INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WBKO) - The WKU Volleyball team will be traveling to Lexington and facing Minnesota in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Hilltoppers will take on the No. 6 seed Minnesota Golden Gophers on Thursday, Dec. 5th with first serve set for 3:30 p.m. CT. at the Historical Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Ky.

WKU and Minnesota have only met once before with the advantage going to the Golden Gophers, 1-0. The last meeting between the two programs was in 1984 with a 3-0 sweep by Minnesota.

The Golden Gophers posted a 20-10 overall record (13-7 Big 10) with wins over Texas, Wisconsin, and UCLA.

With a win on Thursday, they will move on to play either Kentucky or Cleveland State. The Wildcats posted a 20-7 overall record and 14-2 in the SEC while securing the automatic bid by winning the SEC tournament. Cleveland State posted a 23-9 overall record and 11-7 in the Horizon League while also securing the automatic bid after winning the Horizon League tournament.

The Hilltoppers earned a trip to their sixth straight NCAA tournament securing the automatic bid after winning the CUSA tournament. In 2023, they defeated first round opponent Coastal Carolina before falling to Tennessee in the second round.

Since joining Conference USA, WKU has secured nine of the possible 10 automatic bids into the NCAA Tournament.

The opening rounds of the NCAA tournament will take place December 5-December 7. 64 total teams had their name called on Sunday to participate in the 2024 tournament. Regionals—Sweet 16 and the Elite Eight—will take place December 12-December 15. The Final Four will take place in Louisville, Kentucky on December 19 with the national championship match on December 22.

Tickets are available through Kentucky Athletics . All-session tickets will go on sale on Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 8:00 a.m. CT while single match tickets will be available on Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 8:00 a.m. CT.