Pools Announced for NAIA National Championship Second Round

2016 NAIA National Championships – Final Site

• November 29th-December 1st (pool play), December 2nd-3rd knockout bracket
• Full tournament schedule
• Tournament bracket

The NAIA, an organization similar to but separate from the NCAA, has announced its pools for the second round of the 2016 NAIA women’s volleyball national championship tournament.

24 teams were initially elected to play opening round games on November 19th at campus sites. Those 12 winners will join the 19 top teams in the country (who received a first round bye), plus the hosts from Morningside College, to make a 32 team field.

That’s where play sits now, with 8 pools of 4 teams each. Those 4 teams will play a round-robin against their pool, and the top 2 teams in each pool advance to a single-elimination, traditional knockout bracket.

The expanded 44-team format is the largest field the NAIA has ever advanced to its tournament. In last year’s championship, Columbia (Mo.) defeated Missouri Baptist 3-0 in the final match for their 4th national title in volleyball program history. Columbia will play their first game of this year’s tournament against Indiana Wesleyan on November 29th.

2016 NAIA Volleyball National Championship – Pool Play Assignments

Pool A
Westmont (Calif.) (31-0)
Indiana Wesleyan (34-2)
Columbia (Mo.) (26-11)
IU Kokomo (Ind.) (27-7)

Pool B
Viterbo (Wis.) (39-2)
Doane (Neb.) (23-8)
Carroll (Mont.) (23-6)
College of the Ozarks (Mo.) (29-13)

Pool C
Hastings (Neb.) (26-3)
Missouri Baptist (28-8)
Jamestown (N.D.) (25-12)
Union (Ky.) (33-9)

Pool D
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) (31-1)
MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) (27-7)
Biola (Calif.) (24-9)
Tabor (Kan.) (26-9)

Pool E
Midland (Neb.) (26-3)
Oklahoma City (30-3)
Bellevue (Neb.) (31-10)
Mobile (Ala.) (31-8)

Pool F
Eastern Oregon (28-2)
Georgetown (Ky.) (29-7)
Montana Tech (23-9)
Coastal Georgia (29-8)

Pool G
Park (Mo.) (32-2)
Lourdes (Ohio) (26-5)
Corban (Ore.) (23-6)
Morningside (Iowa) (19-13)

Pool H
Dordt (Iowa) (22-7)
Grand View (Iowa) (29-6)
Madonna (Mich.) (30-7)
St. Francis (Ill.) (31-11)

Video Live Stream

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 (Nov. 29 – Dec. 2) and an all-championship package is available at $39.95. For more information and the pre-register, click here.