The National Invitational Volleyball Championship, which will make its modern era debut this postseason has contacted 110 programs to gauge their interest in participation should they not make the NCAA Tournament’s 64-team field.
The NIVC, which was previously played from 1989 to 1995 as a 20 team event, will feature a 64-team field, to be announced Nov. 26, with 32 automatic berths and 32 at-large berths. The tournament will be a single-elimination format with matches hosted by participating schools.
Rounds one and two will be Nov. 28-30, round three will take place Dec. 1-3, round four is set for Dec. 4-6. The NIVC semifinals will be Dec. 7-9 with the championship match set for Dec. 12.
Teams invited to consider the NIVC hail from 32 conferences. Some of the teams listed are still firmly in the running to make the NCAA field, such as Northern Iowa and Missouri State, who are 1-2 in the Missouri Valley.
Texas A&M is the highest team among the current NCAA RPI rankings, checking in at No. 37. Florida State is No. 40 in RPI, VCU is 43 and Arkansas is 45.
Those schools who have received letters of consideration from the NIVC follow and are grouped by conference affiliation.
American: Cincinnati, SMU, Temple, Tulane, Central Florida
America East: Albany, New Hampshire, Stony Brook, UMBC
Atlantic Sun: FGCU, Jacksonville, Kennesaw State, Lipscomb
Atlantic 10: Dayton, VCU
ACC: Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Syracuse
Big 12: Kansas State, TCU, Texas Tech, West Virginia
Big East: Butler, Seton Hall, Villanova
Big Sky: Idaho, North Dakota, Northern Colorado, Portland State, Sacramento State
Big South: High Point, Radford
Big Ten: Iowa, Northwestern
Big West: Hawaii, UC Irvine
Colonial (CAA): College of Charleston, Hofstra, James Madison, Northeastern, Towson
Conference USA: Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, Southern Miss
Horizon League: Cleveland State, Green Bay, IUPUI, Oakland
Ivy League: Harvard, Princeton, Yale
Metro Atlantic: Fairfield
Mid-American (MAC): Ball State, Bowling Green, Miami (OH)
Missouri Valley: Drake, Illinois State, Missouri State, Northern Iowa
Mountain West: Boise State, San Diego State, San Jose State, Wyoming
Northeast: Bryant, Central Conn. State, LIU-Brooklyn, Robert Morris
Ohio Valley: Austin Peay, Belmont, Eastern Kentucky, Murray State, SIUE
Pac-12: California
Patriot: American, Army, Colgate, Navy
SEC: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas A&M
Southern: ETSU, Furman, Wofford
Southland: Central Arkansas, Houston Baptist, Stephen F. Austin
Southwestern (SWAC): Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Texas Southern
Summit League: Denver, Oral Roberts, South Dakota
Sun Belt: Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Louisiana-Lafayette, South Alabama, Texas State
West Coast (WCC): Gonzaga, Pacific, Pepperdine, Portland, Santa Clara
Western Athletic (WAC): Cal State Bakersfield, New Mexico State, Utah Valley, UT-Rio Grande Valley
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