MITCHELL — The Dakota Wesleyan Tigers volleyball team collected inside the new Business, Innovation and Leadership building at the DWU campus on Monday morning to watch the NAIA Volleyball Championship selection show.

The Tigers had to wait until after the commercial break to hear their school called.

“It’s super nerve-racking,” DWU head volleyball coach Lindsay Wilber said. “Until you see your name on the screen, it’s super nerve-racking.”

When DWU’s name was called, it was announced the Tigers will face St. out of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference. St. Xavier went 28-3 in the regular season and won the conference championship. DWU will host the opening round match on Saturday, Nov. 20, at the Corn Palace.

Mackenzie Miller is a junior right-side hitter for DWU and signed with her hometown college after a successful career with the Mitchell Kernels, where she set the all-time mark for kills in a season and career.

“I knew the program was looking up, but never did I think that we would be going to the national tournament and get a bid at home,” Miller said. “Coach Wilber has done a great job of recruiting, and this group of girls that we have is something special.”

Junior libero Hannah Reiff wore a red party hat to the party that she had received earlier in the day during class to celebrate one of her professor’s birthday.

Reiff said teamwork has been a key for DWU’s success this season.

“We all just seem to work pretty well together, and we don’t let anything get in the way of us,” Reiff said. “We always work hard in practice every day, and being in the GPAC has helped because there’s so many good teams. You never know what you’re going to get.”

The Great Plains Athletic Conference brings in the highest number of qualifiers to the field with seven qualifying teams in College of Saint Mary (Neb.), Concordia (Neb.), Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.), Dordt (Iowa), Jamestown (N.D.), Midland (Neb.) and Northwestern (Iowa).

Match time has not yet been determined for Saturday. For the full release for the tournament, go to the NAIA website.