Dayton Flyers will play Pepperdine at Washington State in first round of NCAA volleyball tournament

The Dayton Flyers volleyball team has held NCAA tournament selection show watch parties at a number of places over the years, including the Fox & Hound in Beavercreek and coach Tim Horsmon’s house.

On Sunday evening, the Flyers (31-2), ranked 19th in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll, gathered at Milano’s on Brown Street to see where and who they would play in the 2023 NCAA tournament. They cheered with excitement on seeing they received a No. 5 seed and a first-round match against Pepperdine (19-8) at 7 p.m. Friday on the campus of Washington State University in Pullman, Wash.

Washington State (24-7), the No. 4 seed and 11th-ranked team in the country, will play Grand Canyon (23-7) in the other match at that site. The first-round winners will play Saturday in Pullman.

“I think that’s a solid grouping for us,” Horsmon said. “We’ll see what Washington State and Pullman’s like. But I think it’ll be fun for them to go somewhere different.”

This will be Dayton’s second NCAA tournament match against Pepperdine. The Flyers won a first-round match 3-2 in 2012 in Eugene, Ore. That was the last meeting between the two programs.

The @DaytonVB team will play Pepperdine in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Match will be played Friday at Washington State, which would be the second-round opponent if the top seeds advance. pic.twitter.com/9043ZFc77X
— David Jablonski (@DavidPJablonski) November 26, 2023

Horizon League champion Wright State (21-10) will play in the same bracket as Dayton. The Raiders, making their fourth NCAA tournament appearance in five years, will play No. 2 seed and seventh-ranked Louisville (24-4) in the first round at 7 p.m. Thursday in Louisville, Ky.

If Wright State wins Thursday, it will play Western Michigan or No. 7 seed Auburn in the second round in Louisville. Wright State lost 3-1 to Louisville on Aug. 27 in its third match of the season.

Dayton will take a 26-game winning streak into the tournament. Its last match was in the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament on Nov. 19. It beat Loyola Chicago 3-1 in the championship game in Davidson, N.C.

This will be Dayton’s 17th NCAA tournament appearance. It has a record of 9-16 in the tournament and has never advanced past the second round.

In its last NCAA tournament appearance in 2021, Dayton lost 3-2 to No. 6 seed Purdue in the first round at Purdue after beating Marquette 3-1 in the first round.

In 2020 in Omaha, Neb., it beat Towson 3-0 in the first round and then lost 3-2 to No. 7 seed Washington.

Prior to 2021, Dayton suffered three straight first-round losses and had not advanced to the second round since 2015 when it beat Villanova 3-1 before losing 3-1 to No. 7 seed Penn State 3-1 in University Park, Pa.

That was the second straight second-round loss to Penn State on its home court. Dayton beat American 3-1 in the first round in 2014 before losing 3-0 to Penn State.

Dayton also recorded first-round victories in 2003 (Michigan State), 2007 (Lipscomb), 2009 (Milwaukee), 2010 (Butler) and 2012 (Pepperdine).

The moment we found out we’ve got ourselves a first round rematch!#RaiderUP | #NCAAWVB | #RaiderFamily pic.twitter.com/MzQLLNnA6t
— Wright State Volleyball (@WSUVball) November 26, 2023