For the first time in school history, the Lady Miner softball season will not end at the conference tournament.

After a couple of near misses in recent years, the Lady Miners earned a berth to the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional that will take place this week at Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill. The tournament gets underway Thursday with UMR facing the host Flyers in its opening round game at 4:30 p.m.

It will be the fourth meeting of the season between UMR and Lewis. The Lady Miners swept the Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader from Lewis April 6 at UMR by scores of 9-1 and 3-2, then the Flyers knocked the Lady Miners out of the GLVC Tournament Saturday with a 6-2 win in the third place game.

UMR goes into the regional as the No. 7 seed with a record of 28-16 after also finishing third in the GLVC regular season race. Lewis, the No. 2 seed and regular season co-champion in the GLVC, brings a 34-12 record into the tournament.

The top seed is GLVC Tournament champion Southern Illinois Edwardsville (41-8), a team UMR split a doubleheader with during the season. The Cougars, the defending regional champions, will open tournament play against eighth-seeded Shepherd (31-17). The Rams finished third in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference season but won the conference tournament over the weekend.

The other four teams in the regional all hail from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. GLIAC Tournament champion Gannon (37-13) claimed the No. 3 seed and will face Ferris State (29-15) in the first round, while fourth-seeded Grand Valley State (32-16), who lost to Gannon in the title game, will take on the league's regular season champion, Wayne State (39-15) in the opening game of the tournament Thursday.

UMR will play either Gannon or Ferris State Friday.

NCAA DIVISION II GREAT LAKES REGIONAL
MAY 10-14 AT ROMEOVILLE, ILL.

Thursday, May 10
9 a.m. -- #4 Grand Valley State (32-16) vs. #5 Wayne State, Mich. (39-15)
11:30 a.m. -- #1 SIU Edwardsville (41-8) vs. #8 Shepherd (31-17)
2 p.m. -- #3 Gannon (37-13) vs. #6 Ferris State (29-15)
4:30 p.m. -- #2 Lewis (34-12) vs. #7 Missouri-Rolla (28-16)

Friday, May 11
9 a.m. -- Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2
11:30 a.m. -- Loser of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4
2 p.m. -- Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2
4:30 p.m. -- Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4

Saturday, May 12
9 a.m. -- Winner of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 7
11:30 a.m. -- Winner of Game 5 vs. Loser of Game 8
2 p.m. -- Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 8
4:30 p.m. -- Winner of Game 9 vs. Winner of Game 10

Sunday, May 13
12 p.m. -- Winner of Game 12 vs. Loser of Game 11
2:30 p.m. -- Winner of Game 11 vs. Winner of Game 13

Monday, May 14
12 p.m. -- Winner of Game 14 vs. Loser of Game 14, if necessary