Volleyball National Championship Final Site Pool Play Announced
By Alan Grosbach, Manager of Communications and Sports Information
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – (Schedule | Bracket) The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has released the pool assignments and schedule for the 2014 NAIA Volleyball National Championship, presented by J&L Enterprises. The 12 winners from yesterday’s National Championship Opening Round join the 11 teams that received byes and host Briar Cliff (Iowa) to form the 24-team field. Final site action will be contested for the seventh-straight year at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa. Matches run from Dec. 2 – 6.
The 24 programs, which start action on Dec. 2, are divided into six pools with four teams in each pool. The top two teams from each pool will advance to the single-elimination bracket starting Dec. 5. The championship match will take place on Dec. 6 at 7:04 p.m. CST and will be broadcast for the first time in NAIA volleyball history on ESPN3.
NAIANetwork.com, the NAIA’s official video-streaming home, will broadcast the first 46 matches of the national championship. The video platform, powered by Stretch Internet, will include live statistics, social media interaction and be available on mobile-friendly devices. Single-championship packages can be purchased for $20, while an all-season pass (up to 17 championships during the 2014-15 season) is available for $75. For more information and to pre-register, click here.
Defending national champion Texas at Brownsville, along with Biola (Calif.), Briar Cliff, Columbia (Mo.), Concordia (Calif.), Grand View (Iowa), Midland (Neb.), Missouri Baptist, Northwestern (Iowa), Park (Mo.), Rocky Mountain (Mont.) and Viterbo (Wis.) earned Opening Round byes. Each of these programs, with the exception of Briar Cliff, were the top 11 teams in the final Tachikara-NAIA Volleyball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll released on Sunday, Nov. 16.
Six of the top 11 also enjoyed a bye in 2013 – Biola, Columbia, Concordia, Midland, Northwestern and Texas at Brownsville.
Opening Round winners from Saturday include: Coastal Georgia, College of Idaho, Davenport (Mich.), Eastern Oregon, Evangel (Mo.), Georgetown (Ky.), Indiana Wesleyan, Jamestown (N.D.), Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), Madonna (Mich.), Southern Oregon and Vanguard (Calif.).
Newcomers Coastal Georgia and Eastern Oregon made history with Opening Round wins. The Mariners avenged their only regular-season loss with a 3-1 win against Embry-Riddle (Fla.), while Eastern Oregon downed California Pacific Conference champion Menlo (Calif.), 3-1.
After the Opening Round results, the Cascade Collegiate Conference, American Midwest Conference, Golden State Athletic Conference and Great Plains Athletic Conference are tied for the most teams remaining in the championship with three each.
Park (Mo.) comes to Sioux City as the only unbeaten team remaining in NAIA volleyball. The Pirates (34-0) won both the American Midwest Conference (AMC) regular season and tournament titles en route to an automatic berth. Park has lost only two sets throughout the entire season and swept the last eight contests heading into the event.
For more information on the 2014 NAIA Volleyball National Championship Opening Round and National Championship final site, click here.
2014 NAIA Volleyball National Championship – Pool Play Assignments
Pool A
Rocky Mountain (Mont.) (29-2)
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) (33-3)
Davenport (Mich.) (35-7)
Briar Cliff (Iowa) (19-12)
Pool B
Park (Mo.) (34-0)
Grand View (Iowa) (26-13)
Eastern Oregon (27-4)
Evangel (Mo.) (26-11)
Pool C
Concordia (Calif.) (31-2)
Midland (Neb.) (24-8)
Georgetown (Ky.) (29-10)
College of Idaho (20-11)
Pool D
Biola (Calif.) (28-4)
Viterbo (Wis.) (35-7)
Madonna (Mich.) (38-7)
Coastal Georgia (35-1)
Pool E
Texas at Brownsville (29-4)
Columbia (Mo.) (33-5)
Southern Oregon (23-5)
Vanguard (Calif.) (23-11)
Pool F
Missouri Baptist (34-3)
Northwestern (Iowa) (31-3)
Jamestown (N.D.) (25-6)
Indiana Wesleyan (33-7)
Note – Records from DakStats as of 10 a.m. CST on Nov. 23