IPFW volleyball to play Iowa State in NCAA Tournament first round

The IPFW women's volleyball team will be heading west for its NCAA Tournament first round match.

The NCAA announced Sunday afternoon that IPFW will play a road match against Iowa State in the tournament's opening round at 8:30 p.m. Thursday in Ames, Iowa.

The Mastodons received an automatic bid to the 64-team NCAA Tournament after winning the Summit League Tournament last week. IPFW (25-6, 13-3 Summit League) swept in-state rival IUPUI in the conference championship match to reach its first NCAA Tournament since 2009.

Iowa State (20-7, 13-3 Big 12) received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and earned one of the top 16 seeds in the tournament after finishing in second place in the Big 12.

"We were hoping not to get the home institution because certainly playing on their home floor is going to be an added challenge," IPFW coach Kelley Hartley Hutton said. "But we're going to Iowa State and excited to be in the NCAA Tournament and hopeful that we can win a first-round match."

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