Northwestern will start its run for a fourth straight NCAA title as the tournament’s top seed.

The Wildcats (17-1), who have won their last 18 postseason games, earned the No. 1 seed despite losing to Penn 11-7 in their regular-season finale. The Quakers (14-1) are the second seed.

Led by ALC Player of the Year and Tournament MVP Hannah Nielsen, the Cats will take on a familiar opponent in the first round. NU will face Notre Dame (12-6) Sunday at Lakeside Field looking for a repeat of its 15-3 thrashing of the Fighting Irish earlier this season.

If the champs can knock off their Midwestern rivals, they will face the winner of No. 8 seed Princeton and Vanderbilt. The Cats have beaten Vanderbilt twice this year, including a 14-3 drubbing in last Sunday’s ALC championship game.

This season, NU has dominated the rest of the NCAA field. In nine games against eight tournament opponents, the Cats are 8-1 and have outscored their elite foes 122-62.

Sunday’s first-round game with the Fighting Irish is tenatively scheduled for 1 p.m.