Wisconsin volleyball is the No. 3 overall NCAA tournament seed

The Wisconsin volleyball team was named the No. 3 overall seed in the NCAA tournament pairings announced Sunday night. It is the highest seeding in program history.

The Badgers will play Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion Howard University (26-5) on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the Field House. The winner will match up against the winner of Marquette-Washington State on Friday, at 7 p.m., also at the Field House.

The Badgers, who dropped a hard-fought, five-set match against No. 2 seed Minnesota on Saturday in Minneapolis, are one of eight Big Ten teams to make the tournament.

Nebraska was named the No. 1 overall seed and Minnesota was named No. 2 overall seed. Other Big Ten teams in the dance are Michigan State (No. 9 overall), Michigan (No. 12), Penn State (No. 16), Ohio State and Purdue. Penn State, which has won seven national titles, has now made every one of the 36 championship tournaments.

The tournament semifinals and finals are scheduled for Dec. 15 and 17 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.