CEDAR FALLS - The University of Northern Iowa volleyball team (25-8 overall, 13-5 Missouri Valley Conference) will face Iowa State (19-12 overall, 11-9 Big 12 Conference) on Friday at 5 p.m. in Minneapolis in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Volleyball Championship.

This is UNI's third straight appearance in the NCAA volleyball tournament, and 14th appearance overall. This is the first-time the Panthers have been selected as at-large team to the championship, with the previous 13 berths as a result of winning the MVC tournament.

A total of three Valley teams were selected to the 2008 NCAA tournament, as Missouri State earned the league's automatic bid by virtue of winning the State Farm MVC Championship, while Wichita State earned an at-large bid as well.

UNI defeated Iowa State, 3-1, earlier this season in Ames. The winner of the Panthers-Cyclones match will face the winner of the match between national No. 6 seed Minnesota and North Dakota State, with that second-round match set to start on Saturday at 7 p.m.