The Big Sky Conference postseason volleyball tournament is set to take place Nov. 21-23 in Cheney, Wash. The winner receives a berth in the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament in December.

Each of the six participating teams is previewed below. Each team’s conference record is in parentheses.

#1 University of Eastern Washington (12-1)

If the one-loss season wasn’t convincing enough, home court advantage and a first round bye in the tournament should be enough to make Eastern Washington the odds-on favorite to win the title.

Janelle Rouen is the heart and soul of the team. She led the team in kills and digs during the regular season. Teammates Monica Lynch and Jessie Wright provide solid offensive support, and Lindsay Page is dangerous both offensively and defensively.

If this team plays the way it has played all season long, the championship is as good as theirs.

#2 Sacramento State University (22-10)

Before this year, Sac State had hosted the tournament for six years in a row. They had also won five of the last six regular season conference titles. The bottom line is that this team is familiar with championships and knows what it takes to win them.

At first glance, the 5-foot-7-inch Sandra Bandimere might look too small to compete with some of the tall trees in the tournament, but Bandimere definitely has the hops and the striking ability to stand toe-to-toe with just about anyone. Senior Jayme Wright enters her final Big Sky Tournament, and should be looking to go out with a bang. Defensively, the Hornets rely heavily on the blocking of Kazmiera Imrie and Emily Wilson, while Mallory Hook is solid at the libero position.

Combined with smart ball control from setter and team captain Lisa Beauchene, Sac State has an excellent chance to bring the title home.

#3 Montana State University (10-4)

The Bobcats finished in third place, and are the epitome of the “tough team.” Even in their losses, Montana State made every match a battle.

The team is led by its three seniors, Ana Schanze, Aimee Halyk and Lindsay Stobbs, who are at, or near the top of every statistical category.

LeAnn Kinvig and Kamber Kelly are also huge contributors to the team. They’re only sophomores, so even if they can’t shock the world by pulling off an upset in this tournament, the future looks bright.

#4 Weber State University (9-6)

This team lost 3-1 to Sac State early in the season and then beat them 3-0 in the teams’ second meeting. They also defeated the nationally-ranked Utah Utes earlier this year. A team that takes them lightly stands a good chance of getting a rude awakening.

Holly Montano and Stephanie Kroupshek led the team in kills while Stephanie Metcalf and Michelle Smith provided blocking.The blocking however, may prove to be the team’s undoing. Everyone on the team averages under one block per game. In a tournament where blocking is certain to play a factor, this team might be missing a key ingredient.

#5 Northern Arizona University (5-9)

Being the best of the teams in the tournament with losing records is nothing to brag about, but this team plays hard for an entire match.

Sac State fans will undoubtedly remember the five-game match that NAU forced at Hornet Gym just a few weeks ago.

Ellie Butterfield is the player to watch for the Lumberjacks. She leads the team in kills and is third in digs.

Much like Weber State however, they are lacking in the blocking department and no one on the team has a hitting percentage above .250.

They just commit too many errors for a do-or-die tournament.

#6 Portland State University (4-10)Portland State got into the tournament by upsetting Montana State on the final night of the regular season, so they are riding a bit of momentum. Unfortunately, that will not be enough to get them through the gauntlet of other teams in the field.

Rachell Wilson leads the team in kills and has help from Katie Kost as far as pace-setting goes. When it comes to putting the team on a player’s back, though, the pressure falls on Wilson almost exclusively. She has 1,037 attack attempts this season. Kost is next on the team with 656.

One player doesn’t win many matches, let alone championship tournaments.