NCAA Selects BYU as Top Seed for Final Four

PROVO -- After trailing Pepperdine, 0-2, in Saturday's MPSF Championship match, the third-ranked BYU men's volleyball team rallied to win three straight and knock off the No. 1 Waves to capture the league's automatic bid to the NCAA National Championships in Long Beach, Calif.

By virtue of winning the MPSF Tournament, the Cougars (22-6) will enter next week's competition as the No. 1 seed, and will face No. 4 Penn State (26-5) on Thursday, May 1. Match time is slated for 8:00 p.m. (PDT) at the Pyramid--the site of BYU's last National Championship run in 2001.

Penn State also earned an automatic bid to the tournament by defeating George Mason in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association finals on Saturday.

The Cougars and Nittany Lions met earlier in the season, splitting a pair of matches in Provo. Thursday's match will also mark the third time the two teams have met in the Final Four. BYU defeated PSU, 3-1, in both 1999 and 2001 to advance to the championship match.

The No. 2 seed, Pepperdine, will take on No. 3 Lewis (27-5) in the first semi-final match, beginning at 6 p.m. (PDT). All four teams have combined for 31 tournament appearances, including seven National Championships since 1970.

The Cougars' entry in this year's Final Four marks their third invitation to the National Championship tournament since 1999. In each of their previous trips to the Final Four, the Cougars have claimed the national title, posting a perfect 4-0 record in NCAA tournament play.

This year's invitation marks the sixth trip to the Final Four for BYU's first-year head coach Tom Peterson. Previously, Peterson led Penn State to five different NCAA tournament appearances, and became the first coach in NCAA men's volleyball history to guide a non-California team to the National Championship. Peterson was named the AVCA National Coach of the Year following the Nittany Lion's 1994 National Championship.

Should the Cougars advance by defeating Penn State, they will take on the winner of Thursday's Pepperdine-Lewis match. The championship match will be held on Saturday, May 3, beginning at 4 p.m. (PDT).

Fans wishing to follow the Cougars to the Final Four may purchase tickets by contacting the Long Beach State ticket office at 562-985-4949. The LBSU ticket office is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (PDT). All-session tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for youth (17 and under) and students. Single-session tickets (if available) will go on sale beginning at 10 a.m. (PDT) on Thursday, May 1 for $15 and $12.

Thursday's match will be broadcast (tape delayed) on ESPN 2, beginning at 8 a.m. (PDT) on Friday, May 2. The championship match will be broadcast live on ESPN2.