Pool Pairings Announced for NAIA Volleyball National Championship

National Tournament Schedule/Results

Bracket

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Pool play pairings were announced today for the 2017 NAIA Volleyball National Championship final site beginning Nov. 28 inside the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa. The field will be split into eight pools of four teams with the top two teams in each pool advancing to a single-elimination bracket, culminating in the national championship match on Dec. 2. 

The Bruins' opponents in Pool E include No. 4 Northwestern (Iowa), No. 12 College of Idaho, and Lourdes (Ohio). Bellevue advanced to the final site with a 3-0 sweep over Lincoln Christian on Saturday at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center. 

The action begins on Tuesday, Nov. 28 with the first of three days of pool play action. The top two teams from each pool will advance to single-elimination bracket play. The round of 16 and quarterfinals will take place on Friday, Dec. 1 with the semi-finals and championship match to be played on Saturday, Dec. 2.

Ranked No. 21 nationally, Bellevue (29-11) will begin pool play with an 8 p.m. match on Nov. 28 against College of Idaho (24-6). The Bruins will take on Northwestern (28-4) at 6 p.m. on Nov. 29, before completing pool play with a 6 p.m. match against Lourdes (22-11) on Nov. 30. 

BU has not faced Northwestern or Lourdes this season. The Bruins fell to College of Idaho, 3-1, in BU's third match of the 2017 season at the Big Sky Challenge in Butte, Mont. It was the first-ever meeting between the two schools. 

The Bruins and Northwestern have met 15 times previously with NWC holding a 9-6 lead in the all-time series. Bellevue, however, defeated the Red Raiders in 2016 at the Northwestern Red Raider Classic in Orange City, Iowa.

Bellevue and Lourdes have never met previously on the volleyball court.

This is BU's 10th appearance in the National Tournament and the eighth time they have qualified for the final site. Bellevue also reached the final site in 2000, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2016. 

With their victory over Lincoln Christian on Saturday, Bellevue now owns a 12-19 (.387) all-time record in National Tournament play.

The NAIA Network – the association's official video streaming home – will broadcast all matches live (excluding the finals to be broadcast via ESPN3 at the 2017 NAIA Women's 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 an all-championship tournament package is available at $29.95. For more information and to pre-register, click HERE.

Pool E Schedule: