NIVC announces list of schools contacted about postseason tourney

The NIVC, a postseason 64-team NCAA Division I women’s volleyball tournament, announced Thursday a list of more than 100 schools contacted to gauge interest in the event.

The NIVC was held for seven seasons (1989-95) as a 20-team event, but the remodeled format this season looks much like college basketball’s Postseason WNIT. Both of those championship events are produced by Triple Crown Sports. 

All NIVC matches, including the semifinals and championship, are hosted by participating schools. Every round is single elimination. The event offers 32 automatic berths, one to each established conference, and 32 at-large berths.

The NIVC field and bracket is announced late on the evening of Sunday, November 26, after the NCAA Tournament field is selected.

More than 110 teams are on the NIVC’s radar and have been contacted. Two have declined the opportunity. The NIVC is committed to offering deserved opportunities to women’s volleyball programs; the event offers teams an opportunity to get more practices in, to experience playoff-atmosphere games, to play in front of passionate fans and to use their NIVC success and experience as a springboard to the next season.

“Many schools have told us they would be interested in hosting NIVC games,” NIVC director Sean Hardy said.  “We continue to answer questions about how the NIVC works and urge teams to get their information to us sooner rather than later.

“Our history with the WNIT is coming in very handy as we prepare for the revival of this event.”

The first rounds of the NIVC are November 28-30. The championship match is December 12.  

The schools that have been contacted:
American Athletic: Cincinnati , SMU, Temple, Tulane, Central Florida
America East: Albany, New Hampshire, Stony Brook, UMBC
ASUN: FGCU, Jacksonville, Kennesaw State, Lipscomb
A-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: Hawai’i, UC Irvine
Colonial: College  of Charleston, Hofstra, James Madison, Northeastern, Towson
Conference USA: Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, Southern Miss
Horizon: Cleveland State, Green Bay, IUPUI, Oakland
Ivy League: Harvard, Princeton, Yale
Metro Atlantic: Fairfield
Mid-American, Ball State, Bowling Green, Miami
MEAC: Bethune-Cookman, Maryland Eastern Shore
Missouri Valley: Drake, Illinois State, Missouri State, Northern Iowa
Mountain West: Boise State, San Diego State, San Jose State, Wyoming
Northeast: Bryant, Central Connecticut, LIU Brooklyn, Robert Morris
Ohio Valley: Austin Peay, Belmont, Eastern Kentucky, Murray State, SIUE
Pac-12: California
Patriot League: American, Army West Point, Colgate, Navy
SEC: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas A&M
Southern Conference: ETSU, Furman, Wofford
Southland: Central Arkansas, Houston Baptist, Stephen F. Austin
SWAC: Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Texas Southern
Summit: Denver, Oral Roberts, South Dakota
Sun Belt: Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Louisiana, South Alabama, Texas State.
West Coast: Gonzaga, Pacific, Pepperdine, Portland, Santa Clara
WAC: CSU Bakersfield, NM State, Utah Valley, UT Rio Grande Valley