INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Belmont Abbey will face USC in the opening round of the 2026 NCAA National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Championship, the NCAA selection committee announced today. The contest is scheduled for Friday in the Honolulu Regional.

The Crusaders and Trojans will square off at 11 p.m. ET (5 p.m. HT) on Friday, May 1 at Hawaii's Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu.

This marks the fourth overall appearance -- and third straight -- for the Crusaders, which earned the Conference Carolinas automatic bid. The Abbey (20-5) defeated Mount Olive 3-1 in the conference title match on April 19. Joseph Morris was named tournament Most Valuable Player, while Caden Day and Logan Erickson were  also on the all-tournament team.

USC stands 19-7 overall after falling to UCLA in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championship match last night.The Trojans finished third during the MPSF regular season and were ranked sixth in the April 20 AVCA national poll.

The winner of the match-up takes on host and No. 2 national seed Hawaii on Saturday at 4 p.m. local time (10 p.m. ET).

Two-time national champion Rainbow Warriors will be making their 11th all-time NCAA appearance and their eighth since 2015. UH captured the title in 2021 and 2022 during a period in which the program advanced to the title match four straight years.