Nov. 16, 2008
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) released the qualifiers for the 29th Annual NAIA Volleyball National Championship. The tournament will feature 36 teams with 12 opening round matches played at on-campus sites. The top 12 teams will received a bye in the opening round and will advance to the final site in Sioux City, Iowa. The tournament will be held at the Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena from Dec. 2-6, 2008 in Sioux City.
This year’s 36 teams include 27 automatic qualifiers (conferences/independents champions) and nine at-large bids.
The 23 automatic qualifiers include: Asbury (Ky.), Bellevue (Neb.), Bethel (Kan.), Black Hills State (S.D.), College of Idaho, Columbia (Mo.), Fresno Pacific (Calif.), Georgetown (Ky.), Indiana Wesleyan, King (Tenn.), Lee (Tenn.), Lewis-Clark State (Idaho), Lindenwood (Mo.), Lubbock Christian (Texas), Madonna (Mich.), Menlo (Calif.), Mobile (Ala.), Morningside (Iowa), Northwestern (Iowa), Olivet Nazarene (Ill.), Shawnee State (Ohio), St. Thomas (Texas), Union (Tenn.), Walsh (Ohio), Webber International (Fla.), Wiley (Texas) and William Penn (Iowa).
Azusa Pacific (Calif.), Biola (Calif.), California Baptist, Concordia (Calif.), Doane (Neb.), Dordt (Iowa), Indiana Tech, Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) and Vanguard (Calif.) received an at-large bid into the tournament.
The pairings for the opening round matches will be released today by 8 p.m. (CST). Final site pool assignments and schedule will be announced on Sunday, November 23 by 1 p.m. (CST).
NAIA National Championship
Team (Overall Record^) Qualification Appearances* Record Titles
|
Asbury (Ky.) (27-16)
|
Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Champion
|
1st
|
0-0
|
--
|
|
Azusa Pacific (Calif.) (22-10)
|
At-Large # 4
|
7th
|
17-9
|
1
|
|
Bellevue (Neb.) (30-4)
|
Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference Champion
|
3rd
|
4-5
|
0
|
|
Bethel (Kan.) (23-9)
|
Kansas Collegiate Athletic conference Champion
|
3rd
|
5-4
|
0
|
|
Biola (Calif.) (27-3)
|
At-Large # 1
|
8th
|
30-15
|
0
|
|
Black Hills State (S.D.) (24-6)
|
Dakota Athletic Conference Champion
|
1st
|
0-0
|
--
|
|
California Baptist (24-8)
|
At-Large # 3
|
12th
|
41-16
|
2
|
|
College of Idaho (23-7)
|
Cascade Collegiate Conference Champion
|
4th
|
5-7
|
0
|
|
Columbia (Mo.) (39-3)
|
American Midwest Conference Champion
|
15th
|
62-31
|
3
|
|
Concordia (Calif.) (26-5)
|
At-Large # 2
|
4th
|
13-4
|
0
|
|
Doane (Neb.) (26-8)
|
At-Large # 9
|
7th
|
8-17
|
0
|
|
Dordt (Iowa) (31-7)
|
At-Large # 6
|
8th
|
19-14
|
0
|
|
Fresno Pacific (Calif.) (29-0)
|
Golden State Athletic Conference Champion
|
18th
|
78-22
|
3
|
|
Georgetown (Ky.) (33-6)
|
Mid-South Conference Champion
|
13th
|
19-33
|
0
|
|
Indiana Tech (31-3)
|
At-Large # 8
|
1st
|
0-0
|
--
|
|
Indiana Wesleyan (27-14)
|
Mid-Central College Conference Champion
|
1st
|
0-0
|
--
|
|
King (Tenn.) (30-9)
|
Appalachian Athletic Conference Champion
|
3rd
|
0-8
|
0
|
|
Lee (Tenn.) (29-9)
|
Southern States Athletic Conference Champion
|
7th
|
5-18
|
0
|
|
Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) (28-2)
|
Frontier Conference Champion
|
9th
|
17-18
|
0
|
|
Lindenwood (Mo.) (34-7)
|
Heart of America Athletic Conference Champion
|
2nd
|
2-2
|
0
|
|
Lubbock Christian (Texas) (32-4)
|
Sooner Athletic Conference Champion
|
6th
|
7-15
|
0
|
|
Madonna (Mich.) (35-4)
|
Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Champion
|
11th
|
25-20
|
0
|
|
Menlo (Calif.) (20-8)
|
California Pacific Conference
Champion
|
1st
|
0-0
|
--
|
|
Mobile (Ala.) (32-3)
|
Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Champion
|
2nd
|
1-2
|
0
|
|
Morningside (Iowa) (36-4)
|
Great Plains Athletic Conference Tournament Champion
|
1st
|
0-0
|
--
|
|
Northwestern (Iowa) (27-7)
|
Great Plains Athletic Conference Regular Season Champion
|
8th
|
12-17
|
0
|
|
Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) (36-9)
|
Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Champion
|
7th
|
3-19
|
0
|
|
Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) (18-9)
|
At-Large # 5
|
11th
|
32-18
|
0
|
|
Shawnee State (Ohio) (38-2)
|
American Mideast Conference Tournament Champion
|
1st
|
0-0
|
--
|
|
St. Thomas (Texas) (22-10)
|
Association of Independent Institution (A.I.I) Champion
|
1st
|
0-0
|
--
|
|
Union (Tenn.) (27-7)
|
TranSouth Athletic Conference Champion
|
2nd
|
2-2
|
0
|
|
Vanguard (Calif.) (15-10)
|
At-Large # 7
|
1st
|
0-0
|
--
|
|
Walsh (Ohio) (28-10)
|
American Mideast Conference Regular Season Champion
|
4th
|
6-7
|
0
|
|
Webber International (Fla.) (27-9)
|
The Sun Conference Champion
|
1st
|
0-0
|
--
|
|
Wiley (Texas) (33-7)
|
Red River Athletic Conference Champion
|
1st
|
0-0
|
--
|
|
William Penn (Iowa) (26-14)
|
Midwest Collegiate Conference Champion
|
1st
|
0-0
|
--
|
^ Based on conference websites as of 11/15/2008
* Includes 2008 Championship
