14-Seed BYU to Host Opening NCAA Tournament Rounds

PROVO, Utah – BYU women’s volleyball was awarded the No. 14 seed and a berth into the 2019 NCAA Tournament on Sunday.

The Cougars will host the first two rounds of the tournament in the Smith Fieldhouse starting Friday, Dec. 6. BYU (25-4) will play New Mexico State (27-3) at 7 p.m. MT after a match between Utah (22-9) and Illinois (16-13) in Provo’s other first-round matchup at 4 p.m. MT. The winning teams from Friday’s matches will then play a second-round contest on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m. MT.

“We’re excited to host this weekend and play again in the Smith Fieldhouse against New Mexico State, as well as host Utah and Illinois,” BYU head coach Heather Olmstead said. “It’s going to be a great weekend of volleyball.”

This year marks eighth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance for BYU dating back to 2012 and the 32nd overall in 39 tournaments overall. The Cougars have been one of the 16 seeded teams in six of the last eight tournaments.

All-session tickets good for all three matches will go on sale Monday, Dec. 2, at 10 a.m. MT for BYU season ticket holders and Cougar Club members. Please call the ticket office directly to order tickets. All remaining tickets will then go on sale to the general public at 3 p.m. MT and can be purchased by calling the ticket office or online at byutickets.com. Starting Friday morning, single-session (single-day) tickets will then go on sale.

Teams winning two matches this weekend will move on to regional play December 13-14. The regional winners will advance to the national semifinals and championship final on December 19 and 21 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The national semifinal matches will broadcast on ESPN and the championship match will broadcast on ESPN2.

Click here to view the full 2019 NCAA Tournament bracket.