Michigan Earns At-Large NCAA Bid, Will Face Navy in First Round
11/25/2018 9:59:00 PM | Volleyball
• Ticket Information | NCAA Bracket
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team received an at-large berth in the 2018 NCAA Division I Championship and will face the Navy in the first round on Friday (Nov. 30) at the Petersen Events Center on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh. The match will start at 4 p.m.
The Wolverines (22-9) will make their 12th NCAA Tournament appearance in 13 years (18th overall) and will kick off action in Pittsburgh against the Navy Mids. Navy (23-8) won the Patriot League Conference Tournament with a 3-2 victory over regular-season co-champion American University after entering the tournament with a share of the Patriot League regular-season title thanks to a 13-3 record in conference play.
Friday's other first-round match features No. 12-seeded Pittsburgh against Iona. The Michigan/Navy winner will face the winner of the Pittsburgh/Iona match in second-round action Saturday (Dec. 1) at 7 p.m.
Friday's meeting will mark the first between Navy and Michigan. Navy is 0-10 against Big Ten opponents, including losses to Penn State (Aug. 25) and Rutgers (Sept. 8) earlier this season. Led by All-Patriot League honorees Patricia Mattingly (Setter of the Year), Maddi Sgattoni (first team) and Katie Patrick (second team), Navy led the Patriot League in opponent hitting percentage (.162) and ranked second in digs (15.96 per set) and service aces (1.50 per set). The Mids are on a five-match win streak.
Michigan ended the regular season on a three-match win streak and with a 22-9 overall record, which marked the 17th 20-win season in program history. The NCAA berth is Michigan's 17th under head coach Mark Rosen.
The Wolverines posted a 1-0 record in neutral-site matches this season with a win over High Point at Auburn during the War Eagle Invitational. The NCAA first-round matchup will mark Michigan's first neutral-site contest since Aug. 25.
The Big Ten Conference received seven bids to the NCAA Tournament. No. 8 seed Penn State is the only other Big Ten team in Michigan's half of the bracket.
All 2018 NCAA Tournament matches will be streamed live via WatchESPN.
