Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) volleyball champion Delaware State will face national power Nebraska on Thursday (Dec. 1) in the first round of the NCAA Volleyball Championship, as the 64-team bracket was officially unveiled Sunday evening. Match time is set for 8:00 p.m. (CT) in Lincoln, Neb. The winner of Thursday’s match will face the Kansas-Miami winner in Friday’s second round.
The Hornets (24-6) won their first MEAC tournament title since 1986 this past Sunday with a four-set win over regular-season co-champion Coppin State. Delaware State has won 20 matches for the second straight season, is on a nine-match winning streak and will be making its first-ever NCAA appearance.
The Hornets join Fairleigh Dickinson University, Southeastern University and Quinnipiac University as first-time NCAA Tournament participants.
Alondra Maldonado, a First Team All-MEAC honoree and Outstanding Performer of the MEAC Volleyball Championship, leads the Hornets — and Sydney Lewis is among the NCAA’s leaders in hitting percentage.
Nebraska (24-5) is the No. 2 seed in the Louisville Quarter of the bracket despite losing its last two regular-season matches against Wisconsin (in four sets) and Minnesota (in three sets). Whitney Lauenstein leads the Huskers offense with 3.71 points a set, while Madi Kubik leads the way with 3.24 kills/set. Bekka Allick hits a team-best .322.