2018 NCAA VOLLEYBALL BRACKET
COMPLETE BYU RELEASE | COMPLETE LMU RELEASE | COMPLETE PEPPERDINE RELEASE | COMPLETE SAINT MARY’S RELEASE | COMPLETE SAN DIEGO RELEASE | COMPLETE PORTLAND RELEASE
SAN BRUNO, Calif. – Five West Coast Conference volleyball programs will compete in the 2018 NCAA Tournament as announced today on ESPNU. The five teams: No. 4 BYU, Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, Saint Mary’s and San Diego – represent the most for the conference since a record-tying six squads made the 2012 field.
In addition to the five programs qualifying for NCAA Tournament play, Portland (18-12) will open its first-ever postseason appearance in Laramie, Wyoming on November 29 against Northern Colorado in the first round of the National Invitational Volleyball Championship. First serve is set 3:00 p.m.
BYU COUGARS (27-1)
No. 1 BYU earned the automatic qualifier after capturing its fifth regular season title and earned a No. 4 national seed. The Cougars will host the first and second rounds Friday and Saturday at Smith Fieldhouse. BYU opens with America East Champions Stony Brook at 6:00 p.m. PT on Friday, following Utah (18-13) and Denver (27-2) contest at 3:00 p.m. PT.
BYU is set for its seventh straight NCAA Tournament and 31st overall – the seventh most in Division I history. The Cougars held the No. 1 AVCA ranking for 11 consecutive weeks entering Selection Sunday and own 10 victories against the tournament field.
LMU LIONS (20-9)
Loyola Marymount capped its regular season with an upset sweep of previously unbeaten No. 1 BYU and it vaulted the program to its 14th NCAA Tournament berth. LMU will travel to Palo Alto, Calif. to take on Duke (16-11) in opening round action at Maples Pavilion on the Stanford campus. First serve against the Blue Devils is set for Friday, November 30 at 4:00 p.m. No. 1 overall seed Stanford (28-1) will take on Alabama State (23-7) in the second match.
LMU marched to the Sweet 16 last time it played in Maples, upending Colorado State and the host No. 6 Cardinal in 2015.
PEPPERDINE WAVES (21-8)
Pepperdine collected its 23rd NCAA Tournament berth and will tackle Northern Iowa in Madison, Wisc. Thursday, Nov. 29. First serve against the Panthers (24-9) is set for 1:00 p.m. No. 5 Wisconsin (22-6) hosts instate rival Green Bay (20-10) in the second match at 3:30 p.m.
SAINT MARY’S GAELS (19-9)
Saint Mary’s returns to the NCAA field for the first time since 2012 and will travel to Nebraska to tackle No. 19 Washington in the opener Friday, Nov. 20 at 1:30 p.m. PT in the D.J. Sokol Arena on the Creighton campus. In the second match the host No. 9-seed Blue Jays (28-4) face South Dakota (21-9).
This is the seventh NCAA Tournament appearance for the Gaels.
SAN DIEGO (16-12)
Making its ninth straight NCAA Tournament, San Diego opens against Cal Poly (25-2) Friday, Nov. 30 at the Galen Center on the USC campus. First serve against the Mustangs is set for 6:00 p.m., followed by the host No. 11 Trojans (21-10) against Samford (19-14).
The Toreros will head to USC for the second consecutive postseason and third time in the past four years. USD fell to the Trojans 3-2 in the second round of last year's tournament and dropped a 3-0 decision in the second round in 2015.
AND FINALLY…