KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics has officially announced the teams and Opening Round pairings for the 2016 NAIA Volleyball National Championship. The 44-team event will get underway with 12 National Championship Opening Round Matches at campus locations on Nov. 19.
This year, Bellevue University makes a return to the National Tournament field following a two-year hiatus. The Bruins (30-10), ranked No. 22 in the final NAIA Coaches' Poll, will host Haskell Indian Nations University (14-15) on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 1 p.m. at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
Ticket prices for the match will be $8 for adults and $5 for students. The only passes that will be accepted are NAIA Member Passes.
The Bruins are making their ninth appearance (2000, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016) in the National Tournament and this will be the sixth time that they have played an Opening Round match. In their previous five Opening Round matches, BU has posted a record of 3-2, advancing to Sioux City on three occasions.
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 Nov. 29 – Dec. 1. The top two teams in each pool will advance to the elimination bracket on Dec. 2, and the National Champion will be crowned Dec. 3 with the first serve set for 7 p.m. on ESPN3.
The field features 34 automatic qualifiers, nine 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 2016 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, and an all-championship package is available at $39.95.
Opening Round Schedule:
Match 1: Cornerstone (Mich.) at Union (Ky.)
Match 2: La Sierra (Calif.) at Biola (Calif.)
Match 3: Haskell (Kan.) at Bellevue (Neb.)
Match 4: Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) at Corban (Ore.)
Match 5: IU South Bend (Ind.) at Montana Tech.
Match 6: Point Park (Pa.) at Madonna (Mich.)
Match 7: Webber International (Fla.) at Mobile (Ala.)
Match 8: IU Kokomo (Ind.) at Ottawa (Kan.)
Match 9: St. Francis (Ill.) at Xavier (La.)
Match 10: Ozarks (Mo.) at Our Lady of the Lake (Texas)
Match 11: Tabor (Kan.) at Wayland Baptist (Texas)
Match 12: St. Andrews (N.C.) at Coastal Georgia
