ASHLAND, Ohio -- Ashland will play host to Grand Valley State in the NCAA Division II Midwest Region tournament championship. The Eagles, 33-0, will represent the Great Midwest in Monday's finals after beating conference foes Malone and Trevecca Nazarene in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, respectively.

The Eagles and the Lakers are no stranger to this situation. The two teams have met in the regional final four other times with Ashland winning the last three in 2017, 2018 and 2021. Grand Valley returns to the regional championship after beating Walsh in last years final to advance to the Elite 8. The Lakers were then knocked out in the Final Four by eventual National Champion Glenville State.  

The Lakers advanced to the championship game by beating Kentucky Wesleyan in the quarterfinals in an overtime thriller before taking down the No. 2 team in the country in Drury in the regional semifinals.

Ashland and Grand Valley are the only two teams to be No. 1 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Coaches Poll during the 2022-23 season.

Ashland is 110-3 all-time as the top-ranked team in Division II, and 292-18 all-time as a ranked team in D-II