Gophers NCAA Tournament: No. 4 Seed & Bracket Info

Golden Gophers Earn NCAA Tournament Bid, Host Fairfield in First Round

Teh University of Minnesota volleyball program will compete in the 2025 NCAA Division I Volleyball Tournament after receiving an at-large bid, it was announced during the selection show on ESPN. The No. 18 Golden Gophers (22-9, 12-8 Big Ten) secured a No.4 seed and will face Fairfield (25-5, 17-1 MAAC) in the opening round at Maturi Pavilion.

Did you know? – The NCAA women’s Volleyball Tournament field includes 64 teams. At-large bids are awarded to teams that don’t automatically qualify by winning their conference tournament.

The Gophers’ journey begins on Friday,December 5th,with a 7 p.m.CT matchup against the Stags, following an earlier contest between No. 5 Iowa State (22-7, 12-6 Big 12) and St. Thomas (21-9, 11-5 Summit League) at 4:30 p.m. CT. The winners of thes first-round clashes will advance to the Second Round, scheduled for 7 p.m. CT on Saturday, December 6th. All matches will be played at the Gophers’ home court, Maturi Pavilion.

Should Minnesota successfully navigate the first two rounds,the team will travel to Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania,for the NCAA Regionals from December 11th-13th. The University of Pittsburgh, the No. 4 overall seed in the tournament (26-4, 18-2 ACC), will host the regional competition. Ultimately,the NCAA Championships will culminate in Kansas City,Missouri,with the Final Four taking place from December 18th-21st at the T-Mobile centre.

Pro tip: – When attending NCAA tournament games, arrive early. Security lines can be lengthy, and seating is often general admission for early rounds.

This year’s tournament appearance marks the 30th in program history for the Golden Gophers.Minnesota has now reached the NCAA tournament in 11 consecutive seasons and in 26 of the last 27 years, demonstrating consistent excellence. The program boasts an extraordinary streak of 30 straight winning seasons, dating back to 1995.

The Big Ten Conference is well-represented in the tournament, with eight teams making the field of 64. Nebraska earned the No. 1 overall seed and will host the first four rounds of the tournament. Joining Minnesota and Nebraska are Wisconsin, Penn State, Purdue, Indiana, Michigan, UCLA, and USC.

Throughout the 2025 season, the Gophers faced 15 teams that also earned bids to the tournament, including fellow Big Ten opponents and teams like Cal Poly, Loyola Chicago, Marquette, St. Thomas, South Florida, South Dakota State, and Texas A&M. Minnesota concluded the regular season with an overall record of 22-9 and a 12-8 mark in Big Ten play, finishing in a tie for sixth place behind Nebraska (20-0), Wisconsin (17-3), Purdue (15-5), and USC (15-5).

Reader question: – What do you think is the biggest challenge for the Gophers as thay advance through the tournament? Share your thoughts!

Fans can catch all first and second-round matches via streaming on ESPN+. Tickets for the general public will be available for purchase starting Monday morning at 10 a.m. CT at gophersports.com.

First and Second Round Schedule (at Maturi Pavilion):

Friday,December 5th:

• 4:30 p.m. CT – No. 5 Iowa State vs. St. thomas
• 7 p.m. CT (or 30 minutes