WSU volleyball headed to 5th straight NCAA Tournament

The volleyball NCAA Tournament will look a little different this year with all of the matches happening in Omaha Nebraska, and with a reduced 48-team field. One thing that will be familiar is Washington State will be there. The Cougars secured their fifth-straight tournament berth on Sunday when they were named the No. 15 overall seed.

Seeding was especially important this season as the top 16 teams receive a first-round bye thanks to the reduced 48 team tournament. With the Cougs at No. 15, they will skip ahead to the second round where they will take on either Jackson State or Western Kentucky.

The Cougs were excited to get the news on Sunday:

Jen Greeny’s bunch finished the season 11-4 — with all games against Pac-12 teams. Two of their four losses occurred in the final three games. The Cougs dealt with Covid cancellations on multiple occasions this season, including in the final weeks of the season which resulted in a two week stretch off prior to the final three games.

The Cougs will begin their NCAA Tournament on Thursday, April 15. A win would send WSU to the round of 16 against either No. 2 Kentucky, Illinois State or UNLV. The Cougars’ opening game will be stream on ESPN 3 and is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. PT.

WSU is one of five Pac-12 teams in the NCAA Tournament and one of four to receive a first-round bye. Defending national champion Stanford finished the season 2-8 and did not make the tournament, breaking the conference’s 20-year streak of securing at least six bids. Thanks for nothing, Cardinal.

You can view the entire bracket right here.

*****

Volleyball:

Volleyball Making Fifth Straight NCAA Tournament Appearance - Washington State University Athletics
Cougs selected as the No. 15 overall seed and will earn first-round bye.

WSU volleyball gets NCAA tournament berth | Sports | lmtribune.com
For the fifth consecutive season, the Washington State women's volleyball team is off to the NCAA tournament.

Baseball:

Cougars Take One of Three from Cardinal in Pullman – Cougar Sports Network
A walk-off hit-by-pitch helped WSU salvage one of the three games against the No. 24 Stanford Cardinal. The first two games went Stanford’s way, but before hitting the road again Wednesday, WSU was able to snag a conference win yesterday in unique fashion. The Cougars moved to 13-10 overall, and 2-7 in conference play. Game…