#2 Lopers to Host NCAA Central Volleyball Regionals
Kearney, Neb. - The now second-ranked Nebraska-Kearney volleyball team is in the NCAA Tournament for a 26th straight season and will host the Central Regional Dec. 4-6 at the Health & Sports Center.
The 64-team NCAA Tournament field -- eight schools from each of Division II's eight regions -- was announced tonight. The complete bracket is available HERE; region winners advance to the Elite Eight December 11-13 in Sioux Falls.
Match times are listed below with ticket prices and purchasing options to be announced later this week. The Lopers previously hosted regionals in 2019 (won), 2018, 2011, 2007, 2005 (won), 2004 (won), and 1995 (won).
UNK will face Great American Conference (GAC) Tournament Champion Oklahoma Baptist in the first round. Ironically, these teams haven't met on the volleyball court since a 2019 regional first-round match at Buckle Court. The Bison (22-9) is 1-3 vs. the MIAA this year, including a five-set loss to Emporia State where they had a match point.
UNK is 34-28 all-time in the NCAA's, advancing to the Elite Eight in 2019, 2005, 2004, 2003, 1996 and 1995. The Lopers were National Runners up in 2019 and 2005. Finally, the 26-year NCAA run is only behind the University of Tampa's 29-year streak. UT is currently No. 1 and hosting the South Regional.
Below are the seeds for the regional, along with national rankings as of Nov. 24, and record to date. The AVCA national rankings have no bearing on the NCAA tourney selection process.
Seed National Rank/School/Record/Bid Type
1. #2 UNK (29-3) … Automatic bid from the MIAA
2. #6 Concordia-St. Paul (26-5) … At-Large
3. #4 Wayne State (27-4) … At-Large
4. #5 St. Cloud State (26-6) … Automatic bid from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
5. #17 Missouri Western (21-7) … At-Large
6. #7 Washburn (27-4) … At-Large
7. #11 Central Oklahoma (27-5) … At-Large
8. Oklahoma Baptist (22-9) … Automatic bid from the Great American Conference
AVCA Ranked Squads Left Out: #13 Southwest Minnesota State (21-7); #23 Emporia State (21-7); #25 Minnesota State (23-6); #33 Central Missouri (20-8); #35 Sioux Falls (20-10); #37 Northern State (19-10); #39 Minnesota-Duluth (18-10)
Thursday, Dec. 4
11 a.m. - No. 3 WSC vs. No. 6 WU
1:30 p.m. - No. 2 CU vs. No. 7 UCO
4:30 p.m. No. 4 SCSU vs. No. 5 MW
7 p.m. - No. 1 UNK vs. No. 8 OBU
Friday, Dec. 5
4 p.m. - WSC/WU Winner vs. CU/UCO Winner
7 p.m. - SCSU/MW Winner Vs. UNK/OBU Winner
Saturday, Dec. 6
5 p.m. - Championship Match
Most NCAA Division II Tourn. All-Time Appearances
1. Tampa (40)
2. New Haven, Conn. (37) … now a D1 school
3. Central Missouri (36)
4. Florida Southern (34)
West Texas A&M (34)
6. Metro State, Colo. (31)
7. Ferris State, Mich. (29)
UNK (29)