“They traveled really from far away to come see us play,” fifth-year outside hitter Lexie Almodovar said in an interview with the NCAA, “and they just said how special this group was, and that they had so much belief and faith in what we were doing.”
Dayton’s 25-22, 22-25, 24-26, 25-21, 15-12 victory against Baylor in Waco, Texas, gives it an opportunity to play one of the most storied programs in NCAA volleyball history.
Dayton (31-2) will play Nebraska (31-2) in the Sweet 16 on Friday night at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, Neb. Nebraska beat the Miami Hurricanes 25-19, 25-14, 25-18 in the second round on Saturday in Lincoln.
Dayton and Nebraska will play 30 minutes after another third-round match between Wisconsin (25-6) and Texas A&M (21-7). That match starts at 7 p.m. in Ohio and 6 p.m. in Nebraska. Both matches will air on ESPN2.
The Friday winners will play in the regional final at 3 p.m. Sunday, or 2 p.m. in Nebraska.
Dayton is No. 23 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll. Nebraska is No. 3. Wisconsin is No. 7.
Nebraska is a five time national champion (1995, 2000, 2006, 2015 and 2017) and six-time runner-up (1986, 1989, 2005, 2018, 2021 and 2023). It lost 3-0 to Texas in the national championship match last season.
Nebraska’s only losses this season are to No. 10 Southern Methodist and No. 2 Penn State.
Nebraska ranks second in NCAA history in postseason wins and winning percentage (.781). It has won 24 straight matches at home in the tournament and has won 43 straight home matches overall.
Nebraska is 4-0 against Dayton. In 2003 when Dayton made its first NCAA tournament appearance, it beat Michigan State 3-2 in the first round before losing 3-0 to No. 9 Nebraska in East Lansing, Mich. Nebraska beat Dayton in regular-season matches in 2010, 2013 and 2014.
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