NEW YORK – Three BIG EAST volleyball squads begin their postseason quests on Thursday and Friday. No. 9 national seed Creighton and No. 14 national seed Marquette will host the first two rounds of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament starting Friday evening. St. John’s will begin play in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) on Thursday in Atlanta, Ga.
The nationally ranked No. 9 Bluejays (28-4) will look to extend their 20-match win streak when they host South Dakota (21-9) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at D.J. Sokol Arena on Friday at 7 p.m. ET. Creighton is back in the tournament for a seventh straight season and third time hosting. The winner of the Creighton/South Dakota matchup will meet the winner of Friday's 4:30 p.m. ET match between Saint Mary's (19-9) and Washington (18-12). Saturday's second round contest takes place at 8 p.m. ET. Creighton is 3-1 all-time against South Dakota. The teams last met in 2014.
Marquette (26-6) moved up to a program-best No. 15 ranking in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll and will welcome High Point (21-9) to Al McGuire Center for the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday at 8 p.m. While this is Marquette’s first time as a host, it is the eighth straight appearance in the national tournament. Cincinnati (25-7) and Illinois State (25-7) will face each other on Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET at the Al McGuire Center. The winner of each contest will advance to the second round, which will occur on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.
St. John’s will play postseason volleyball for the first time in over a decade. After finishing third in the final BIG EAST Volleyball standings, the Red Storm were invited to participate in the NIVC Tournament beginning on Thursday. St. John’s will take on Charleston (21-11) in the first round in Atlanta on Thursday at 4 p.m. ET. The winner will advance to face either host Georgia Tech (17-14) or South Florida (20-11) on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.
NCAA First Round
Matchup: South Dakota at #9 seed Creighton
Date & Time: Friday, Nov. 30 at 7 p.m.
Location: Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena)
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Matchup: High Point at #14 seed Marquette
Date & Time: Friday, Nov. 30 at 8 p.m.
Location: Milwaukee, Wis. (Al McGuire Center)
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NCAA Second Round
Potential Matchup: St. Mary’s/Washington Winner
Date & Time: Saturday, Dec. 1 at 8 p.m.
Location: Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena)
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Potential Matchup: Cincinnati/Illinois State Winner
Date & Time: Saturday, Dec. 1 at 8 p.m.
Location: Milwaukee, Wis. (Al McGuire Center)
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NIVC First Round
Matchup: St. John’s vs. Charleston
Date & Time: Thursday, Nov. 29 at 4 p.m.
Location: Atlanta, Ga. (O’Keefe Gymnasium)
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NIVC Second Round
Potential Matchup: Georgia Tech/South Florida Winner
Date & Time: Friday, Nov. 30 at 7 p.m.
Location: Atlanta, Ga. (O’Keefe Gymnasium)
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All times listed are Eastern.