The Missouri Valley Conference earned three at-large bids, as well as Wichita State’s automatic entrance, to the 2015 NCAA Volleyball Tournament. 

Wichita State (26-8), which won the MVC Championship to earn the conference’s automatic bid, will play Kansas State (17-11) in the first round at 4:30 p.m. Friday in Lincoln, Neb. The winner will face the winner of No. 4 Nebraska (26-4) and Harvard (15-10). 

This is the Shockers’ ninth appearance in the tournament and eighth in the last nine seasons. WSU is 6-8 all-time in the tournament. 

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Wichita State also has No. 5 Washington, No. 12 Ohio State and No. 13 BYU in the Lexington Regional. 

Missouri State (24-10), who lost in the conference finals to Wichita State, will play Missouri (26-5) at 4 p.m. Thursday in Lawrence, Kan. The winner of the matchup will play the winner of No. 9 Kansas (26-2) and Furman (21-8). 

The Bears are 1-10 all-time in the tournament. Their last match was in 2011 when they lost in the first round. Missouri State’s only win was in 2006 against Arkansas. 

Missouri State also has No. 1 ranked USC, No. 8 Stanford and No. 16 Creighton in the San Diego Regional. 

Northern Iowa (19-14) will face Marquette (21-11) 4:30 p.m. Friday in Minneapolis. The winner will face the winner of host No. 2 Minnesota (26-4) and Jackson State (15-21). Last season Illinois State defeated Marquette in the first round 3-2 before falling to Wisconsin.  

The Panthers have been to the tournament 18 times, most recently in 2012 when they beat Kansas State in the first round before losing to Nebraska in the second round. UNI has made the Sweet 16 three times, most recently in 2002. 

Northern Iowa and SIU could play each other in the semifinal of the Des Moines Regional. 

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Brent Meske can be reached at [email protected] or at 536-3333