SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University volleyball team is making its third NCAA Tournament appearance this weekend when it travels to Wheeling, W.Va., for the 2013 NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Championships. 

Shippensburg, the No. 4 seed in the Atlantic Region, will face No. 5 seed Pitt-Johnstown at 5 p.m. Thursday from the Alma Grace McDonough Center. SU previously qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2007 and 2012.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. All-Tournament passes are available for $25.

All seven of the tournament matches will be graciously webcast by the WJU sports information office. Live stats will also be provided. Live coverage links are available at the tournament webpage linked above and will also be posted to shipraiders.com.

Ship in NCAA Tournament: Shippensburg is in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season and third time under head coach Leanne Piscotty. Last season, SU (No. 7 seed) dropped a four-setter to California (Pa.) (No. 2 seed) by scores of 24-26, 27-25, 18-25 and 18-25. In 2007, SU (No. 4 seed) dropped a five-setter to Kutztown (No. 5 seed) by scores of 30-23, 32-34, 30-25, 25-30 and 15-17.

Cats With Claws: The Mountain Cats of UPJ enter the NCAA Tournament with momentum, having defeated Lock Haven, Gannon and Cal to achieve the 2013 PSAC Championship in its first year in the league. However, SU has defeated UPJ in both matchups this season, posting a four-set win at home on October 25 (25-17, 19-25, 25-17 and 25-20) and a four-set win on the road on November 16 (25-20, 22-25, 25-20 and 25-20). Before this season, the two teams had not met since 2005. 

#11 the PSAC Player of the Year: Senior Jill Edwards became just the second Raider in history to achieve a PSAC Player of the Year award and the first since All-American Lisa Rice was honored in 1991. On Tuesday, Edwards was selected to the Daktronics All-Atlantic Region First Team squad. She leads the PSAC with 538 kills, 52 more than any other player in the league, and a 4.24 kills-per-set average that ranks 12th in Division II.

More on Jill: Jill is one of just two players in PSAC history with 2,000 or more career kills (2,037). Her 538 kills this season are 29 shy of her own school record (567) set in 2011. She is also having the strongest statistical season of her career, hitting a personal-best .263 on the attack along with career highs of 402 digs, 59 blocks and 49 service aces.

Four All-PSAC Players: In addition to Edwards, sophomore middle blockers Faith Athey and Taylor Gottshall and freshman setter Maura Nolan were named to the All-PSAC Eastern Division Second Team. Athey and Nolan were recognized for the first time, while Gottshall was named the PSAC Eastern Division Freshman of the Year as a second-teamer in 2012.

Piscotty Coach of the Year: Head coach Leanne Piscotty was named the PSAC Eastern Division Coach of the Year for the second straight season and the fourth time in her career. Piscotty has guided the Raiders to a 28-9 record that includes an 18-4 mark in PSAC regular-season play – the most victories ever attained by a Raider team in conference play. SU started the season 6-0 for the first time since its inaugural 1980 season and posted a school-record 12-match winning streak during the regular season.

Dealing Aces: Shippensburg leads the PSAC with 252 service aces – 13 more than any other conference school – in addition to 1.89 aces per set. That rate ranks 23rd in Division II and is second-best among the schools in this weekend's tournament (Fayetteville State is 14th in D-II at 2.03 aces per set). The Raiders have served up double-digit aces in eight matches this season and boast six players with 20 or more aces. Freshman Maria Peluso leads the team with 56 aces – second-most in the PSAC.

On the Block: Shippensburg has been strong on the block, currently leading the PSAC with 2.18 blocks per set and ranking second in the league behind Seton Hill with 290 total blocks. Gottshall and Athey each have 133 blocks in the middle while Nolan (79), Edwards (59) and freshman Gabbie Holt (50) have all provided 50 or more blocks.

Setting the Tone: Nolan has 1,271 assists this season (fourth-most in SU single-season history), which ranks third in the PSAC among setters. She is averaging 9.63 assists per set. Nolan has provided 40 or more assists in 10 matches this season, including a season-high 52 in a five-set victory over Lenoir-Rhyne.

Block Record Pursuit: Both Gottshall (116) and Athey (115) enter the NCAA Tournament within striking distance of the SU single-season school record of 118 block assists set by Libby Woffindin in 2010. Through just two seasons, Gottshall has already amassed 232 block assists – Woffindin's school record for a career is 273.

Senior Moments: Jill Edwards and senior Samantha Edwards are the lone seniors on a Raider roster that also includes no juniors. Jill has appeared in 139 matches since the start of the 2010 season while Samantha has appeared in 122. The duo has combined for 2,458 kills and 291 blocks in that span.

Back Row Boost: Sophomore Laura Plank has emerged as SU's libero and has been a stabilizing force in the back row. Plank has recorded double-digit digs in 11 matches this season, including a career-high 22 against Gannon, and posted five or more digs in 27 matches – including 19 in a row.

Ship Against the Field: Shippensburg's strong start in non-conference play this season is reflected in its 4-4 record against NCAA Tournament teams. Before conference play, SU posted a four-set victory over Queens (N.C.) (No. 6 seed in Southeast).