INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. --- Randolph-Macon College punched its ticket to the NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament on Saturday evening, leaving no question the Yellow Jackets would be in the field of 64. Now they know where they're going. R-MC will make the trip to New Jersey and Stockton University to begin competition in one of eight regional pods that feature eight teams.
The full bracket features 44 squads like Randolph-Macon that earned their places via automatic qualification after winning their conference tournaments. The remaining 20 programs earned at-large bids from Pool C. There were no Pool B qualifiers this season, a group that includes true independent schools or those that play in conferences without an automatic bid.
Interactive Bracket / Printable Bracket
The Yellow Jackets (25-7) will square off with Stevenson University (28-7) in a first round matchup in the arena at Stockton's Sports Center in Galloway, N.J. The host Ospreys (30-4) take on Gallaudet University (23-12). The remaining two first round pairings at Stockton feature Eastern University (28-7) vs. Cabrini College (25-9) and Christopher Newport University (29-2) vs. Hutner College (23-13). The winner of the CNU/Hunter match will face the winner of the R-MC/Stevenson pairing in the second round.
All eight teams in the Stockton regional won their respective conference titles and earned automatic bids into the NCAA field. Stockton locked up its eighth straight New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) crown, while CNU and Hunter earned their places from the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) and the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC). Stevenson and Eastern won either side of the Middle Athletic Conference setup, with SU securing the Commonwealth trophy and EU winning the Freedom title. Cabrini enters as the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) champion, while Gallaudet earned its dance card from the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC).
The first three rounds of the NCAA Tournament all occur in regional play November 13-15, although three sites (Berry, Calvin and UW-Whitewater) will play November 12-14. Each of the eight regional winners make the trip to the Van Noord Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich., for the national quarterfinal, semifinal and championship matches on November 19-21.
Game times and ticket information will be announced later this week. For more information, use the links below or go to the websites of any of the participating schools. You can also visit the ODAC at www.odaconline.com. Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter.
NCAA DIVISION III VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT LINKS
- NCAA Official Release
- Interactive Bracket
- Printable Bracket
- Randolph-Macon College Volleyball
- Stockton University Volleyball
- Cabrini College Volleyball
- Christopher Newport University Volleyball
- Eastern University Volleyball
- Gallaudet University Volleyball
- Hunter College Volleyball
- Stevenson University Volleyball