KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics has officially announced the teams and Opening Round pairings for the 2019 NAIA Volleyball National Championship. The 44-team event will get underway with 12 National Championship Opening Round Matches at campus locations on Nov. 23.
The Bruins return to the National Tournament for the fourth-straight season and the 11th time in the last 13 years. Bellevue (26-8), ranked No. 23 in the latest NAIA Coaches' Poll, earned an at-large bid and will host Lincoln College (29-12) on Saturday, Nov. 23 for an opening-round matchup. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m. from Bellevue West High School.
The Bruins are making their 12th appearance (2000, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) in the National Tournament and this will be the ninth time that BU has played an Opening Round match. In its previous eight Opening Round matches, BU has posted a record of 5-3, advancing to Sioux City on five occasions.
Lincoln makes their first appearance in the NAIA National Tournament. The Lynx qualified by sweeping their way to the A.I.I. Tournament Championship.
The top 19 seeds and championship host, Morningside, automatically advance to the final site in Sioux City, Iowa. Action inside the Tyson Events Center starts with three days of pool play from Dec. 3-5. The top two teams in each pool will advance to the elimination bracket on Dec. 6, and the National Champion will be crowned Dec. 7 with the first serve set for 7 p.m. on ESPN3.
The field features 36 automatic qualifiers, seven at-large selections, and one host berth (Morningside). The automatic berths are determined by regular-season champions, conference tournament title winners or runner-ups. The remaining at-large bids were determined based on the final regular-season Tachikara-NAIA Volleyball Coaches' Top 25 Poll announced Monday.
The NAIA Network – the association's official video-streaming home – will broadcast all 63 matches (including 48 pool-play matches) live at the 2019 NAIA Volleyball National Championship final site in Sioux City, Iowa. The video platform, powered by Stretch Internet, allows users access to live video, statistics and social interaction on a number of devices, including mobile. Single-day passes can be purchased for $9.95, while a pool play pass is $24.95 (Dec. 3-5) and a championship package is available at $39.95. You can also buy an All-Championship pass and watch every championship streamed on the NAIA Network in 2019. Buy your All-Championship Pass today.
Opening Round Schedule
Saturday, Nov. 23 | Campus Sites
Lincoln College (Ill.) at Bellevue (Neb.)
Martin Methodist (Tenn.) at Milligan (Tenn.)
Florida Memorial at Reinhardt (Ga.)
Point (Ga.) at Westmont (Calif.)
Dakota State (S.D.) at Saint Mary (Kan.)
Lincoln Christian (Ill.) at College of St. Mary (Neb.)
Brescia (Ky.) at Ottawa (Kan.)
IU Kokomo at Trinity Christian (Ill.)
IU South Bend at Madonna (Mich.)
Menlo (Calif.) at Embry-Riddle (Ariz.)
William Carey (Miss.) at Xavier (La.)
Huston-Tillotson (Texas) at Texas Wesleyan