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KANSAS CITY, Mo.,-- The opening round pairings for the 2012 NAIA Volleyball National Championships have been announced, and the Cal State San Marcos Cougars will take on a familiar foe in the Vanguard Lions Saturday, November 17 at 7:00 pm in Costa Mesa, Calif.

The Cougars (28-13) will be making their second consecutive appearance in the national championships after sweeping all four opponents at the A.I.I. Championships in Mayville, N.D., and clinched an automatic berth by winning the conference title. Vanguard (17-14), members of the GSAC conference, received entry to the tournament via an at-large bid, claiming the eighth and final at-large spot in the 36-team competition.

CSUSM has prior experience in the national tournament after qualifying in the program's first season last year, where they fell in the opening round to Point Loma in a close four-set battle. Vanguard will be making their fourth ever championship appearance in program history, where they are 5-7 all time.

The two teams have met twice over the last two seasons, with the Cougars winning a neutral-court matchup in four sets in 2011, while Vanguard claimed a victory on their home court in three sets this year. A.I.I. Player of the Year Taylor DeGraaf has averaged 14.5 kills and 11 digs/match over the last two meetings.

Both teams are ranked in the final NAIA National poll, with Vanguard finishing the regular season as No.22 in the rankings, and Cal State San Marcos ranked two spots higher as No.20.

The winner of Saturday's matchup will advance to pool play in Sioux City, Iowa, November 27-29.