Lady Blazers Earn Number Six-Seed in NCAA South Regional
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Defending NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball South Region champions, the Lady Blazers of Valdosta State, earned the No. 6-seed in the 2023 NCAA South Region announced Sunday evening by the NCAA.
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The Lady Blazers (22-6) will face a familiar foe in No. 3-seed Union on Friday at the University of Tampa, who earned the top-seed in the regional. Check back with vstateblazers.com for more information on the tournament, including game time, how to watch, tickets, streaming and more.
Following Tampa, Eckerd earned the No. 2-seed, followed by Union, Lee and Lynn to round out the top five. VSU was sixth, followed by Nova Southeastern and Tuskegee won the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) title and is the No. 8-seed.
VSU, who defeated Union on its home court in 2022, to reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 1984, is one of seven region winners from last season to qualify for the postseason in 2023. Defending national champion Glenville State, national runner-up Western Washington, North Georgia, Grand Valley State, Missouri Southern and VSU all return to the field of 64 this season. The Lady Blazers handed Union its only home loss of the season a year ago, 66-58 in the Sweet Sixteen. VSU also defeated Tampa and Lee in the region last season and was one of three No. 7-seeds to reach the Elite Eight in 2022.
The Lady Blazers, who are under the direction of fourth year head coach Deandra Schrimer, went a program best 20-4 in Gulf South Conference play in 2022-23, and won an overtime thriller over Montevallo 71-66 in the first round of the Gulf South Conference Tournament on Feb. 28, before falling to Lee in the GSC Semifinals on Saturday. Schirmer is 84-27 at VSU.
Union claimed its fourth-straight Gulf South Conference Tournament title with a 76-68 victory over Lee on Sunday afternoon as the Lady Bulldogs are 26-3 overall and went 21-3 in Gulf South Conference play this season, tying Lee for the regular season title.
VSU and Union split two meetings this season with each winning on its respective home court. The Lady Blazers won 60-54 in Valdosta on Dec. 11, 2022, while Union won in Jackson, Tenn., 74-54, on Feb. 4, 2023.
The Lady Blazers are making their 15th appearance in the NCAA postseason and are 17-14 all-time in the tournament with a third-place finish in 1984.
