BU to host John Brown in NAIA Opening Round

NAIA Release
NAIA Opening Round Schedule/Results

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics has officially announced the teams and Opening Round pairings for the 2022 NAIA Volleyball National Championship. The 48-team event will get underway with 24 National Championship Opening Round Matches at campus locations on Nov. 19.

The Bruins return to the National Tournament for the seventh-straight season and the 14th time in the last 16 years. Bellevue (26-7), ranked No. 14 in the latest NAIA Coaches' Poll, earned an at-large bid and will host John Brown University (22-9) on Saturday, Nov. 19, for an opening-round matchup at 5:00 p.m. The match will be played at Bellevue West High School. Ticket prices will be $8 for adults and $5 for students. 

Bellevue finished as the runner-up in the North Star Athletic Association Tournament last weekend after sharing the NSAA regular-season title with ninth-ranked Viterbo. The V-Hawks secured the league's automatic berth after capturing the NSAA Tournament title with a four-set victory over the Bruins. JBU earned an at-large bid after finishing third in the Sooner Athletic Conference regular season and advancing to the semifinals of the SAC Tournament. 

The Bruins are making their 15th appearance (2000, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022) in the National Tournament, and this will be the 12th time that BU has played an Opening Round match. In its previous 11 Opening Round matches, BU has posted a record of 8-3, advancing to Sioux City on eight occasions.

John Brown is making its first-ever appearance in the NAIA National Tournament. The Golden Eagles fell in the SAC Tournament semifinals to Texas Wesleyan in four sets.

The 24 opening-round winners on Nov. 19 will advance to the final site in Sioux City, Iowa, on Nov. 30-Dec. 6.

This year's field includes 36 automatic qualifiers and 12 at-large selections. The automatic berths are determined by regular-season champions or runner-ups, conference tournament title winners or runner-ups, or by conference selection. A selection committee determined the remaining at-large bids made up of administrators and coaches from around the country. The final site pools will be determined on Sunday, November 20, and released by 5 p.m. CST.

The NAIA Network – the association's official video-streaming home – will broadcast all matches, excluding the championship match, live at the 2022 NAIA Volleyball National Championship final site in Sioux City, Iowa. The video platform, powered by Presto, 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 (November 30 – December 2), and a championship package is available at $39.95. The championship match includes all pool play, quarterfinal, and semifinal matches.

The championship match will be streamed via ESPN3.

Opening Round Schedule

Saturday, Nov. 19 | Campus Sites