On Tuesday, the Wolverines were one of 16 teams selected to play in the NCAA Tournament after upsetting No. 8 Penn State and No. 5 Ohio State on its way to securing the Big Ten title last weekend.

The eighth-ranked Michigan field hockey team drew No. 12 Old Dominion in Saturday’s first-round match in Chapel Hill, NC. The Monarchs (12-10) are making their 28th tournament appearance, while Michigan (5-1 Big Ten, 15-6 overall) is making its ninth and first since 2007. The winner will play the winner of Stanford-North Carolina on Sunday.

Despite taking down two of the nation’s top 10 teams en route to a conference championship, Michigan coach Marcia Pankratz knows Old Dominion will be a tough first-round test on Saturday.

“They are a perennially strong NCAA Tournament team,” Pankratz said. “They are always going to be disciplined. We have our work cut out for us, that's for sure.”

The key to the Wolverines’ offensive success could be freshman sensation Rachael Mack. After scoring the game-winning goals against both the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes and being named the Tournament MVP, she will be sure to garner the attention of the Monarch defenders.

That could create time and space for seniors Alicia Mayer and Zara Saydjari, who have also been forces on the offensive end lately and might adapt more readily to an unfamiliar environment on the road.

While Michigan has to travel about 500 more miles than Old Dominion does to reach Chapel Hill, Pankratz thinks being away from Ann Arbor could ultimately help them.

“It's hard on the players,” Pankratz said. “It's an awful lot of time commitment. We have to leave and they have to rearrange a lot of things they have to do academically, which isn't easy. On the flip side, it's nice to be able to be sequestered in the hotel and away from a lot of distractions.

“I think it could work to our advantage to be on the road and in the hotel. We're going to look at it that way and get excited about the weekend.”