STORRS, Conn.- UConn volleyball was selected for the National Invitational Volleyball Championship. The bracket was revealed on Sunday night by Triple Crown Sports. The Huskies secured the BIG EAST automatic qualifying bid, one of 11 automatic qualifiers of the 29 teams that will take part in the event. UConn will take on Mercer in the East Carolina region on Thursday afternoon at 3pm. 

UConn finished their regular season and postseason with a record of 24-7, 12-7 in conference play. In 2024, the Huskies have been led by their three all-conference selections, Doga Kutlu (unanimous), Taylor Pannell, and Emma Werkmeister, as well as the conference Co-Freshman of the Year, McKenna Brand. UConn fell in a tough five-set defeat to Villanova in the first round of the BIG EAST Tournament. Hanna Tylska, who leads the Huskies in kills (295) had 29 kills in the loss, the most by any player in the conference tournament since 1997.

Mercer Snapshot (26-6, 14-2 SoCon)

The Bears have had an impressive season in the SoCon, riding this momentum all the way to the conference championship match, where they fell to Wofford in a five-set thriller. Like UConn, Mercer had great success at home this season, going undefeated (12-0) on their home court of Hawkins Arena in Macon, Georgia. The NIVC appearance is the first postseason berth in program history. 

Mercer has been led by 2024 SoCon Player of the Year Skye Ekes. The senior from Sarasota, Florida ranked second in the conference in kills (410), points (474.5), and kills per set (3.76). Ekes, a graduate transfer (FSU), was instrumental in Mercer's first outright SoCon regular-season championship. The Bears received more conference recognition, as setter Brooke Phillips won 2024 SoCon Setter of the Year. Phillips finished the regular season with 1,066 assists, second in the conference. The grad student from Indianapolis had 69 service aces, second in the NCAA. 

Middle Blocker Skyler Bumpers joined Ekes and Phillips on the All So-Con First-Team, with 75 blocks on the regular season to lead the Bears. Libero MeMe Davis made the All So-Con Second Team, with 524 digs on the regular season. Davis was one of three Mercer selections on the All-Freshman Team, joined by MB Lou Johnson and OH Sophia Henry. Johnson was second on the team in blocks, and Henry finished fourth on the Bears in kills. 

The head coach for Mercer is Chad Sutton, in his second season with the program. In 2023, Sutton led Mercer to the best record for a first-year head coach since 1996. In 2024, Sutton led the Bears to their third SoCon Regular Season Champions title in five years and closed out the home schedule undefeated for the first time in program history. Before Mercer, Sutton was an assistant coach at Purdue and Coastal Carolina, and the Director of Volleyball Events at the Nike Tournament of Champions. 

The NIVC berth is the first postseason appearance for UConn since their run in 2021, when the Huskies made it all the way to the Final Four before losing to Valparaiso.  The matchup against Mercer is the second time the schools have matched up all-time, with the Huskies winning the first on 9/11/99 in straight sets. 

How to Watch: All NIVC matches will be streaming on ESPN+. For in-game updates follow UConn volleyball on Instagram, X, and Facebook @UConnVBall.