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INDIANA, PA – For the third straight year the Crimson Hawks have advanced to NCAA postseason play as IUP will host an opening Atlantic Regional round of the 2012 NCAA Division II Women's Tennis Championships  this weekend.

West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) members Charleston and West Liberty; along with Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) rival Slippery Rock, travel to Indiana for the second of two Atlantic Regional sites, with the other being at top seed California.

The Crimson Hawks earned the second seed in the region and will matchup with seventh-seeded West Liberty in Saturday's first match at 10:30 a.m. Third seed Slippery Rock will play Charleston, the sixth seed at 2:00 p.m. The winners of each match will advance to play on Sunday where that winner moves onto the NCAA championship round of 16 in Louisville, Kentucky on May 16-19.

IUP defeated West Liberty 8-1 at home back on April 12, as the Crimson Hawks easily swept doubles action, surrendering just three total points in three matches. The top three singles matches each went three sets, with IUP taking a pair, while spots four-through-six were all easily won by the Crimson Hawks.

The lineup will feature two-time All-PSAC singles player Tabtip Louhabanjong (Krabi, Thailand/West Anchorage (AK)) leading off for the Crimson Hawks at the number one spot. The 10th-ranked player in the region, she has a 13-12 record in that spot this season, going 3-2 in PSAC West play, and has an 18-13 mark for the season.

Tanya Timko (Cannonsburg, PA/Chartiers-Houston) will go at number two after being named the PSAC West Freshman of the Year earlier this week. She boasts an 11-4 record at that spot this year, also seeing action at one and three. The first year player was also named to the All-PSAC singles team and is ranked 13th in the region.

At number three will be Katie Eaton (Halesowen, United Kingdom/Haybridge), the 15th-ranked player in the region. She went an impressive 12-3 at that spot this spring, including a 4-1 record in the PSAC West.

Another freshman in the IUP lineup, Abby McCormick (Bethel Park, Pa. /Bethel Park) will go at four this weekend. The 20th-ranked player in the region, she has seen action at spots three-through-six this year, going 8-4 in this spot. She's won seven straight matches and went 3-1 in divisional action.

Emilia Osborne (Leighton Buzzard, United Kingdom/Cedars ) will play at number five for IUP, where she has an 8-3 record this year. Another player who boasts a 4-1 PSAC West record, she's gone 8-2 in her last 10 and also has experience at the four spot, going 7-5 there this year.

Rounding out the lineup at six will be Erika Schnaas (Mexico City, Mexico/Escuela Nacional Preparatoria ). IUP's leader in singles victories this year with a 20-5 record, Schnaas at one point had eight straight victories and is 13-4 in the sixth spot this year. She's also seen action at five with a perfect 6-0 record, and went 4-1 in divisional play this year.

In doubles play, Louhabanjong and Eaton will play at number one where they are 20-10 overall, including 8-2 in their last 10. Despite not being ranked in the region, they're 7-3 against other pairings in the Atlantic.

The number two ranked duo in the Atlantic Region, Osborne and Timko will be playing at number two for IUP. They boast 22 victories on the year, including a 19-7 mark in dual matches and have won nine straight.

Playing in the number three spot will be Schnaas Ranvita Mahto (Burlington, ON/Robert Bateman). They went 14-8 at that spot this spring, including a 7-3 record in their last 10 matches and went 3-1 against conference foes this spring.

IUP went a combined 4-0 against these three foes by a total score of 30-5. The Crimson Hawks swept Charleston 9-0, beat West Liberty by that 8-1 score, and had wins of 8-1 and 5-3 over Slippery Rock, with the latter coming in the PSAC quarterfinals.