ROSEMONT, Ill. (Nov. 27, 2022) – The Big Ten Conference had six member institutions chosen to compete in the 2022 NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship, it was announced Sunday evening. Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin earned berths to this year’s 64-team NCAA Tournament, which kicks off Thursday at campus sites around the country. The tournament culminates with the NCAA Final Four Dec. 15 and 17 at the CHI Health Center Omaha in Omaha, Neb., with Nebraska and the Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority (MECA) serving as co-hosts for the event.
At least one Big Ten Conference school has reached the NCAA Final Four each year since 2007, with at least one member institution advancing to the NCAA national championship match 12 times in that 15-year span. Current Big Ten programs have won a total of 13 national championships, including 10 while competing as a member of the conference. Last year produced an all-Big Ten national title contest, as Wisconsin edged Nebraska, 3-2 to win its first NCAA national championship before a record-setting crowd of 18,755 fans at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
A tournament-best five Big Ten Conference teams received top-16 national seeds for this year’s NCAA Tournament, earning the right to host first- and second-round matches on their respective campuses. As the No. 1 seed in its quadrant, defending NCAA national champion Wisconsin is once again in position to play at home inside the UW Field House all the way to the Final Four. Minnesota and Nebraska earned No. 2 seeds in their quadrants, while Ohio State was a No. 3 seed and Penn State a No. 4 seed.
The Big Ten Conference remains a consistent presence in the NCAA Tournament, having now sent at least six member schools to the event in 24 of the past 25 seasons, dating back to 1998.
With Sunday’s announcement, Penn State has now been chosen for all 42 NCAA tournaments since the event debuted in 1981. The Nittany Lions remain the only program that has competed in every NCAA volleyball tournament to date.
Minnesota (20-8, 15-5) earned its 27th bid to the NCAA Tournament and 22nd in the last 23 years. The Golden Gophers have six Final Fours to their credit, most recently in 2019, and will begin their quest for another trip to college volleyball’s biggest stage by hosting a subregional at Maturi Pavilion this weekend. Minnesota, which tied for third in the Big Ten this season, will take on…
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