OTAHK SPIKERS SET NCAA UPSET DIAL FOR TROJANS; SE FACES USC TONIGHT IN NCAA TOURNEY

Southeast Missouri State University's volleyball's team has already reached a milestone in the program's history.

Tonight, the Otahkians will attempt to overcome some steep odds as they shoot for yet another milestone.

The Otahkians -- who on Saturday captured the school's first-ever NCAA Division I Tournament berth -- will shoot for the school's first-ever Division I Tournament victory tonight when they take on host Southern Cal in a first-round NCAA tourney match.

Action in Los Angeles is scheduled to start at 9 o'clock. The match will be broadcast live by KGIR-1220 AM, with Troy Treasure doing the play-by-play. Pre-match activities on KGIR will begin at 8:40.

"We're looking forward to it," said Southeast coach Cindy Gannon, whose team departed Cape Girardeau Tuesday morning. The squad caught a late-morning flight out of St. Louis to Los Angeles. "It's an exciting step for the program."

The Otahkians are 28-7 after beating Valparaiso on Saturday in an NCAA play-in match played at Houck Field House.

Southern Cal, which competes in the high-profile Pac-10 Conference, is 19-8, with all of its losses coming to nationally-ranked teams.

There is no question the Otahkians rate as huge underdogs heading into the match. But Gannon said her team won't change what it's been doing all year.

"We'll approach this like we have all our matches this season," she said. "We'll just go out there, work hard, play our best and see what happens.

"No matter what happens, it's been a great season and this is a milestone for our program. Our goal since we got into Division I (six years ago) has been to make the NCAA Tournament. Hopefully this will just be the first of many times that we'll make the tournament."