KANSAS CITY – Mo. – (Opening Round Pairings |Schedule) The 2015 NAIA Volleyball National Championship will begin play on Saturday, with 12 Opening Round matches. The winner of each match will join the 11 teams that received a first round bye based on seeding, along with host Briar Cliff (Iowa), in Sioux City, Iowa for the 24-team final site from Dec. 1 – 5.
The final site pool play schedule will be announced on Sunday, November 22 by 5 p.m. CST onwww.NAIA.org.
• The following teams have received Opening Round byes to Sioux City: Biola (Calif.), Briar Cliff (Iowa), Columbia (Mo.), Eastern Oregon, Hastings (Neb.), Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), Midland (Neb.), Missouri Baptist, Park (Mo.), Rocky Mountain (Mont.), Vanguard (Calif.) and Viterbo (Wis.).
• Seven of the top 11 teams from last year are enjoying a bye again this year - Biola, Columbia, Midland, Missouri Baptist, Park, Rocky Mountain and Viterbo.
• Twenty-two of the 36 teams are returning to the national championship field, including defending champion Park and No. 1 Lindsey Wilson. Park (24-8) looks to defend their title, while Lindsey Wilson (33-3) looks to win their first national championship.
• The College of Idaho is hosting an Opening Round match for the sixth-straight season, which is the longest active hosting streak in NAIA Volleyball. The Coyotes (21-10) join Bellevue (Neb.) as the only schools in Opening Round history to serve as a host five-or-more consecutive times when they welcome the Gold Nuggets of Xavier (La.) on Saturday. The College of Idaho earned a spot in the Opening Round after winning the Cascade Collegiate Conference tournament championship over Eastern Oregon, 3-0.
• Coastal Georgia, Concordia (Neb.), Dordt (Iowa), Evangel (Mo.), Georgetown (Ky.), Lourdes (Ohio), Madonna (Mich.), MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio), Southern Oregon and Wayland Baptist (Texas) also serve as host on Nov. 21.
• Teams traveling to Opening Round matches include: Ashford (Iowa), IU Kokomo (Ind.), Mount La Sierra (Calif.), Mount Mercy (Iowa), Olivet Nazarene (Ill.), Ottawa (Kan.), Our Lady of the Lake (Texas), Point Park (Pa.), Southeastern (Fla.), Trinity Christian (Ill.), Union (Ky.) and Xavier (La.).
• This is the first time Evangel (Mo.) hosts an Opening Round National Championship match in school history. The Crusaders host Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) on Saturday at 7 p.m.
• Six teams make their first appearances in the National Championship including: conference tournament champions: Ashford, IU Kokomo (Ind.), Our Lady of the Lake and Southeastern (Fla.), conference tournament runner-up Mount Mercy and at-large berth Concordia (Neb.).
• Lourdes (Ohio) enters opening round play with an impressive perfect season (31-0). On the year, the Grey Wolves have beaten many good teams including ranked Madonna (Mich.). With a Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference tournament championship, Lourdes is on their way to a second national championship appearance in only the program’s sixth season.
• No team that has played in an Opening Round match has ever won the national title. Wayland Baptist in 2013 and former-member Lee (Tenn.) in 2009 are the only teams to have reached the semifinals after playing on the opening weekend.
• For the second-straight year, the 2015 NAIA National Volleyball Championship will be available to watch on ESPN3. The title contest will begin at 7 p.m. CST/8 p.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 5 and will be carried live in high-definition quality on ESPN3.
• None of the 2015 Opening Round teams have won a national championship. Two team that have already advanced to the final site have won at least one previous banner: Columbia (3) and Park. Former-member Brigham Young-Hawaii holds the most in NAIA history with eight.
• NAIANetwork.com, the NAIA’s official video-streaming home, will broadcast all 47 matches live at the 2015 NAIA Volleyball National Championship final site in Sioux City, Iowa. 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 2015-2016 season) is available for $75. For more information and to pre-register, click here.
• For more information on the 2015 NAIA Volleyball National Championship Opening Round and National Championship final site, click here.
Opening Round Schedule
Saturday, Nov. 21 | Campus Sites
Match 1 – Point Park (Pa.) at Georgetown (Ky.), 7:30 p.m. EST
Match 2 – Union (Ky.) at MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), 5 p.m. CST
Match 3 – Mount Mercy (Iowa) at Dordt (Iowa), 7:30 p.m. CST
Match 4 – Xavier (La.) at College of Idaho, 2 p.m. MST
Match 5 – Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) at Concordia (Neb.), 1:30 CST
Match 6 – Trinity Christian (Ill.) at Lourdes (Ohio), 7 p.m. EST
Match 7 – Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) at Evangel (Mo.), 7 p.m. CST
Match 8 – La Sierra (Calif.) at Southern Oregon , 9 p.m. PST
Match 9 – Southeastern (Fla.) at Coastal Georgia 7 p.m. EST
Match 10 – IU Kokomo (Ind.) at Madonna (Mich.), Noon EST
Match 11 – Ashford (Iowa) at Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio), 2 p.m. EST
Match 12 – Ottawa (Kan.) at Wayland Baptist (Texas), 3 p.m. CST