Minnesota (25-4, 17-3) earned the No. 2 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament after finishing second in the Big Ten, behind Nebraska. The Gophers received 36 of 64 first place votes, coming in at No.1 in this week’s AVCA poll, and were second in the RPI this week.
This year Minnesota will be making their 21st NCAA Tournament appearance. The Gophers are 43-20 in the Tournament, boasting four Final Four appearances including one runner-up finish. Last season Minnesota made it to the Final Four where they lost to eventual runner-up Texas in four sets.
North Dakota (26-9, 14-2) earned an automatic bid after winning the Big Sky regular season and tournament championship.