JONESBORO, Ark. (3/23/16) – The Arkansas State women's bowling team earned the No. 1 seed in the 2016 Southland Bowling League Championship, set to take place March 25-26 at All Star Lanes in Kenner, La., the league announced Wednesday.

The Red Wolves earned the top seed based solely on the current NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) with A-State ranking second in the nation to register the highest mark among the eight league schools.

A-State enters the championship competition with a record of 76-30 and will face the eighth seed, Louisiana Tech, Friday morning at 9:30 a.m. If the Red Wolves win they would advance to play the winner of No. 4 Stephen F. Austin and No. 5 Monmouth in the double-elimination tournament. Should Arkansas State lose the team will play loser of the match between the Ladyjacks and Hawks.

The other side of the bracket features No. 2 Vanderbilt facing No. 7 Valparaiso and No. 3 Sam Houston State squaring off against No. 6 Tulane. All of the matches will be best-of-seven Baker format.

The Red Wolves finished second in last season's inaugural Southland Bowling League Championship, held March 21-22 in Houston, Texas. The team lost to Vanderbilt 4-2 in the championship match. A-State was the top seed in last year's event as well, while Vanderbilt was the third seed.

Arkansas State is coming off its first three-day tournament victory in two years after claiming the Music City Classic last weekend. The team defeated McKendree twice on Sunday to claim the championship. Jordan Richard won the competition's MVP, while Haley Richard was named to the all-tournament team.

A-State has finished second in four tournaments so far this season and won the first day of the Big Red Invite. The team has finished no lower than sixth in any even this season. The team has had 11 all-tournament selections this year with Jordan Richard leading the squad with four. The MVP award for Richard was the second for the team this season and first since Jordan Kasza was named the MVP of the Big Red Invite.

The 2016 Southland Bowling League championship tournament will be broadcast in its entirety on InsideBowling.com. Fans can watch live coverage, anchored by Mike Flanagan, for free throughout the event.

Single-day passes for Saturday or Sunday are available for $10. Two-day passes are $15. Children under the age of five and students at Southland Bowling League institutions are free with a valid student ID.

The Southland Bowling League was formed in the fall of 2014 and by the formalization as a league. Southland Bowling League members will be at-large candidates for the NCAA Championship. The NCAA Bowling Championship is April 14-16 in North Brunswick, N.J.

For the latest on the A-State women's bowling team, fans can follow the squad on Twitter (@stAtebowling) and by liking the Arkansas State Women's Bowling Facebook page.