the AMC landed four teams in the tournament field.

The winner of the MVNU-Saint Ambrose game will advance to face the winner of the game between No. 2 seed Indiana Wesleyan University and No. 7 seed Cornerstone (Mich.) University at 3:30 p.m. on March 11. WNZR plans to carry the audio of all the Lady Cougars' games in the tournament, and a pay-per-view video link will also be provided at http://www.watchNAIA.com.