BU to host Indiana University-East 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 2023 NAIA Volleyball National Championship. The 48-team event will get underway with 24 National Championship Opening Round matches at campus locations on Nov. 18.

The Bruins return to the National Tournament for the eighth-straight season and the 15th time in the last 17 years. Bellevue (24-9), ranked No. 18 in the latest NAIA Coaches' Poll, earned an at-large bid and will host Indiana University-East (27-8) on Saturday, Nov. 18, for an opening-round matchup at 12:00 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 North Star Athletic Association Tournament runner-up last weekend after tying for second place in the NSAA regular-season standings with Valley City State University. Fifth-ranked Viterbo University secured the league's automatic berth after capturing the NSAA Tournament title with a three-set victory over the Bruins.

After finishing as the tournament runner-up in the River States Conference, IU-East earned an automatic bid. The Red Wolves have an overall record of 27-8 while finishing 17-2 in league play. 

The Bruins are making their 16th appearance (2000, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023) in the National Tournament, and this will be the 13th time that BU has played an Opening Round match. In its previous 12 Opening Round matches, BU has posted a record of 9-3, advancing to Sioux City on nine occasions.

IU-East is making its 8th appearance in the NAIA National Tournament. The Red Wolves fell in the River States Conference Tournament championship to Indiana University-Kokomo in four sets.

The 24 opening-round winners on Nov. 18 will advance to the final site in Sioux City, Iowa, on Nov. 29-Dec. 5.

This year's championship field includes 34 automatic qualifiers and 14 at-large selections. Automatic berths were given to teams that either won their respective conference tournament title, the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament, regular-season championship, or finished runner-up at the conference tournament as determined by each conference qualification plan. The at-large bids were determined by the NAIA Women's Volleyball Selection Committee. The selection committee consists of coaches and administrators from around the country.

All NAIA Championship Opening Round matches will be video streamed by the host.

The NAIA Network – the association's official video-streaming home – will broadcast all matches, excluding the semifinal and championship matches, live at the 2023 NAIA Volleyball Championship final site in Sioux City, Iowa. The video platform, powered by Presto Sports, 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 29 – December 1), and a championship package, which includes pool play and quarterfinal matches. The semifinals on December 4 and the championship on December 5 will be streamed on ESPN3. The links will be found on the schedule at a closer date.

The 24-team championship final site pool play matchups will be announced on Sunday, November 19, on NAIA.org by 5 p.m.

Opening Round Schedule

Saturday, Nov. 18 | Campus Sites