The Wisconsin women’s volleyball team has been ranked number-one in the country all season long. Sunday, for the first time in program history, the Badgers earned the top overall seed for the NCAA Tournament.
The tournament was reduced from 64 to 48 teams, giving the top 16 seeds first-round byes. UW (15-0) gets a first-round bye and will open against either Bowling Green 922-1) or Weber State (18-1) at 6 p.m. on April 15 in Omaha. Bowling Green and Weber State will meet in the first round at 6 p.m. on April 14.
Five other Big Ten teams were seeded in the top 16. Minnesota at number-three, Nebraska 5th, Purdue 7th, Ohio State 9th and Penn State 13th.
The Badgers have only lost three sets this season, but they’ve played only three matches since Feb. 22, due to COVID-19 issues
Wisconsin is seeking its first national title, finishing as the national runner-up in 2019, 2013 and 2000.
The Badgers are making their eighth NCAA tournament appearance under head coach Kelly Sheffield in his eight seasons. The Badgers were the 4-seed last season and upset number-1 Baylor in the semifinals before being swept by No. 3 Stanford in the title match. Stanford didn’t make the 48-team field this season.
All matches will be held at the CHI Health Center Omaha facility, which has both an arena and convention center. Early-round matches will be played April 14-15, with regional semifinals set for April 18. Regional finals will be April 19. The final four will take place April 22 and 24 on ESPN2.