The Shippensburg University field hockey team is set for its 12th consecutive PSAC tournament appearance this weekend as it travels to West Chester University for the 2012 PSAC Championships on Friday and Saturday. SU is in search of its second conference championship in school history.

Shippensburg (17-1, 9-1 PSAC West), the No. 1 seed in Division II and the No. 1 seed from the PSAC Western Division, will take on No. 6 Millersville, the PSAC East No. 3 seed, at 3:30 p.m. Friday from Vonnie Gros Field. Millersville defeated No. 3 Bloomsburg on Tuesday, 2-0, in a conference quarterfinal from Sports Stadium.

West Chester (15-2, 9-1 PSAC East), the No. 2 seed in Division II and the No. 1 seed from the PSAC Eastern Division, will take on No. 4 IUP, the PSAC West No. 2 seed, at 6 p.m. Friday from Vonnie Gros Field. IUP defeated No. 8 Slippery Rock on Tuesday night, 1-0, in a conference quarterfinal from Miller Stadium.

The winners of the semifinal matches will play for the 2012 PSAC Field Hockey Championship at 5 p.m. Saturday from Vonnie Gros Field.

Admission for each match has been set by the PSAC at $7 for adults and $2 for students while students of PSAC member institutions receive free admission with their identification card.

Shippensburg enters the weekend captained by a steady senior class of seven: Amanda Burridge, Ciarra Delost, Kayla Harshman, Taylor Jones, Sam Langone, Jamie Levy and Emily Kohlbus.

Since this senior class arrived in 2009, the Raider hockey team has posted a 75-10 record, which includes a 34-1 record in PSAC divisional games. The only PSAC West loss came earlier this year at IUP, 3-1. Overall, the Raiders have outscored the opposition 255-75 since the start of the 2009 season.

All seven seniors are significant contributors to the team. Burridge and Harshman are starting defenders and each has recorded three defensive saves this season. Levy, a NFHCA Third Team All-American last year, is a starter with midfield experience from seasons past but who has grown into a valuable defender along the back lines.

Delost is the team's starting goalkeeper and boasts a 0.88 goals-against average through 16 games this season. She has allowed just 11 goals and recorded 62 saves en route to a 13-1 record in 2012. Overall, Delost is 44-7 in her career and has allowed just 38 goals in a career that has featured 59 career games and over 3,100 minutes of playing time.

Jones is a two-time NFHCA First Team All-American who has delivered eight goals and two assists this season. She is playing particularly well of late, scoring six goals over the final five conference games of the season. Overall, Jones has 25 goals and 17 assists in 73 career games.

Up front, Langone and Kohlbus have been valuable offensive weapons. Langone has four goals this season and ranks second on the team with six assists. Kohlbus is SU's leading entry hitter on penalty corners and also has chipped in with points, tallying six goals and three assists.

Junior Bre White is the team's most visible offensive threat. The two-time NFHCA First Team All-American has recorded a team-high 17 goals and eight assists this season. Overall, through 60 career contests, White has scored 52 goals (sixth in school history) and recorded 33 assists.

Fellow junior Lauren Taylor has started all 18 games at forward this season and scored a career-high seven goals. Despite making just six starts, junior Taylor Bender ranks second on the squad with 10 goals – including four game-winners. Sophomore Tori Ricker has also emerged as a valuable presence off the bench, caging six goals this season.

In the backfield, junior Katie Shoop has maintained her steady play as a defender. The NFHCA Second Team All-American has started all 62 of the team's games since the start of the 2010 season. She has contributed two goals and four assists this season as well. Another player to watch is sophomore Ari Saytar, whose strong play has earned her a starting role. Saytar boasts one of the strongest shots on the team and is a valuable hitter in the arc.

Shippensburg is looking to reverse recent history in the conference tournament. The Raiders were defeated in the PSAC finals by Bloomsburg in the 2006, 2009 and 2011 tournaments and in the semifinals of the 2008 tournament, but the Huskies have already been eliminated. In 2010, SU was upset in the semifinals by East Stroudsburg despite going on to reach the national championship game that season.

Shippensburg's only PSAC championship came in 2005, when the Raiders routed Kutztown 6-2 in the semifinals before earning a memorable come-from-behind victory over Bloomsburg, 5-4, from Robb Sports Complex.