Kats heading to Chicago for NIVC

Courtesy: Triple Crown Sports

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – After stepping aside last year because of COVID-19 concerns, the National Invitational Volleyball Championship is back, with tournament officials announcing Sunday the 31 teams that will make up the field, along with first-round locations, matchups and game times.

As part of the announcement, the Sam Houston Bearkats will be part of the field and will head to Chicago to take part in a 4-team pod with host Chicago State, Bradley and Evansville. The Kats will take on Evansville in the opening round, set for 5:00 p.m. CT on Thursday with a victory advancing them to take on the winner of CSU and Bradley at 7:00 p.m. CT on Friday.

This is the fourth edition of the NIVC since its reboot through Triple Crown Sports; the event previously ran from 1989-95. Previous champions of the current NIVC are Georgia Tech (2019), Iowa State (2018) and Ole Miss (2017).

The 2021 NIVC features Round 1 and 2 action from Dec. 2-5, with Round 3 scheduled for Dec. 6-8. The semifinals will be held Dec. 8-11, and the championship match be played Dec. 13 or 14.

Here is the 2021 NIVC field of teams:

Automatic Qualifiers:
Arkansas (19-10) – Southeastern Conference
Colorado State (18-10) – Mountain West Conference*
Delaware State (26-4) – Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference*
Houston Baptist (21-8) – Southland Conference
Jackson State (17-13) – Southwestern Athletic Conference*
Sam Houston (18-9) – Western Athletic Conference*
UConn (21-10) – Big East Conference
UTEP (21-7) – Conference USA
Weber State (20-9) – Big Sky Conference*
*Denotes conference regular season champion

At-Large Teams:
Arizona (16-15) – Pac-12 Conference
Bradley (16-14) – Missouri Valley Conference
Boston College (16-16) – Atlantic Coast Conference
Butler (16-15) – Big East Conference
Chicago State (17-10) – Western Athletic Conference
CSU Bakersfield (18-10) – Big West Conference
Evansville (19-11) – Missouri Valley Conference
Indiana State (18-12) – Missouri Valley Conference
Middle Tennessee (9-11) – Conference USA
New Mexico State (19-9) – Western Athletic Conference
North Carolina A&T (20-10) – Big South Conference
North Florida (24-7) – Atlantic Sun Conference
Pacific (13-16) – West Coast Conference
Portland State (19-10) – Big Sky Conference
Stephen F. Austin (18-9) – Western Athletic Conference
Troy (17-12) – Sun Belt Conference
Tulsa (14-15) – American Athletic Conference
Toledo (19-12) – Mid-American Conference
UNC Greensboro (23-7) – Southern Conference
UNLV (23-9) – Mountain West Conference
Univ. Texas Rio Grande Valley (17-10) – Western Athletic Conference
Valparaiso (22-9) – Missouri Valley Conference

Here are the first- and second-round matchups, in bracket order:

(Home team listed second)

Dec. 3 at Stephen F. Austin
Arkansas (bye)
Jackson State vs. Stephen F. Austin, 7:30 ET
Dec. 4: Arkansas vs. TBD, 7:30 p.m. ET

Dec. 3 at Arizona
New Mexico State vs. UNLV, 5 p.m. ET
UTRGV vs. Arizona, 8 p.m. ET
Dec. 4: Winners, 6 p.m. ET

Dec. 3 at Weber State
Pacific vs. Portland State, 5 p.m. ET
CSU Bakersfield vs. Weber State, 8 p.m. ET
Dec. 4: Winners, 4 p.m. ET

Dec. 2 at Colorado State
Tulsa vs. UTEP, 7 p.m. ET
Houston Baptist vs. Colorado State, 9:30 p.m. ET
Dec. 3: Winners, 9 p.m. ET

Dec. 2 at Chicago State
Evansville vs. Sam Houston, 6 p.m. ET
Bradley vs. Chicago State, 8:30 p.m. ET
Dec. 3: Winners, 8 p.m. ET

Dec. 2 at Valparaiso
Toledo vs. Indiana State, 5 p.m. ET
Butler vs. Valparaiso, 8 p.m. ET
Dec. 3: Winners, 7 p.m. ET

Dec 3 at Troy
UNC Greensboro vs. North Florida, 5 p.m. ET
Middle Tennessee vs. Troy, 7:30 p.m. ET
Dec. 4: Winners, 2 p.m. ET

Dec. 4 at Boston College
Delaware State vs. Boston College, 4 p.m. ET
North Carolina A&T vs. UConn, 7 p.m. ET
Dec. 5: Winners, 4 p.m. ET

"With the explosive growth of volleyball, and how the maturing club scene has allowed dozens of D-I programs to raise the bar of excellence in recruiting, it only makes sense to add to the postseason options in the college game," said NIVC director Jared Rudiger. "Teams will chase an NIVC title as a reward for experienced rosters, or to provide a true learning experience for young players when it comes to the demands of the postseason."

Kats heading to Chicago for NIVC

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