GRANVILLE, Ohio- Denison women's lacrosse is returning to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the third-consecutive time and the sixth time in program history after Saturday's 17-2 win over Saint Mary's in the NCAA Tournament second round.  The Big Red will face Aurora University in Lexington, Virginia on Saturday, May 15 at 2 p.m. on the campus of Washington and Lee University.

Denison enters the weekend ranked No. 8 in the latest IWLCA Division III Top-25 poll.  They bring a 10-1 record into the third-round match-up with the Spartans.  Aurora is 11-3 and riding an eight-game winning streak. The Spartans defeated Carroll (WI) 13-8 in the NCAA second round on May 9.

Possessing the ball has been a staple of the Big Red's dominance in 2021. Denison ranks sixth in the nation in draw controls per game (17.6) and that has equated to the No. 14 ranked scoring offense in Division III at 17.8 goals per game.  The DU offense has kept opposing goalkeepers busy, putting 31.3 shots on-goal per game, which also ranks fourth in Division III.

The Denison offense is a balanced attack that features four players with 30 points or more.  Liza Farnham leads the squad with 44 points (31g, 13 a). She is followed by Casey McTague (31g, 4a), while Jane Bailey (13g, 19a) and Molly Fischer (26g, 5a), round out the top-four.

All-American candidate Charlotte Godfrey leads the Denison defense with 32 ground balls, 22 caused turnovers and 54 draw controls. Caroline O'Dea has started seven of Denison's 11 games in goal and she enters with a .514 save percentage while allowing 6.35 goals per game.

Aurora has played 14 games this season and is led offensively by Monique Gibson who checks in with 72 points (52g, 20a). Claire Carlson has scored 45 goals with 19 assists while leading the squad with 42 ground balls.  The Spartans have outscored their opponents 221-83. Jenna Ford has made 12 starts in the cage and boasts a .484 save percentage and a 6.65 goals-against average in 587 minutes.

This is the first-ever meeting between Denison and Aurora in women's lacrosse.

The winner of the Denison-Aurora third round contest will play the winner of the University of Chicago-John Carroll on Sunday, May 16 at 2 p.m. at Washington and Lee.  The winner of that quarterfinal will advance to the Final Four on May 22 at Kerr Stadium in Salem, Virginia. A win over Aurora will secure Denison's 10^th NCAA Quarterfinal appearance and the program's first since 1994.