The University of Arizona volleyball team was rewarded for surviving the brutal Pac-12 with a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
The No. 23-ranked Wildcats (22-10) went 11-9 in the tough league, which is sending eight teams to the 64-team field. UA opens with No. 24 Missouri, which went 23-7 overall and 13-5 in the SEC.
The teams will play at 3:30 p.m. Friday in Lincoln, Nebraska.
The winner will likely face No. 7-seeded Nebraska in the second round. The Cornhuskers open with Hofstra.
This is the 29th time UA has qualified for the event, and the fifth time in the past six seasons.
The Wildcats will be making their 20th appearance under coach David Rubio.
Northern Arizona (26-8) also made the tournament, and will play No. 16 Washington State in the opening round.
Other Pac-12 teams that made it are No. 1 Stanford, No. 11 USC, No. 15 Oregon, Colorado, Utah and Washington. UA finished fifth in the Pac-12, while Stanford (28-1, 20-0) was first.
