Volleyball: UD, Wright State learn first opponents in NCAA tournament

Both matches will take place April 14 and will be televised on ESPN3. Dayton plays at 3:30 p.m. Wright State plays at 7 p.m.

The entire tournament will take place in Omaha, Neb., at Chi Health Center Arena, which includes a convention center and 18,000 seat arena. According to the Lincoln Journal Star, matches in the first three rounds will take place on four courts, split between two halls, at the convention center, which also has room for eight practice courts.

Dayton earned a spot in the NCAA tournament by winning the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament at the Frericks Center. It beat Virginia Commonwealth 25-15, 26-24, 25-19.

The Flyers will make their 15th NCAA tournament appearance. They lost in the first round in their last three appearances and last won a game in 2015, beating Villanova 3-1 in the first round before losing 3-1 to Penn State in the second round.

Towson beat Northeastern 26-24, 25-17, 25-22 on Saturday to win its second straight CAA championship. In its last NCAA appearance in 2019, Towson beat American University 3-2 in the first round. It was the program’s first NCAA tournament victory. It then lost 3-1 to 11th-ranked Penn State.

The Dayton-Towson winner will play No. 6 seed Washington (17-3) in the second round at 3:30 p.m. April 15 on ESPN3. The top 16 seeds received first-round byes.

Washington, which ranks seventh in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll, won the Pac 12 championship Saturday by beating California 25-16, 25-19, 25-16.

Wright State claimed a NCAA berth by winning the Horizon League tournament for the first time. The Raiders defeated Illinois-Chicago 19-25, 25-19, 22-25, 25-15, 15-6 at McLin Gymnasium.

This will be Wright State’s second straight appearance in the NCAA tournament. It received an at-large berth in 2019 and lost 3-0 to Purdue in the first NCAA tournament match in program history.

Samford won its third straight Southern Conference tournament Saturday, beating Mercer 25-18, 25-23, 25-21. This will be Samford’s sixth NCAA appearance.

The Wright State-Samford winner will play No. 4 seed Texas (23-1) at 7 p.m. April 15 on ESPN3 in the second round. The Longhorns ranked fifth in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association poll.

Here’s the NCAA schedule: April 14: first round; April 15: second round; April 18: regional semifinals; April 19: regional finals; April 22: national semifinals; April 24: national championship.