KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Bellevue University volleyball team picked up a No. 14 ranking in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Preseason Coaches’ Poll in an announcement by the NAIA’s national office on Wednesday.
The Bruins return five starters and 16 letterwinners from last season’s squad that finished with a 26-10 overall record, advancing to the NAIA National Tournament for the 16th time in school history. Bellevue, who finished second in 2023 in the NSAA regular season standings and was runner-up in the NSAA Tournament, was ranked No. 18 nationally in the final 2023 NAIA Poll.
Other North Star Athletic Association schools ranked in the preseason poll included Jamestown (No. 9) and Valley City State (No. 22).
Last season, Jamestown, Bellevue, and Valley City State qualified for the NAIA Women’s Volleyball National Tournament. Each team advanced to the national tournament’s final site, with Jamestown advancing to the single elimination bracket play after pool play action.
Indiana Wesleyan, the defending national champions, enters the 2024 season at No. 1 and looks to continue its undefeated streak into the new year. Northwestern (Iowa) follows closely behind at No. 2 while ranks three through five remained the same as the 2023 final regular season rating, with Eastern Oregon, Concordia (Neb.) and Viterbo (Wis.) following, respectively.
All NSAA members will play a 10-match schedule (five matches at home and five on the road) in the conference’s final year.
The conference season officially kicks off Wednesday, Sept. 18, with Dickinson State visiting Valley City State. Jamestown opens their conference play at VCSU on Sept. 19. The Blue Hawks continue their action at Mayville State on the same day.
Dakota State and Bellevue face each other in their conference opener in Bellevue, Neb., on Sept. 20.
All six teams will play in the North Star Postseason Tournament. The top two seeds will receive a first-round bye, while the third through sixth seeds will play in the quarterfinal round on Nov. 9 at higher seeds. The remaining four teams will compete in the semifinals and championship match at the No. 1 seed on Nov. 15-16.
The NSAA Tournament’s champion will receive an automatic bid to the NAIA Women’s Volleyball National Tournament on Nov. 23 at campus sites.
The national tournament’s opening round winners will move on to the final site at Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa. The pool play begins on Dec. 4 and continues through Dec. 6 (each team in each pool will play two matches with a ‘rest’ day). The single elimination bracket play opens on Dec. 7, with the semifinals set for Dec. 9 and the championship match scheduled for Dec. 10.
The Bruins open the 2024 season this Friday-Saturday, Aug. 16-17, at the Southern Oregon Raider Invitational in Ashland, Ore.
