KU volleyball team awarded bid to 2022 NCAA Tournament. Here’s a look at their region

Gary Bedore
·2 min read
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The Kansas volleyball team, which has received a bid to the 2022 NCAA Tournament, will meet Miami (Florida) in a first-round match at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Devaney Center in Lincoln, Nebraska, it was announced on Sunday.

The Jayhawks were one of five Big 12 teams to receive bids to the NCAAs. The others were: Texas, TCU, Iowa State and Baylor.

If Kansas (18-10) defeats Miami (19-10), it would meet the winner of Thursday’s Nebraska-Delaware State match at 7 p.m. Friday, also in Lincoln. Miami is a No. 7 seed in the tournament. Nebraska, which is hosting the first two rounds, is a 2 seed. KU and Delaware State are unseeded.

In all, 64 teams compete in the tourney.

Wisconsin (No. 1 seed) is the defending national champion after the Badgers took home their first-ever national title in program history. Other top seeds are Texas, Stanford and Louisville, the last of which is the top seed in the Jayhawks’ region. Oregon (No. 3 seed) and Baylor (No. 4 seed) are also in the Jayhawks’ quadrant.

The Jayhawks, who are coached by Ray Bechard, went 8-8 in Big 12 matches during the 2022 regular season.

The Jayhawks are headed to the tournament for the second consecutive season and 11th time in school history. In 2021, KU went to the Sweet 16 after defeating Creighton 3-1 in Omaha, Nebraska, in the second round. It was the first time since 2015 Kansas made a Sweet 16 appearance. KU fell to Pittsburgh 3-0 in the Sweet 16.

Last year, Miami made the postseason for the first time since 2017 and advanced to the second round before falling to Florida.

KU’s players and coaches watched the NCAA selection show on Sunday night in Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena, home of the Jayhawks.

“It took a while for our name to come up, last bracket, but we were confident that it was going to happen. It is a reflection of the work this team has put in and the staff. It started last summer, throughout this fall and culminates with an NCAA tournament bid. We’re excited to represent the University of Kansas, the Jayhawks and the Big 12 Conference,” Bechard said Sunday.