COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina volleyball will make its fourth trip to the NCAA tournament under head coach Tom Mendoza, learning Sunday night that it will travel to the Waco, Texas regional to face Dayton in the first round. Game time is currently scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, Dec. 5, with the winner to play against the winner of Wofford and host Baylor. The Flyers earned the number five seed in the Lincoln, Neb. regional.
“I’m excited for our players, I’ve just really enjoyed coaching this team whether it’s our first-year players or our graduates who are in year five,” head coach Tom Mendoza said. “I felt they had put in the body of work that deserved the bid and I’m excited for them to get this opportunity to go compete in the NCAA tournament and say that they’re an NCAA tournament team, to come back as alums to see the postseason banner in the rafters.”
The Gamecocks (16-11, 7-9 SEC) have won the first round in three of their last four tournament appearances, most recently defeating 10th-ranked Colorado State in 2019 while playing in the Seattle Regional. This will be the 11th NCAA tournament trip in the program’s 51-year history, South Carolina has a 6-10 record in tournament games.
Dayton enters the postseason with a 29-2 overall record and ranked 23rd in the latest national coaches top 25 poll. The Flyers were vying to host the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament before being upset in the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament championship by Loyola Chicago. Thursday will be the second meeting between the two programs, the only meeting prior came in a four-set victory in 2008.
The Southeastern Conference will be well-represented in the tournament, with nine teams making the field of 64 and five teams earning national seeds.
First and Second Round play of the 2024 NCAA Tournament will take place nationwide Thursday, Dec. 5 through Saturday, Dec. 7. Regional Semifinals and Regional Finals will be Thursday, Dec. 12 through Sunday, Dec. 15 with the National Semifinals and National Championship happening on December 19 and 22, respectively, in Louisville, Ky.
For more information and updates on the team’s journey through the tournament, follow Gamecockvolley on Twitter and GamecockVB on Instagram.