Eight Big Ten Volleyball Teams Selected to NCAA Tournament
Eight teams earn NCAA Tournament berths with three earning top-16 seeds
ROSEMONT, Ill. – Eight Big Ten volleyball teams were selected to the 2017 NCAA Volleyball Tournament, with first and second round matches held Nov. 30- Dec. 2. The eight bids mark the 25th time in as many years that at least six Big Ten volleyball teams have been selected for the tournament.
Big Ten co-champion Penn State enters the tournament as the No. 1 overall seed, while No. 5 Nebraska and No. 7 Minnesota also earned top-16 seeds. Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue and Wisconsin also received at-large bids to the tournament. The Huskers, Gophers, and Nittany Lions will host first and second round contests.
After winning its 17th Big Ten title and its first since 2013, top seed Penn State takes on Howard on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET in the first round. With a win, the Nittany Lions would face the winner of the VCU-Pittsburgh match. Penn State will make its 37th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
The fifth-seeded Cornhuskers make their 36th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament and will host Stony Brook at 8 p.m. ET on Friday. If Nebraska advances it would meet Florida State or Washington State in the second round.
Seventh-seeded Minnesota will entertain North Dakota at 8 p.m. ET on Friday. With a first-round win, the Gophers would face UNI or Louisville in the second round of the tournament. Minnesota is making its 22nd appearance in the tournament.
Illinois enters its 24th NCAA Tournament and will face Hawaii on Friday at 8 p.m. ET. The winner of the match will advance to take on LIU Brooklyn or Washington.
Michigan, making its 17th trip to the NCAA Tournament, will take on Colorado State in the first round on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET. If Michigan advances it would face the winner of the Stanford vs. CSU Bakersfield match.
Michigan State enters its 20th NCAA Tournament and will meet Missouri State on Friday at 5 p.m. ET. The winner of the match will take on Creighton or Coastal Carolina.
Purdue received a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the 19th time and will face High Point in the opening round on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET. If Purdue wins, the Boilermakers would face either Utah or Cleveland State in the second round.
Wisconsin enters its 21st NCAA Tournament and will play Marquette on Friday at 5 p.m. ET in the first round. With a win, the Badgers would face the winner of the Princeton-Iowa State match.
First and second round matches will take place on campus sites on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, while the regional round will be played at one of four sites on Dec. 8 and 9. Regional winners will advance to Kansas City, to compete in the national semifinals on Dec. 14, with the national championship match set for Dec. 16.
