Huskers Picked to Host NCAA 1st and 2nd Rounds

Lincoln - The Nebraska volleyball team will spend the opening weekend of the postseason at home for the seventh straight season as the NU Coliseum was chosen as one of 16 sites for NCAA first and second-round play next weekend. The Huskers will be making their 29th NCAA Tournament appearance and they will go in as the No. 2 overall seed among the 64 teams.

Play will start on Thursday, Dec. 2 at 4:30 p.m. when the Auburn Tigers (20-12) of the Southeastern Conference take on the Missouri State Bears (21-9) of the Missouri Valley Conference. Nebraska (27-2) will then take the court during Thursday's second match and will face the Sacred Heart Pioneers (29-6), who recently won its first ever Northeast Conference title. The Huskers' match will start at 7 p.m. or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first match.

The second round will take place on Friday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m., as Friday's winners will compete for the right to move on to the Seattle Regional the following weekend. The winner out of Lincoln will take on Hawaii, Portland State, Washington or Michigan, who will be playing in Seattle, Wash.

Tickets for the first and second rounds in Lincoln will go on sale Monday morning at 8 a.m. on Huskers.com, by calling the NU Ticket Office at 800-8-BIGRED or in person at the NU Athletic Ticket Office. All-session ticket prices are set at $34 (reserved) and $30 (general admission) and include the two first-round games, as well as the second-round matchup between the first-round winners. If fans are unable to get tickets on Monday they are encouraged to check back on Wednesday to see if any teams returned tickets from their allotment.

Nebraska has never faced Sacred Heart or Auburn. Nebraska and Missouri State have split 30 all-time meetings, with the Huskers winning the last nine meetings but the two programs haven't met since 1993.

The 2010 season marks the 26th time that Lincoln has played host to first and second-round competition. Last season, Nebraska hosted the first and second rounds at the NU Coliseum, where they swept Coastal Carolina and Northern Iowa to move onto the NCAA Midwest Regional in Omaha. The Huskers then swept Iowa State before losing a four-set decision to Texas, the eventual NCAA runner-up.

Nebraska recently won its 12th Big 12 title in its final year in the league and is 80-25 (.762) in 28 previous NCAA Tournament appearances, ranking second among NCAA schools in both wins and winning percentage. The Huskers were one of five Big 12 schools to qualify for the tournament, as No. 9 Texas and Oklahoma will also play at home in the first two rounds while Iowa State and Missouri will be on the road.

NCAA First and Second Round Schedule
First Round - Thursday, Dec. 2
4:30 p.m.  |  Auburn (20-12) vs. Missouri State (21-9)
7 p.m.*  |  Nebraska (27-2) vs. Sacred Heart (29-6)
*- or 30 minutes following the conclusion of the 4:30 p.m. match

Second Round - Friday, Dec. 3
7 p.m.  |  First-Round Winners