KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has officially announced the qualifying teams and opening round matchups for the 2022 NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship Tournament. The 48-team event will begin with 24 NAIA National Championship Opening Round matches at campus locations on Saturday, November 19.
The 2022 University of Mobile Volleyball team, who earned an at-large bid after finishing as the runner-up in the 2022 SSAC Volleyball Championship Tournament, enters the 2022 NAIA Volleyball National Championship Tournament with a 24-12 overall record. This season's national championship tournament appearance marks the eighth time in program history for Mobile, led by head coach Jon Campbell. After the NAIA's opening round selection show on Monday, the Rams will travel west to La Grande, Ore. for a matchup against No. 1 Eastern Oregon University in the opening round.
For the Mountaineers of Eastern Oregon, they enter the NAIA postseason with a 29-2 overall record, riding a 10-match winning streak. In the NAIA Volleyball Top 25 Coaches' Poll, Eastern Oregon has remained at the top spot for the majority of the 2022 season. Mobile will attempt to knock off this season's top seed for a massive upset in the opening round. The Rams last defeated a top-ranked team in 2019 (Missouri Baptist).
Final Site Info / Selection Criteria
After opening rounds, the action at the final site inside the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa starts with three days of pool play from Nov. 30 – Dec. 2. The top team in each three-team pool will advance to the elimination bracket on Saturday, Dec. 3. The semifinals will then be played on Monday, Dec. 5 and the national champion will be crowned Tuesday, Dec. 6 with the first serve set for 7:00 p.m. CT on ESPN3.
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
2022 Qualifiers
| Team |
Qualification |
Appearances |
Last Qualified |
| Bellevue (Neb.) |
At-Large |
15 |
2021 |
| Benedictine Mesa (Ariz.) |
California Pacific Conference Regular-Season Champions |
2 |
2020 |
| Bethel (Ind.) |
At-Large |
4 |
2021 |
| Blue Mountain Christian (Miss.) |
Southern States Athletic Conference Regular-Season & Tournament Champions |
2 |
2021 |
| Bryan (Tenn.) |
Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament Runner-Up |
5 |
2021 |
| Campbellsville (Ky.) |
Mid-South Conference Regular-Season Champions |
3 |
2017 |
| Central Methodist (Mo.) |
At-Large |
5 |
2021 |
| College of Saint Mary (Neb.) |
At-Large |
11 |
2021 |
| Columbia (Mo.) |
American Midwest Conference Regular-Season Champions |
28 |
2021 |
| Columbia International (S.C.) |
Appalachian Athletic Conference Regular-Season and Tournament Champions |
2 |
2021 |
| Concordia (Neb.) |
Great Plains Athletic Conference Tournament Runner-Up |
5 |
2021 |
| Corban (Ore.) |
Cascade Collegiate Conference Tournament Runner-Up |
7 |
2021 |
| Cornerstone (Mich.) |
Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Regular-Season and Tournament Champions |
7 |
2021 |
| Cumberland (Tenn.) |
Mid-South Conference Tournament Champion |
1 |
NA |
| Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) |
At-Large |
3 |
2021 |
| Eastern Oregon |
Cascade Collegiate Conference Regular-Season and Tournament Champions |
9 |
2021 |
| Florida College |
Continental Athletic Conference Tournament Champion |
2 |
2021 |
| Hastings (Neb.) |
At-Large |
14 |
2018 |
| Indiana Tech |
Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament Runner-Up |
5 |
2011 |
| Indiana Wesleyan |
At-Large |
11 |
2021 |
| IU Kokomo (Ind.) |
River States Conference Tournament Champion |
10 |
2021 |
| Jamestown (N.D.) |
Great Plains Athletic Conference Regular-Season and Tournament Champions |
10 |
2021 |
| John Brown (Ark.) |
At-Large |
1 |
NA |
| Kansas Wesleyan |
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Champion |
3 |
2014 |
| Marian (Ind.) |
Crossroads League Tournament Runner-Up |
6 |
2021 |
| MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) |
Heart of America Athletic Conference Regular-Season and Tournament Champions |
7 |
2020 |
| Midland (Neb.) |
At-Large |
9 |
2021 |
| Missouri Baptist |
American Midwest Conference Tournamnet Champion |
14 |
2021 |
| Mobile (Ala.) |
Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament Runner-Up |
8 |
2020 |
| Montana Tech |
At-Large |
7 |
2021 |
| Northwestern (Iowa) |
At-Large |
18 |
2021 |
| Ottawa (Kan.) |
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Regular-Season Champions |
10 |
2021 |
| Park (Mo.) |
Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament Runner-Up |
10 |
2021 |
| Park Gilbert (Ariz.) |
California Pacific Conference Tournament Champion |
2 |
2021 |
| Philander Smith (Ark.) |
Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament Champion |
1 |
NA |
| Point Park (Pa.) |
River States Conference Regular-Season Champions |
4 |
2015 |
| Rocky Mountain (Mont.) |
Frontier Conference Tournament Champion |
8 |
2020 |
| SAGU (Texas) |
Sooner Athletic Conference Regular-Season and Tournament Champions |
2 |
2021 |
| Saint Xavier (Ill.) |
Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament No. 1 Seed |
7 |
2021 |
| Southern Oregon |
At-Large |
12 |
2019 |
| St. Ambrose (Iowa) |
Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Runner-Up |
7 |
2010 |
| St. Thomas (Fla.) |
The Sun Conference Tournament Champions |
5 |
2003 |
| Taylor (Ind.) |
Crossroads League Regular-Season and Tournament Champions |
8 |
2011 |
| Texas Wesleyan |
Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament Runner-Up |
14 |
2021 |
| Viterbo (Wis.) |
North Star Athletic Association Tournament Champion |
10 |
2021 |
| Westmont (Calif.) |
Golden State Athletic Conference Regular-Season Champions |
16 |
2021 |
| William Jessup (Calif.) |
Golden State Athletic Conference Tournament Champion |
1 |
NA |
| Xavier (La.) |
Red River Athletic Conference Tournament Champion |
12 |
2021 |
|
Opening Round Matchups
| Visitor |
|
Host |
| Mobile (Ala.) |
at |
Eastern Oregon |
| St. Ambrose (Iowa) |
at |
Jamestown (N.D.) |
| Indiana Tech |
at |
Midland (Neb.) |
| Florida College |
at |
Concordia (Neb.) |
| Benedictine Mesa (Ariz.) |
at |
Corban (ore.) |
| Kansas Wesleyan |
at |
Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) |
| Bryan (Tenn.) |
at |
Missouri Baptist |
| Philander Smith (Ark.) |
at |
Northwestern (Iowa) |
| Xavier (La.) |
at |
SAGU (Texas) |
| Point Park (Pa.) |
at |
Viterbo (Wis.) |
| Blue Mountain Christian (Miss.) |
at |
MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) |
| Campbellsville (Ky.) |
at |
Taylor (Ind.) |
| Cumberland (Tenn.) |
at |
Park (Mo.) |
| John Brown (Ark.) |
at |
Bellevue (Neb.) |
| IU Kokomo (Ind.) |
at |
College of Saint Mary (Neb.) |
| St. Thomas (Fla.) |
at |
Cornerstone (Mich.) |
| Saint Xavier (Ill.) |
at |
Central Methodist (Mo.) |
| Park Gilbert (Ariz.) |
at |
Marian (Ind.) |
| Rocky Mountain (Mont.) |
at |
Indian Wesleyan |
| Westmont (Calif.) |
at |
Montana Tech |
| Ottawa (Kan.) |
at |
Columbia (Mo.) |
| William Jessup (Calif.) |
at |
Southern Oregon |
| Bethel (Ind.) |
at |
Columbia International (S.C.) |
| Texas Wesleyan |
at |
Hastings (Neb.) |
NAIA Network
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 (Nov. 30 – Dec. 2) and a championship package is available at $39.95. The championship match includes all pool play, quarterfinal and semifinal matches.
About the University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.
For information about the University of Mobile, areas of study, admissions and more, visit umobile.edu, connect with UM on social media @univofmobile, or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
