LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska volleyball team was selected as the No. 5 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament on Sunday night and will host the NCAA Tournament first and second rounds at the Bob Devaney Sports Center this weekend.
The Big Ten champion Huskers, making their 36th straight NCAA Tournament appearance, will open the tournament on Friday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. against the Stony Brook Seawolves (18-12), champions of the America East. The 4:30 p.m. match will feature the Florida State Seminoles (18-10) of the ACC and the Washington State Cougars (17-15) of the Pac-12. Friday’s winners will meet on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m.
The Huskers missed out on a top-four national seed as Penn State, Florida, Stanford and Kentucky received the top four spots from the NCAA Tournament committee. Should those teams all advance past the first weekend, they would host an NCAA regional the following weekend. Nebraska is in Kentucky’s region along with No. 12 national seed Baylor and No. 13 national seed BYU. The Huskers would only have an opportunity to host an NCAA regional if they advance past the opening two rounds and Kentucky gets upset. The Huskers are familiar with Lexington, Kentucky as they won a regional there in 2015 to advance to the NCAA Semifinals before eventually winning the NCAA Championship in Omaha.
As of earlier this week, standing-room only all-session tickets remain for the NCAA first and second rounds in Lincoln. Those can be purchased through Huskers.com/tickets, through Nebraska Athletics Developing & Ticketing, or by calling 800-8-BIGRED.
The Huskers finished the regular season 26-4 overall and 19-1 in the Big Ten Conference to earn their second straight Big Ten Championship, which they shared with Penn State. Nebraska will face a Stony Brook squad that is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance. Stony Brook knocked off top-seeded Albany to advance to the America East title game, and the Seawolves swept Binghamton for the conference crown.
The 2017 season marks the 33rd time that Lincoln has hosted NCAA first and second round competition. Nebraska is 102-31 (.767) in 35 previous NCAA Tournament appearances. The 2017 Husker squad is looking to become the first Nebraska volleyball team to reach three straight final fours. This year’s NCAA Championship is set for December 14-16 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
NCAA First and Second Round Schedule
First Round – Friday, Dec. 1
4:30 p.m. – Florida State vs. Washington State
7 p.m.* – Nebraska vs. Stony Brook
*or 30 minutes following the conclusion of the 4:30 p.m. match, but no sooner than 7 p.m.
Second Round – Saturday, Dec. 2
7 p.m. – First Round Winners
— NU Athletics —