NCAA Bound! UC Irvine Earns At-Large Bid Into NCAA Championship
April 26, 2026 | Men's Volleyball
IRVINE, Calif. – UC Irvine (18-8) earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Championship tournament and will face Penn State Friday (May 1) at 6:00 p.m. in the first round of the Los Angeles Regional hosted by UCLA at Pauley Pavilion. The winner advances to face No. 1 seed UCLA on Saturday (May 2) at 5:00 p.m.
The Anteaters and Nittany Lions have a rich NCAA history, meeting four previous times with UCI holding a 3-1 postseason record. In the last meeting, UCI swept Penn State (26-24, 25-16, 25-19) in the opening round in 2024.
UC Irvine is making its ninth NCAA appearance, claiming four national titles (2007, 2009, 2012, 2013).
No. 16 Penn State (22-7) swept Princeton, 3-0, to win their 38th EIVA Championship, earning an automatic bid to the championship.
The new-look 12-team tournament features four, three-team regionals at selected host sites, with the hosts receiving first-round byes. Along with No. 1 overall seed UCLA, Hawaii is the No. 2 seed followed by No. 3 Long Beach State and No. 4 Ball State.
The four regional winners will advance to the NCAA semifinals on May 9 at Pauley Pavilion.
The Anteaters and Nittany Lions have a rich NCAA history, meeting four previous times with UCI holding a 3-1 postseason record. In the last meeting, UCI swept Penn State (26-24, 25-16, 25-19) in the opening round in 2024.
UC Irvine is making its ninth NCAA appearance, claiming four national titles (2007, 2009, 2012, 2013).
No. 16 Penn State (22-7) swept Princeton, 3-0, to win their 38th EIVA Championship, earning an automatic bid to the championship.
The new-look 12-team tournament features four, three-team regionals at selected host sites, with the hosts receiving first-round byes. Along with No. 1 overall seed UCLA, Hawaii is the No. 2 seed followed by No. 3 Long Beach State and No. 4 Ball State.
The four regional winners will advance to the NCAA semifinals on May 9 at Pauley Pavilion.
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