ELKHART, Ind. -- Over the past three seasons, when the calendar flips to November, that has meant Notre Dame College women's rugby is preparing for a long playoff run. This season, it begins in Indiana as the Falcons will meet No. 7 Iowa State in the regional semifinal game, on Friday.

If the Falcons win on Friday, they will play the winner of the No. 3 Virginia vs. No. 5 Indiana matchup for the East Regional Championship, on Sunday. In the West Regional, No. 1 Michigan will play No. 8 Southern Nazarene and No. 4 Northern Iowa will take on No. 6 Virginia Tech. The two regional winners will head to Houston to play for the National Collegiate Rugby Division I National Championship.

NDC, currently ranked No. 2 in the country, has won the regional championship in each of the past two seasons. Last year, the Falcons defeated Clemson and Iowa in the regional bracket before falling to the top seed University of Michigan in the national championship contest.

In the regular season, the Falcons dominated over four games. They averaged 61 points per match, which included a 116-point output in a shutout victory over Bowling Green, which is tied for most points in a game in program history. NDC also scored 51 against Adrian and 53 against Pitt. The final game of the regular season was a tight battle, with Notre Dame coming away with a 24-7 win over Kent State.