ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend men's volleyball team will travel to Springfield, Massachusetts to take on the top-ranked Springfield Pride in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Division III Tournament on Friday at 4 p.m.

The Lions (22-7) are making their first-ever appearance in the 16-team tournament, earning the automatic bid after winning their second Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Championship with a 3-1 win over Geneva on Saturday.

The No. 1 Pride will host one of the four four-team NCAA Regionals with the other first-round match including No. 6 SUNY New Paltz (20-6) vs. Marymount (23-8) at 6:30 p.m.

Friday's winners will play in the second round on Saturday with the Final Four slated for April 22-23.

The Springfield Pride are four-time NCAA Champions and two-time NCAA Runner-Up since 2012. Springfield last won the national championship in 2018. The Pride finished the regular season 26-1 overall and ranked first in the AVCA Division III National Coaches Poll.

The Behrend Lions and Springfield Pride are meeting for the first time in program history.