TicketsNov. 28, 2010
NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship Bracket
CINCINNATI - The No. 22-ranked University of Cincinnati volleyball team will play Western Kentucky University in the first round of the NCAA Championship on Friday, Dec. 3, at 5:30 p.m. EST on the campus of the University of Illinois in Champaign, Ill, the NCAA announced Sunday.
Cincinnati (29-5, 13-1 BIG EAST), the regular-season BIG EAST champions, faces a Western Kentucky team it defeated in four sets (21-25,25-20,25-21,26-24) on Oct. 19 in Bowling Green, Ky.
Friday's second first-round match features the tournament's eighth overall seed, Illinois, and Austin Peay. If Cincinnati advances to the second round, it could potentially play another rematch on Saturday, Dec. 4, at 8 p.m. EST. UC defeated then No. 5-ranked Illinois in five sets (22-25, 19-25, 25-20, 25-16, 16-13) earlier this season on Sept. 17.
This is the third-straight year the Bearcats have qualified for the championship, advancing as far as the second round in 2008. Cincinnati has made 10-straight appearances in the AVCA Coaches' Poll and boasts an RPI of 17, the highest for any BIG EAST squad.
The top 16 teams were seeded nationally and placed within four regions. The teams tabbed as the top four seeds were No. 1 University of Florida; No. 2 University of Nebraska, Lincoln; No. 3 Stanford University; and No. 4 Penn State University.
The established bracketing principles of non-conference first- and second-round matchups were followed and team pairings were determined by geographical proximity. Teams winning both matches will move on to regional play Dec. 10 and 11.
The pre-determined regional sites are Austin, Texas; University Park, Pennsylvania; Dayton, Ohio; and Seattle, Washington. The regional winners will advance to the semifinals and final hosted by the University of Missouri, Kansas City, and Kansas City Sports Commission at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Dec. 16 and 18.
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