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CLARION, Pa. – It's time to go dancing.
 
The Clarion University women's volleyball team will start its quest for a second trip to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in four years at 2:30 p.m. Thursday when it takes on PSAC West rival Seton Hill in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Tournament's Atlantic Region at Wheeling Jesuit.
 
"We are excited," Clarion's seventh-year head coach Jennifer Mills, whose team is in the NCAA Tournament for a school-record fifth straight season, said. "We are set up nicely with the season we have had, but now the focus is on what's ahead and what we need to work on to be successful."
 
The PSAC West champion Golden Eagles (31-4) are the No. 2 seed and are making their 10^th trip to the NCAA playoffs in the past 12 seasons, while seventh-seeded Seton Hill (26-11), the third-place team in the PSAC West, is making its first trip to the NCAA postseason.
 
"I'm not sure we have an advantage because of our experience," Mills, who was the PSAC West Coach of the Year, said. "There is still a familiarity with the teams at the Regional tournament. Outside of a couple of the teams, we have all seen each other more than once at this point."
 
This is actually the third meeting of the year between Clarion and the Griffins. The Golden Eagles took the first two meetings winning 3-0 (25-18, 25-8, 25-17) at Seton Hill Oct. 5 and 3-1 at Clarion Nov. 1 (26-24, 17-25, 25-12, 25-13).
 
"Seton Hill is a good team," Mills said. "Just like us, they have had some times off, and I expect them to come back fired up. Rick (Hall) is a great coach, and they have some very physical players."
 
Because of the familiarity with not only Seton Hill but seven of the other eight teams in the region (the only opponent in the Atlantic Region Clarion hasn't faced this season is Fayetteville St.), Mills said she is more worried about her team and how it plays.
 
"Right now, our girls seem comfortable," Mills said. "They seem to be in a good place and are working hard. They have also been open to suggestions to make us a little bit better."
 
Clarion is led by the PSAC West Athlete of the Year, junior setter Laura Subject.
 
Subject leads the PSAC in set assists per set at 11.12 while also recording a career-high 2.79 digs per set while ranking third in the PSAC in service aces per set with 0.47.
 
Joining Subject as All-PSAC West performers this season are senior right-side hitter Hannah Heeter (first team), senior outside hitter Emily Stewart (first team) and senior middle hitter Corinne Manley (second team).
 
Heeter ranks second in the PSAC in hitting percentage at .317 (322 kills, 89 errors, 735 attempts) while averaging 2.62 kills per set. She is also adding 0.75 blocks per set while tying for the team lead with Manley with 92 blocks.
 
Stewart is second in the PSAC in kills per set at 3.78 while adding 3.11 digs per set, and Manley averages 1.82 kills per set while also averaging 0.75 blocks per set and hitting .314 (224-58-527), which ranks fourth in the PSAC. 
 
Defensively, the Golden Eagles are paced by sophomore Libero Morgan Seybold, who leads the PSAC in digs per set with 6.23 while recording 772 digs this year.
 
Seton Hill is led by the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Year, sophomore Libero Lauren Teed as well as first-team All-PSAC West middle hitter Corinne Gahagen, a junior.
 
Teed leads Seton Hill with 590 digs and 47 service aces while ranking ninth in the PSAC with 4.40 digs per set.
 
Gahagen ranks fifth in the PSAC in hitting percentage at .307 (357-90-807) while averaging a team-high 2.77 kills per set and ranking second on the team with 0.80 blocks per set (103 blocks).
 
Sophomore middle hitter Shelby Kyllo leads the PSAC with 1.11 blocks per set while adding 2.09 kills per set, and freshman outside hitter Cassie Hausfeld adds 2.20 kills per set and 2.37 digs per set.
 
Also for the Griffins, sophomore outside hitter Abigail Malsch chips in 1.75 kills per set and 2.04 digs per set.
 
NOTES – The winner of Thursday's match plays the winner of the Gannon-California match at 5 p.m. Friday at Wheeling Jesuit. Gannon is the sixth seed and California is the third seed. Host Wheeling Jesuit is the top seed and faces eighth-seeded Fayetteville St. while PSAC Champion Pitt-Johnstown is the fifth seed and takes on fourth-seeded Shippensburg … The Regional championship match will be at 7 p.m. Saturday also at Wheeling Jesuit … Ticket prices for the Regional Tournament are $25 for a three-day pass or $10 for adults and $5 for students for one day … Clarion is 34-33 all time in postseason play including 5-9 in NCAA Division II Tournament action … Last season, the Golden Eagles defeated Lock Haven 3-0 in the opening round at Wheeling Jesuit before falling to Wheeling Jesuit 3-2 in the Round of 32 … In 2010, when Clarion advanced to the Elite Eight, the top-seeded Golden Eagles beat Chowan 3-0 in the opening round, Wheeling Jesuit 3-1 in the Round of 32 and California 3-0 in the Sweet 16 before falling to Dowling 3-0 in the Elite Eight in Louisville, Ky. …  Clarion's 31 wins are tied for the second most in school history with the 2002 squad one win behind the school record of 32 set by the 2010 team … Clarion lost in the PSAC quarterfinals 3-1 to Gannon this season.