INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. --- Benedictine University, which tied for the 2023 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) regular-season title and won the NACC Tournament crown, have been selected to compete in the 2023 NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Championship, the NCAA announced Monday.

The Eagles (18-7) will make the short trip down Maple Avenue to Naperville, Illinois, to face regional host North Central College (22-3) in a first-round game Friday, April 21. The Cardinals received an automatic berth into the championship after winning the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament.

The regional will also feature two-time defending national champion Carthage College (17-7) and University of California Santa Cruz (21-12). Both the Firebirds and Banana Slugs received at-large berths into the 16-team national field.

Benedictine competed against all three teams in the Naperville regional during the regular season, going 0-3 on successive Saturdays in February. The Eagles fell at Carthage, 3-0, on Feb. 4, then dropped a 3-1 home decision to North Central one week later. Benedictine also lost to UC Santa Cruz, 3-1, on Feb. 18 in a neutral-site game at Thousand Oaks, California.

The winner of the regional advances to the national semifinals, which will be held Friday, April 28, at Owings Mills Gymnasium in Owings Mills, Maryland. The championship match will be held Sunday, April 30. Stevenson University is this year's finals host.

2023 NCAA DIVISION III MEN'S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Naperville (Ill.) Regional
First Round ~ Friday, April 21 (times TBD)
Benedictine (18-7) at North Central (22-3)
Carthage (17-7) vs UC Santa Cruz (21-12)

Second Round ~ Saturday, April 22
First-round winners, time TBD