Volleyball Begins NCAA Tournament Against South Dakota

OMAHA, Neb. – The #23 University of Houston volleyball team begins its NCAA Tournament run with a 3:30 p.m. first serve against Summit League Champions South Dakota on Friday in Omaha, Neb., at the D.J. Sokol Arena.

The Cougars received the American Athletic Conference's automatic bid to the tournament as co-champions and earned a five seed for the tourney, being placed in the first and second round held at Creighton University. It's Houston's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2000.

Houston enters the NCAA Tournament following a successful regular season that saw the Cougars clinch their first conference title since 1999. Houston's 28 wins are the most the team has tallied since before the NCAA added volleyball in 1980. The team also rattled off a 20-match win streak, snapping the previous program record of 17 consecutive victories in 1994, when the Cougars went on to reach the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight.

The winner of the match will go on to face the victor of four-seed Creighton, who is ranked at #12 in the AVCA poll, and Auburn, who play at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The second-round tilt is scheduled for Saturday at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+.

#22 HOUSTON (28-3, 19-1 The American) vs. South Dakota (29-3, 16-2 Summit League)
Dates \| Time	Friday, Dec. 2 vs. South Dakota at 3:30 p.m.
Opponents	South Dakota (29-3, 16-2 Summit League)
Location	Omaha, Neb. at the D.J. Sokol Arena
Live Stream	ESPN+
Live Stats	UHStats.com
Game Notes	Houston

QUICK HITS

The Cougars currently sit at No. 23 in the AVCA Poll. Houston entered the poll five weeks ago at No. 24 for the first time since 1994.
Houston broke its win streak record with its 18th consecutive win against Memphis on Nov. 18. The team's streak reached 20 matches before being snapped in a five-set loss to #23 UCF in the last match of the regular season.
The Cougars have never met its first or potential second round teams on the court.
Georgiades broke Houston's three-set digs record by posting 34 in the straight-set win against Tulsa on Nov. 11.
Houston has been in the top-25 of the NCAA's RPI in every release this season, including a spot at No. 10 on Oct. 16. The Cougars entered Selection Sunday with an RPI in 18th.
Houston's nonconference strength of schedule ranks 15th nationally and is the toughest schedule in The American.
Multiple Cougars are moving up career record lists. For full updates on career rankings, see page 9 of the game notes.
Texas, Mississippi State, Rice, South Alabama and two matches against conference foe UCF make up the five 2021 NCAA Tournament teams the Cougars will match up against in 2022. So far, the Cougars have won three of six matches with a rematch against UCF scheduled for Nov. 25 in Orlando.
The 31-match slate features seven teams that won 20-plus matches in 2021, and four that won 25-plus. UCF and Texas each won 27 matches in 2021.
Houston has posted back-to-back 25-win seasons for the first time since 1979-80, when the program played nearly twice as many matches a season than it does now.

SERIES HISTORY
Houston record vs South Dakota First Meeting

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