Indianapolis, IN (May 4) — The University of Mount Olive women’s lacrosse team is headed back to the NCAA Tournament after securing an automatic bid and the No. 6 seed in the South Regional, as announced during Sunday evening’s NCAA Selection Show.

The Trojans (11-7) are making their second appearance in the national tournament and will open postseason play against third-seeded Embry-Riddle (16-3) on Thursday, May 8, at 3 p.m. The match will be held in Lakeland, Florida, where Florida Southern, the No. 2 seed with a 17-2 record, earned hosting rights for one of the two South Regional pods.

Florida Southern will await the winner of Mount Olive and Embry-Riddle in the second round, scheduled for Saturday, May 10. The Moccasins enter the tournament as one of the region’s strongest contenders after a stellar regular season.

In the other half of the South Regional, defending national champion Tampa (17-1) claimed the top seed and hosting duties after clinching a third consecutive Sunshine State Conference (SSC) title with a 15-13 win over Florida Southern. The Spartans earned a first-round bye and will play the winner of the matchup between fourth-seeded Lynn (14-4) and fifth-seeded Flagler (13-5). That game marks the second meeting between the two programs this season.

The winners of each pod will meet next week in the South Regional Championship, with the victor earning a trip to the NCAA Championship site in Salem, Virginia.

As anticipation builds, Mount Olive aims to make a deep tournament run and improve upon its historic postseason performance.