Balaton native Tessa Nelson won't be far from home as she heads to the NCAA Division I Sweet 16 Volleyball Tournament with her Colorado State University teammates.

The No. 25 Rams (25-5) put together a stellar season, which included their seventh Mountain West Conference regular-season title with a 15-1 record.

But their run didn't end there as CSU rallied in the post-season. After defeating Middle Tennessee State 3-2 on Dec. 3 and then upsetting sixth-seeded Washington 3-1 on Dec. 4, CSU found itself on the way to the Minneapolis Regional today and Sat.

The Rams are slated to take on 11th-seeded Minnesota (26-8) at 7 p.m. today at the Sports Pavillion in Minneapolis.

"This is so awesome," said Nelson. "I couldn't have drawn up anything better. It's so close to home that my parents, grandparents and a bunch of friends and cousins are coming to watch me play one last time."

Nelson, a 6-2 senior middle blocker, was chosen as the preseason Co-Player of the Year in the MWC. She has played in 103 sets so far this season, including 29-of-30 match starts.

"This has been so fun," Nelson said. "This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for our team. But just to be able to keep playing has been great. We've had the underdog attitude all season and we were able to win our conference."

Nelson hammered down 205 kills, which ranks fourth on the team. She is second for the Rams with a .281 hitting percentage. In addition, Nelson has 11 ace serves, 15 set assists and 65 digs.

"Tessa has had a great career," said CSU head coach Tom Hilbert. "She came here after we recruited her for her athletic potential."

Nelson's biggest asset is her blocking, where she leads the Rams with 123 total blocks this year. She ranks 35th nationally with 1.26 blocks per set.

"In her first year, Tessa was lost and not very physically strong, so we redshirted her," Hilbert said. "But she certainly had a desire to be good and she worked really hard in the weight room."

Nelson said her first year at CSU was a little bit difficult to handle.

"I was so clueless going through the recruiting process," she said. "CSU was No. 7 nationally when I signed, but I didn't really grasp everything. I originally thought it was a good fit because they had a good vet school here, but then I found out I really wasn't that great at Science. I was also really homesick."

After redshirting, Nelson was able to make an impact at the net for the Rams and was a starter for the next four straight seasons.

"It was a great transformation," said Hilbert. "She had a good blocking ability, but she really developed into somebody we could count on. Tessa moved into the M1 position this year. That makes her more predictable, but she keeps getting the job done."

Hilbert said that Nelson spent the three previous seasons slightly in the shadows behind three-time All-American Mekana Barnes, who was the primary blocker for CSU.

In her senior season, Nelson put everything on the line. In early Sept. she was named to the All-Tournament team at the Hilton Classic in Fort Collins (Colo.).

Along with senior Katelin Batten, Nelson was chosen as a team captain this year.

"This group has fun playing and that has led to everyone staying fresh throughout the year," Hilbert said. "A lot of that is because of the leadership of Tessa and Katelin. They create an aura around us that includes a competitive environment that is rare."

But Nelson's volleyball career didn't start at CSU. After watching from the sidelines as her high school teammates won a state volleyball title in 2001, Nelson helped lead the Panthers to a 2004 Minnesota State Class AA championship before graduating from Tracy-Milroy-Balaton in 2005.

"Tessa was always a go-to person for us," said Katie Gervais, who coached Nelson at TMB. "We could count on her to finish plays. She was very energetic and team oriented. It was never just about her."

In addition to the state title, the dominant playmaker helped the Panthers compile a 29-4 record. She made the State All-Tournament team and was also named the Marshall Independent Co-Player of the Year along with Marshall's Sarah Wyffels.

Hilbert is no stranger to success and has led the Rams to a 170-21 record at Moby Arena under his 13-year tenure. He was inducted into the CSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006 and has over 500 career wins.

After winning the 2009 MWC title and automatically earning a NCAA tournament berth, the Rams defeated MTSU 25-19, 16-25, 25-21, 17-25, 15-6 at Moby Arena. Nelson had eight kills and two blocks.

In front of 2,750 fans in the second round, CSU pulled off one of the biggest games in program history with an upset over sixth-seeded Washington (25-16, 25-22, 21-25, 25-19). Nelson hit .353 and contributed eight kills and three blocks.

"Washington was a great team, but we went out there with the right frame of mind," said Nelson. "We had the home court advantage, so we wanted to see what we could do. Everything from here on out is just a perk."

Nelson is hopeful that CSU can carry that momentum over into the next round.

"Our team is really fun and we have a great time playing together," she said. "We don't want it to be over. Every year is hard, but we put so much time and work into this season that we feel like we deserve this."

Now it's on to the Minnesota Gophers. The Rams have had a few days to adjust to the bitter cold temperatures and are looking forward to heating things up on the court.

"We know we're the underdog," said Hilbert. "But my feeling is that our program has had a lot of experience. This is not our first ride to the Sweet 16. This is my fifth time here. I don't see any opponents in this grouping that we cannot compete with so we have a chance."

If the Rams pull off an upset over Minnesota, they would play the winner of the Florida State/Kentucky match at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. The Final Four is slated for Dec. 17, in Tampa (Fla.). Penn State (34-0) holds the No. 1 seed after winning the past two straight national championships.