GREENSBORO, N.C. – UNCG volleyball will see its 2017 season continue, as the Spartans were selected to participate in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC). The Spartans will head to Athens, Ga. and will take on the UCF Knights at 4 p.m. Tuesday evening. The winner of that match will take on the winner of Alabama A&M and the host Georgia Bulldogs at 7 p.m. Wednesday night. The matches for the first and second round will be played at the Ramsey Student Center with free admission for fans.
UNCG, 19-11 on the season, is one of 32 teams that will participate in the tournament. The NIVC is a tournament that involves 32 of the nation’s top Division I volleyball teams. All games, including semifinals and the championship, are hosted by participating schools, with each round being single elimination. The event is a reincarnation of the tournament that was played from 1989-1995.
Live stats and video will be available for the matches played at Georgia, with links available on the UNCG volleyball schedule page when available.
This is the first postseason tournament for UNCG volleyball since becoming a Division I program. The Spartans last appeared in the postseason in the 1990 season when UNCG was a Division II program.
UNCG has two players who earned first team All-SoCon honors in senior Ashley Muench (Hurdle Mills, N.C./Orange) and Allison Penner (Aurora, Neb./Aurora). Muench became one of just six Spartans to become a member of the 1,000-kill, 1,000-dig club. Penner has been a two-time SoCon first team selection.
AQ = Automatic Qualifier
School Record Conference
AQ Alabama A&M 14-19 SWAC
AQ Albany 11-14 America East
Arkansas State 20-11 Sun Belt
Boise State 17-13 Mountain West
AQ Bowling Green 17-11 Mid-American
AQ Campbell 20-11 Big South
Colgate 18-10 Patriot
AQ Georgia 19-10 SEC
Green Bay 15-15 Horizon AQ
Illinois State 20-11 Missouri Valley
IUPUI 16-14 Horizon AQ
North Texas 28-3 C-USA
Ole Miss 17-14 SEC
AQ Oral Roberts 15-13 Summit
AQ Pacific 15-13 West Coast
Rice 21-8 C-USA
AQ Sacramento State 26-9 Big Sky
AQ SIUE 23-6 Ohio Valley
SMU 20-9 American
AQ Stephen F. Austin 26-7 Southland
AQ Syracuse 19-12 ACC
TCU 11-16 Big 12
AQ Temple 17-9 American
AQ Texas State 24-9 Sun Belt
Texas Tech 15-13 Big 12
AQ Towson 26-5 Colonial
AQ UC Irvine 21-7 Big West
UCF 17-13 American
UNCG 19-11 Southern
AQ UMES 27-8 MEAC
AQ West Virginia 16-12 Big 12
AQ Wyoming 17-13 Mountain West
Important Dates Selection: November 26 Rounds 1 & 2: November 28-30 & December 1 Round 3: December 1-3 Round 4 : December 4-6 Semifinals: December 7-9 Championship – Tuesday, December 12, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN 3)