PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Three BIG EAST volleyball teams will participate in the 2011 NCAA Championship as announced by the NCAA selection committee on Sunday. Cincinnati, the recipient of the conference’s automatic bid after winning the BIG EAST Championship crown, will take on Samford on Dec. 1 or 2 in Tallahassee, Fla. Louisville received an at-large bid and will face Ball State on Dec. 2 in West Lafayette, Ind. Both teams will participate in the Minneapolis Region. Marquette also received an at-large bid and will face Western Kentucky on Dec. 1 or 2 in Champaign, Ill. Marquette will be in the Gainesville Regional.
This season ties the BIG EAST record for most teams selected with three, also occurring in 2006 and in 2009. No BIG EAST team has advanced past the third round of the NCAA Championship in the current 64-team format.
Cincinnati (26-9, 12-2 BIG EAST) captured its first BIG EAST Championship title on Nov. 20 with a 3-0 win over Notre Dame to earn the league’s automatic berth. The Bearcats will travel to Tallahassee, Fla., where they will face Samford (29-4) from the Southern Conference. Florida State will act as the host for the first and second round matches. The match time is TBA. If the Bearcats advance, they will take on the winner of Albany and host Florida State on Dec. 2 or 3. This is the fourth-straight year the Bearcats have qualified for the Championship.
Louisville (23-8, 13-1 BIG EAST) has qualified for the NCAA Championship in each of the last 14 seasons. The Cardinals will travel to West Lafayette, Ind., where they will face Ball State (25-7) from the Mid-American Conference. Purdue will act as the host for the first and second round matches. The match time is TBA. If the Cardinals advance, they will take on the winner of Morehead State and host Purdue on Dec. 2 or 3.
Marquette (23-10, 12-2 BIG EAST) earns it’s first NCAA Championship berth in program history. The Golden Eagles will face Western Kentucky (31-3) of the Sun Belt Conference on Dec. 1 or 2 in Champaign, Ill. If the Golden Eagles advance they will take on the winner of Central Michigan and host Illinois on Dec. 2 or 3.
First-and second-round matchups will be played between Dec. 1-3. Teams winning both matches will move on to regional play December 9 and 10. The pre-determined regional sites are Lexington, Ky.; Gainesville, Fla.; Minneapolis, Minn.; and Honolulu, Hawaii. The regional winners will advance to the semifinals and final hosted by the University of Texas at San Antonio, on December 15 and 17.