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MOREHEAD, Ky. – For the first time since 2013, Morehead State volleyball returns to the postseason, competing in the 2019 National Invitational Volleyball Championships. The 2019 season also marks a return to the NIVC for the Eagles, having last competed in the NIVC following the 1993 season.

Morehead State also enters the 32-team field after becoming the first Ohio Valley Conference program to accept an at-large bid in the event's 10-year history (1989-95; 2017-present). The Eagles are the first OVC team to compete in the event since 2017 when SIUE accepted the league's automatic bid.

Morehead State (23-9) opens the 2019 NIVC against High Point (20-12) in a first-round meeting at Liberty. The Eagles and Panthers meeting is the opening match in the pod with Liberty (19-11) and LaSalle (15-13) to follow.

The Eagles enter the 2019 postseason after falling in the 2019 OVC Volleyball Championship match to No. 2 seed and NCAA Tournament qualifier Southeast Missouri. Morehead State advanced to the Championship match by defeating No. 5 seed Austin Peay and No. 1 seed Jacksonville State.

Morehead State enters the NIVC as one of 14 20-win teams in the 32-team field while also competing in one of five matchups in the field to pit two 20-win opponents against one another. The Eagles also enter the NIVC featuring the leading attack in terms of total kills as junior outside hitter Olivia Lohmeier's 552 kills lead the NIVC field. Morehead State's setter, freshman Bridget Bessler also enters the tournament with 1,139 assists, ranking fifth amongst the tournament field.

Entering the 2019 postseason, Morehead State is on the verge of becoming the 22nd team during the 2019 season to have two active players with 1,000 career kills as junior outside hitter Lauren Rokey is just 16 kills shy of joining Lohmeier (1,211) with 1,000 career kills.

Sophomore libero Allison Whitten also enters the 2019 postseason needing just 12 digs to reach 500 digs on the season. Should she reach 500 digs on the year, she'd be the seventh player in program history to reach 500 digs in a season, doing so for the 15th time in program history.

Morehead State also sports one of the top freshmen setters in the nation as it enters postseason play. Bessler is one of two freshmen setters in the country to have recorded at least 1,000 assists and 11 or more assists per set this season, joining Omaha's Sami Clarkson.

Morehead State and High Point meet Saturday afternoon with first serve time set for 4:30 p.m. ET. The match takes place at the Vines Center in Lynchburg, Va.