DAHLONEGA - For the second straight year, the University of North Georgia will serve as a regional host after the No. 9 Nighthawk women's basketball team was named the No. 1 seed in the regional Sunday night in the selection show aired on NCAA.com.

North Georgia won the Peach Belt Conference Tournament after earning regular season champion honors a week prior. Earning the automatic bid from the league, North Georgia will play eighth-seeded Columbus State in the opening round Friday inside the UNG Convocation Center.

Lander earned the second seed as an at-large bid, while Peach Belt Conference school Georgia Southwestern earned their first bid in school history as the No. 3 seed. South Atlantic Conference automatic qualifier Carson-Newman earned the No. 5 seed, while SAC schools Wingate and Catawba earned the No. 4 and No. 7 seeds, respectively. Conference Carolinas automatic qualifier Barton rounds out the field as the No. 6 seed.

Tickets will go on sale later this week at UNGAthletics.com/TICKETS. Tickets will be $10 each and must be pre-purchased. Seniors (65+), students and military can purchase a discounted ticket for $7.

North Georgia played host to the NCAA South Regional last year, marking the first time a NCAA basketball regional was contested in the Gold City.