Tim Horsmon: Pepperdine a tough matchup for Dayton Flyers in NCAA volleyball tournament

For all the Dayton Flyers volleyball program has achieved in the last 21 years — 16 Atlantic 10 Conference tournament championships and 17 NCAA tournament appearances — one feat has eluded it: a second-round NCAA tournament victory.

“It’s been something we’ve been trying to achieve for a long time,” redshirt junior outside hitter Lexie Almodovar said. “I personally feel like this is our best chance since I’ve been here to do that, and I think it would just be really special to hang a new banner.”

“It would mean many things,” said redshirt senior middle blocker Amelia Moore. “It would be so special. I’ve been here for a while, and we’ve been so close so many times.”

No. 19 Dayton (31-2) hopes to get another chance this weekend. As the No. 5 seed in its corner of the bracket, it will play Pepperdine (19-8) at 7 p.m. (EST) Friday in the first round of the NCAA tournament on the campus of Washington State University in Pullman, Wash.

Washington State (24-7), the No. 4 seed and 11th-ranked team in the country, will play Grand Canyon (23-7) at 10 p.m. in the other match at that site. The first-round winners will play at 10 p.m. Saturday in Pullman.

Three times Dayton has lost a five-set match in the second round.

• Two years ago in Dayton’s last trip to the tournament, it won the first two sets in a second-round match against Purdue but lost the next three sets.

• One season earlier, Dayton lost the first two seconds against Washington in the second round, won the next two but lost the deciding set 15-11.

• In 2010, Dayton played Ohio State at the Frericks Center in the second round and rallied from a 2-0 deficit only to lose 16-14 in the fifth set.

“A lot of it’s your matchups,” coach Tim Horsmon said, “and the better seeds you have, the better opportunities you have, whether it’s in the first or second round.”

Horsmon knows the Flyers can’t overlook their first opponent. West Coast Conference champion Pepperdine will play in the tournament for the 27th time.

“Pepperdine’s a really good program,” Horsmon said. “That league is a really good league. That’s going to be a tough match for us.”