Kansas City, MO – The UC women's lacrosse team earned an automatic berth into the 2026 NAIA National Championship field, where they earned the second-seed as the tournament field was announced Monday night.  The Patriots will face seventh-seed Ave Maria in the quarterfinals on Monday, May 11^th, at 5 p.m. (ET)/ 4 p.m. (CT).

Cumberlands enters the national tournament with a 19-1 record after capturing both the AAC regular season and tournament titles.  The Patriots have a 6-1 mark against teams that are in the tournament field and have posted a 13-1 record against teams that were ranked or receiving votes in the NAIA Coaches' Poll.  UC leads the NAIA with 389 goals, 235 assists, 481 ground balls, and 275 caused turnovers on the year.  The Patriots have also notched a NAIA-best 4.69 goals against average to go along with a 57.7% save percentage.

UC is lead by a balanced attack and strong defensive presence, with the Patriots having seven players that have tallied at least 45 points on the year.  The AAC Player of the Year, Ashlee Baker, leads the way with a NAIA-best 66 assists, and 128 points, while Anna Lobbezoo and Emma Rittman has notched 89 and 84 points, respectively.  Allison Joines, Lenora DeVries, and Christina Carter have netted 40 goals each so far this season. 

Mikayla Kimsey anchors the Patriots backline with a NAIA-best 58.0% save percentage and a 5.05 goals against average.  Rittman has scooped a NAIA-best 63 ground balls, while her 103 draw controls ranks fourth in the NAIA.  Koral Hadac has notch 46 caused turnovers, which ranks first in the NAIA, while DeVries has 36 ct's on the year.  The Patriots defense of Hadac, Sarah Linam, Madison Rupp, and Reese Kincaid continue to limit offensive opportunities.

Ave Maria earned an at-large berth into the NAIA field after an 11-6 record this season.  The Gyrenes rank second in the country with 407 ground balls, while they are averaging 14.47 draw controls per game and 13.65 goals per game.  Ave Maria has posted a pair of four game win streaks on the season.  Annie Dhabliwala leads the way for Ave Maria with 75 points as the Gyrenes have six players with at least 30 points.  Francesca Pieniadz anchors the defense with 104 saves and 7.85 GAA. 

These two teams meet on February 20^th with the Patriots earning a 13-6 win at Ave Maria.  It marks Cumberlands eighth straight NAIA Tournament Appearance.

The winner of this game will face the winner of third-seed SCAD and sixth-seed Marian in the semifinals of the national tournament.
 
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