INDIANAPOLIS – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team is 10th in the latest NCAA Division II Southeast Region rankings.

The Pacers were ranked eighth in the inaugural region rankings two weeks ago. Last week, USC Aiken was ninth.

The region rankings were released by the Southeast Region selection committee. The rankings are used to determine the region participants from the Southeast Region for the 2012 NCAA Division II Volleyball Championships.

Eight teams from the Southeast Region will receive an invitation to the NCAA Division II Volleyball Championships. An automatic bid is given to the winner of the Peach Belt Conference, the South Atlantic Conference and Conference Carolinas. The next five highest ranked teams will earn an at-large berth into the national tournament. 

Peach Belt Conference regular-season champion Armstrong moved up to first in the latest region tally. Wingate is second, while Flagler is third.

In total, USC Aiken is one of five Peach Belt Conference teams ranked in the region top-10 with Francis Marion (eighth) and Augusta State (ninth) joining USC Aiken, Flagler and Armstrong in the third region tally of the year.   

The regionally-ranked Pacers will next compete in the 2012 Peach Belt Conference Volleyball Tournament. 

USC Aiken is the third seed in the 2012 Peach Belt Conference Volleyball Tournament. 

The 2012 Peach Belt Conference Tournament will be held in St. Augustine, Fla. on the campus of Flagler.

The 2012 Peach Belt Conference Tournament will run Friday, Nov. 16-Sunday, Nov. 18.

The Pacers claimed the third seed outright with a 7-7 mark in Peach Belt Conference action in the 2012 regular-season. 

Picked third in the 2012 preseason poll, USC Aiken's third-place finish marks the Pacers' highest seed since claiming the No. 1 seed en route to Peach Belt Conference Tournament Championships in 2006 and 2007. USC Aiken has five Peach Belt Conference Tournament titles (1991, 1992, 1996, 2006 and 2007) in its history.

As the third seed USC Aiken (18-12) will face off against sixth-seeded Lander (14-16) at 2 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 16. The two teams split their regular-season meetings with Lander garnering a 3-2 win over the Pacers in Greenwood, S.C. on Wednesday, Oct. 10 and the Pacers claiming a 3-0 victory over Lander at the Convocation Center on Wednesday, Nov. 7. 

For more information on the 2012 Peach Belt Conference Tournament, please visit the official tournament website: http://www.flaglerathletics.com/sports/2012/8/22/WVB_0822120129.aspx?id=363  

NCAA Division II
Southeast Region Rakings (11/14)

1          Armstrong                

2          Wingate        

3          Flagler          

4          Tusculum     

5          Lincoln Memorial    

6          Lenoir-Rhyne          

7          Newberry      

8          Francis Marion        

9          Augusta State          

10       USC Aiken    

NCAA Division II Region Rankings (11/14) - Click Link to Access