Volleyball | 11/26/2017 10:00:00 PM

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Texas State volleyball team has been selected as a host site for the first two rounds of the 2017 National Invitational Volleyball Championship, the NIVC announced Sunday night.
 
The Bobcats will host Rice Nov. 30, and will also host a match featuring Texas Tech and SMU prior to taking on the Owls. The complete schedule is below.
 
2017 NIVC FIRST AND SECOND ROUNDS
Thursday, November 30 – Strahan Coliseum
Match 1: Texas Tech vs. SMU – 4 pm       Live Stats | Tickets
Match 2: Rice at Texas State – 6:30 pm   Live Stats | Tickets
 
Friday, December 1 – Strahan Coliseum
Match 3: Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner – 6:30 pm Live Stats | Tickets
 
Texas State (24-9) is set to make its 10th trip to the postseason and the first since 2013. This will mark the first time in school history that the maroon and gold will host postseason volleyball and the first appearance in the NIVC. TXST did not compete in the previous iteration of the NIVC from 1989-95. The Bobcats finished second in the Sun Belt Conference at 14-2 this year and advanced to the finals of the 2017 SBC Championship.
 
The meeting with Rice will be the first since 2001 and the first in the postseason. The Owls lead the all-time series with Texas State 17-15-1. They posted a 21-8 overall record this season and finished third in Conference USA at 11-3 to earn an at-large selection. They lost in the opening round of the C-USA Championship to Southern Miss.
 
SMU received an automatic bid after finishing 21-10 overall with a 15-5 mark in the American Athletic Conference. The Mustangs tied for second in their league and also won the Texas State-hosted Creeds & Crests Classic earlier this season. They defeated the Bobcats 3-2 (16-14 in the fifth set) on Sept. 8 to take a 5-4 lead in the all-time series.
 
Texas Tech sits at 15-14 this campaign and finished in a tie for sixth in the Big 12 Conference at 4-12. The Red Raiders received an at-large bid into the NIVC. They lead the all-time series with Texas State 20-10-1, but the Bobcats won last year's matchup 3-0.
 
In total, 32 teams will compete in the revived NIVC. There were 20 automatic qualifiers and 12 at-large selections. The field features 17 programs with 18 or more wins and five schools that finished first in regular-season conference play (Albany, North Texas, Sacramento State, Stephen F. Austin, and Maryland Eastern Shore).
 
Additionally, six schools in the field are ranked or receiving votes in the latest Volleyball Magazine Mid-Major poll with No. 12 North Texas, No. 16 UC Irvine, No. 20 SMU, No. 23 Sacramento State, No. 24 Rice, and Texas State (RV). 
 
In all, 23 conferences will be represented with both the Big 12 and American featuring three teams each. The Sun Belt, Mountain West, SEC, Horizon, and C-USA will each have two schools competing. The SWAC, America East, MAC, Big South, Patriot, Missouri Valley, Summit, West Coast, Big Sky, Ohio Valley, Southland, ACC, Colonial, Big West, Southern, and MEAC with one.
 
The entire 2017 tournament will be hosted by participating schools. Eight participating schools will each host four schools in Rounds 1 and 2 slated for Nov. 28-Dec. 1. The quarterfinals will take place Dec. 2-4. The semifinals (Dec. 4-6) and championship (6 p.m. Dec. 12) will be streamed live on WatchESPN.
 
For more information on the NIVC visit www.womensnivc.com.
 
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