MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University women's basketball team (21-6, 13-5 Big 12) was selected as a No. 4 seed for the 2021 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, announced Monday evening.
 
West Virginia opens the first round against No. 13-seed Lehigh on Sunday, March 21, at 8 p.m. ET, in the Hemisfair Region of this year's 64-team bracket, at Bill Greehey Arena in San Antonio, Texas. Sunday's round-of-64 contest against the Mountain Hawks will be broadcast on ESPNU. The other teams featured in the top four of WVU's region include No. 1 South Carolina, No. 2 Maryland and No. 3 UCLA. The Mountaineers will travel to San Antonio, Texas, on Wednesday, March 17.
 
"It's great getting back to the NCAA Tournament," WVU coach Mike Carey said. "These girls have worked hard all year and have showed a lot of heart the whole year. We're excited to get to the NCAAs and see what we can do."
 
The Mountaineers' No. 4 seed in this year's tournament is its highest seeding since the 2013-14 season, when West Virginia earned a No. 2 seed. WVU will be making its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since the 2016-17 season and for the 13th time in program history.
 
West Virginia finished the regular season tied for second in the Big 12 Conference and earned the No. 2 seed in this year's Big 12 Championship at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. WVU advanced all the way to the Big 21 Championship title game for the first time since 2017 and for the third time since joining the league in 2012-13.
 
Redshirt senior guard Kysre Gondrezick currently leads the Mountaineers in scoring at 19.9 points per game and is one of three student-athletes averaging in double figures this season. Sophomores Kirsten Deans and Esmery Martinez each are scoring 13.6 points per game this year. Gondrezick also leads the team in assists, with 117, while Martinez paces the team on the glass, with 315 rebounds. Junior forward Kari Niblack holds the team lead in blocks, with 42.
 
Lehigh (10-5, 7-5 Patriot League) is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010 and its fourth in program history. The Mountain Hawks finished in fifth place in the Patriot League at the end of the regular season but won their conference tournament to punch their ticket as an automatic qualifier for this year's tournament.
 
LU is led by sophomore guard/forward Frannie Hottinger, who is averaging a team-best 14.3 points per game. Hottinger also leads Lehigh in rebounding this year, with 101 boards and an average of 6.7 per game. Senior guard Mary Clougherty and junior forward Emma Grothaus also are averaging double figures in scoring this year, at 12.1 and 11.1 points per game respectively. Junior guard Megan Walker is Lehigh's leader in assists this year, with 65, while fellow junior Claire Steals paces the team in steals, with 22.
 
The NCAA announced championship game times and broadcast networks for all six rounds and 63 games of the 2021 Division I Women's Basketball Championship being held in the San Antonio region.
 
In addition to ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU coverage, for the first time since the 1995 championship was carried on CBS, portions of the tournament will be carried by a broadcast network, as ABC is scheduled to carry at least six tournament games. ABC will broadcast a doubleheader on the opening day of play — Sunday, March 21 — and carry additional doubleheaders during the Sweet Sixteen on Saturday, March 27, and Sunday, March 28.
 
The NCAA will allow a limited number of fans at the 2021 Division I Women's Basketball Championship being held in the San Antonio region, with a capacity of up to 17% from the Sweet Sixteen through the Women's Final Four. The decision to limit capacity while requiring masks and physical distancing was made in conjunction with local health authorities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
For first- and second-round play taking place March 21-24 at the Alamodome, Bill Greehey Arena on the campus of St. Mary's (Texas), Frank Erwin Center (Texas), University Events Center (Texas State) and the UTSA Convocation Center, attendance will be limited to team players and guests, with each member of the 34-member official team travel party allowed up to six tickets for guests.
 
From the Sweet Sixteen through the Women's Final Four taking place at the Alamodome, the 17% capacity will include all participants, family members of each participating team's student-athletes and coaches, essential staff and a reduced number of fans. Sweet Sixteen games will be played March 27-28, Elite Eight games held March 29-30 and the Women's Final Four conducted April 2 and 4.