GROVE CITY, Pa. -- The Grove City College women's volleyball team will face three-time defending NCAA Division III national champion Juniata (27-5) in the first round of the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament this Thursday afternoon at Virginia Wesleyan University in Virginia Beach. 

The Wolverines (20-8) learned their matchup and destination Monday afternoon when the NCAA announced the 64 teams that comprise this year's tournament field. 

Grove City earned its first NCAA berth in 39 years by winning the Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship Tournament Saturday night with a 3-0 victory at Hiram. The Wolverines won three conference tournament matches on the road last week to secure their first league crown since 2001.

Grove City also qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985 and 1986.

Juniata defended its Landmark Conference championship by picking up a 3-2 win Saturday over visiting Scranton. 

This will be the first meeting between the teams since 1992. Juniata leads the series, 16-3. The series began in 1979.

The winner of the Grove City-Juniata match will play either Christopher Newport (24-7) or Cortland (24-7) in the second round Friday. Those teams play the 11:30 a.m. match Thursday at Virginia Wesleyan. 

The other regional quarterfinal pairings pit Berry (24-7) against Washington & Lee (23-9) at 4:30 p.m. and the hosts (31-2) against John Jay (23-6) in Thursday night's finale.