For the 11th time in 14 seasons under Wayne and Susan Kreklow, the Mizzou volleyball program is headed to the NCAA Tournament, as announced by the NCAA live on ESPNU Sunday (Dec. 1). Mizzou, ranked fourth in this week’s AVCA Top-25 at a perfect 34-0 and 18-0 in SEC play, earned the No. 4 overall seed, a program-best. The Tigers were also selected to host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament at the Hearnes Center on Dec. 6-7, marking the first time that Mizzou will host those rounds since 2005, when the team advanced to the Elite Eight. Joining Mizzou in Columbia next weekend will be first-round opponent IUPUI, Central Arkansas and Purdue, who will meet in the first match of the sub-regional

“This is obviously a big day for our program and opportunities like what we have now are why you compete and why you put in so many hours of preparation all year,” head coach Wayne Kreklow said. “It really is an honor to play the first and second rounds here in the Columbia as well. Our fans have been phenomenal all year long and this is almost like a reward for them as they get to see our team a few more times this season. We drew a tough field here in the opening weekend, so we are going to have to prepare as we did all season long, but I am excited about the opportunity that is ahead of us.”

Of course, Mizzou earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament after clinching the school’s first-ever SEC Championship after defeating Mississippi State on Nov. 22 at the Hearnes Center. Mizzou finished the regular season at a perfect 34-0, including an 18-0 mark in SEC play as it is the first ever SEC team to run the table in the regular season. Times for each match will be released Monday (Dec. 2).

— MU Sports Information —