UNI Volleyball Team To Face Pepperdine In NCAA Tournament

The UNI volleyball team learned its NCAA Tournament destination and opponent Sunday evening (Nov. 25, 2018).

The Panthers are heading to Madison, Wis., to play Pepperdine in a first-round match at 5 PM on Thursday. The match will be part of a doubleheader played at the University of Wisconsin's Fieldhouse. The other match will feature the host Badgers taking on Green Bay at 7 PM.

UNI earned an automatic bid into the 64-team National Championship event by winning the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title on Saturday. The Panthers defeated Illinois State, 3-1, to earn their first league title in seven years.

This marks UNI’s fourth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance. Each of the last three years, the Panthers earned an at-large berth.

Coach Bobbi Petersen's team enters this year's post-season with a 24-9 record. Pepperdine finished 21-8 overall and 14-4 in the West Coast Conference.

UNI has played The Waves only three times previously, going 1-2 in those meetings. The Panthers were swept by Pepperdine in 2000, won a five-set match in 2002, and dropped a four-set decision in 2005.

This year's NCAA Tournament appearance will be the 22nd for UNI in the past 34 seasons.