St. Thomas volleyball to face Iowa State in NCAA Tournament debut

St. Thomas volleyball gets Iowa State in NCAA Tournament

The St. Thomas volleyball team earned the school's first Division I NCAA Tournament bid after winning the Summit League Tournament title. The Tommies will face No. 5-seeded Iowa State Friday night at Maturi Pavilion.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The University of St. Thomas volleyball team knew it was headed to the NCAA Tournament, but the Tommies learned their destination and first round opponent Sunday night.

They won’t be traveling very after.

Tommies placed in Gophers regional

What we know:

St. Thomas (21-9) earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Summit League Tournament championship, beating South Dakota State on its home floor. The Tommies are the first team at their school to earn a trip to the Division I tournament, in their first year of eligibility.

What they're saying:

"Obviously it’s been a magical season. We had some big goals starting off, for us to be able to reach them is pretty special for this group," Tommies’ coach Thanh Pham said. "I’m very proud of this group, it’s what you do sports for."

What's next:

The Tommies will face No. 5-seeded Iowa State at 4:30 p.m. Friday at Maturi Pavilion on the University of Minnesota campus. The Gophers are the No. 4 seed and host Fairfield at 7 p.m. Friday.

If St. Thomas and Minnesota both win, the two teams separated only by the Mississippi River would meet Saturday night for the right to advance to the Sweet 16.