The selection committee declared the Golden Eagles to be a top 20 team in the country and sent them out west for the first round.
I thought there was going to be a little bit of drama and tension regarding Marquette volleyball and the 2024 NCAA tournament as we reached Selection Sunday. I thought Marquette’s 1-7 record against top 25 opponents might not be the best thing in the world for the Golden Eagles when it came to seeding and so on.
The selection committee said “nah, bro, they’re good.”
On Sunday night, Marquette was announced as a #5 regional seed in the NCAA tournament. That means the committee has the Golden Eagles as one of the 20 best or at least most deserving teams in the country this season.
So much for drama and tension, huh?
A #5 seed does mean that the Golden Eagles have to hit the road for the first round of the tournament as only the top four seeds in each region get to host for the opening weekend. Marquette is headed to Salt Lake City for a first round match on Thursday, December 5th. They will face Florida Gulf Coast for their first round match, with first serve at the Huntsman Center set for 5:30pm Central time. If they win, they advance to the second round and will face either College of Charleston or #4 seed and host Utah.
Florida Gulf Coast went 27-4 this season including a 15-1 mark in ASUN regular season action. That made them the #1 seed in the conference tournament, and a 3-0 sweep of #2 seeded Lipscomb gave the Eagles their fourth consecutive conference tournament title.
This is the 13th NCAA tournament appearance in Marquette’s history, with all 13 coming in the past 14 seasons. Their only miss in that time was the time shifted spring 2021 season, which had a reduced size field that limited MU’s chances for entry. They will be attempting to reach the second round for the eighth time in program history as well as trying for the program’s third appearance in the Sweet 16.