By Kyle Koso
 
No seniors? No imported fifth- or sixth-year players bouncing around the nation, looking for that last, best roster gig? No transfers from the portal, even?
 
The look of the Wichita State volleyball roster is downright bizarre in 2022, as homegrown and stable as you can find in Division I, a world that was turned upside down during the COIVID pandemic. It’s been an impossible-to-imagine churn of athletes moving from place to place since 2020, but the Shockers are a true outlier, essentially unchanged and very young, to boot.
 
Head coach Chris Lamb gets it – other programs are just doing what the rules allow, and Wichita State is just fine with its own road map. The Shockers (18-12) won seven of their last eight matches this season and accepted a bid to the 2022 NIVC, where they will host a four-team pod starting Sunday and face Grand Canyon (17-10). WSU’s RPI number of 60 put it just outside the conversation for an NCAA tournament bid, but the year has already been a source of pride by thriving in the arduous American Athletic Conference dominated by NCAA-tourney qualifiers Houston and Central Florida.
 
Ideally, Wichita State will be ready to pounce going forward, unified in their approach and fortified by doing it all together from the start.
 
“When COVID hit, we were as young as you could be. That was a disadvantage for us, the older teams had kids who got that fifth year, or retooled with other grads, and I’m sitting here wondering do we get any credit for holding things together?,” said Lamb, in his 23rd season running the show at WSU. “Everybody has the one-off mercenaries who come in and make the team better; teams we played had four or five new starters … I’m not running anybody off, the team is happy and together. We did it the old-fashioned way.
 
“The league got way older, a lot of seniors graduated out of our league last year, and I’m thinking the conference is younger, and it absolutely was not. Of course, it’s not like anyone really cares, they just want to have a good team and beat you. I’m old, been doing this forever, and I guess I know we held something together through all the craziness. The league got older and better, and we managed to do pretty well. Without a handful of injuries all at the same time, we might have stolen a couple in the middle there.”
 
Lamb was also determined to stick with his time-honored plan of playing a difficult pre-conference schedule. A five-set win over Iowa State was a clear highlight, but good things came out of tough assignments against the likes of Creighton, Omaha, Northern Colorado, UNLV, Kansas and Wright State (five of those qualified for the NCAA tournament).
 
“I’d rather watch tape of my team with good teams on the other sides. I’m a math guy, I know how RPI works, and you got to go play teams. If you’re not good, you won’t make the tournament anyway,” Lamb said. “The real crime is when you’re good but the schedule didn’t give you a chance. I don’t buy that you have to win to build confidence – who made that rule? Why can’t you have great performances against great teams and still learn how to feel good about that?”
 
The Shockers have been reliably good on defense in 2022, with better numbers in blocks and digs than the opposition and holding teams below a .200 hitting percentage. Offensively, there are great swings coming regularly from junior Brylee Kelly (team-high 384 kills), sophomore Natalie Foster (349) and junior Sophia Rohling (263), with the whole mission piloted with great skill from junior setter Kayce Litzau.  
 
“Kayce was all-conference last year and she was at least as good this year – they only had only two setters for all-conference, which really bummed me out,” Lamb said. “For us, when it’s clicking, we get three girls on the scoreboard. Some teams can do more, but we work best when Brylee is scoring, Sophia is scoring, Natalie is scoring, and you hope to get a little more from either of the two Morgans (sophomores Weber and Stout) – you feel like you’ve got a chance to do something.”
 
Kelly and Foster were both first-team all-conference honorees this season.
 
LAST WORD – Lamb on the NIVC: “We don’t have a postseason tournament in the conference – this is wonderful for so many. I told the team I’d never take anything from qualifying for the NCAA tournament, but if we are fortunate to make a run in this, from a development standpoint I’d rather do that than be a one-and-done in the NCAA’s. You might not feel that today, but you’d feel it down the road, to get some postseason run and experience. You can get a lot from that.”

WESTERN CAROLINA 3, LIBERTY 1 (15-25, 25-21, 25-16, 25-19)
 
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Western Carolina prevailed on the road for its first postseason win as a Division I program, coming back from a 1-0 deficit to top Liberty on Saturday in the 2022 NIVC.  
 
The Catamounts (19-12) will face Toledo in Round 2 on Sunday. Bailey Hartsough and Livi Weidmann each had 11 kills and Sydney Carlson closed with 18 assists – Merry Gebel and Destinee Dorsey added 12 digs apiece.
 
The Flames (23-9), who had won 12 straight matches before losing in the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament, got 17 kills from Lydia Burts. Kate Phillips added 16 kills and 10 digs, Kamryn Bacus had 11 kills and Madison Blane closed with 10 kills. Delaney Dilfer came through with 51 assists and Erica Lowery closed with 14 digs.
 
UTRGV 3, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-16)
 
EDINBURG, Texas – UT Rio Grande Valley swept past South Dakota State to claim a spot in the quarterfinals of the 2022 NIVC.
 
The Vaqueros (27-6) will play at Davidson in the next round; that match is slated for Thursday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. ET. They were paced Saturday by Sarah Cruz, who rang up 12 kills and eight digs. Perris Key added 10 kills and nine digs, and Luanna Emiliano closed with 35 assists.
 
The Jackrabbits (18-15) got 12 kills from Masa Scheierman and 11 kills by Crystal Burk. Raegen Reilly added 26 assists and Alia Schlimgen had 13 digs.
 
BOSTON COLLEGE 3, ST. JOHN’S 0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-20)
 
NEWTON, Mass. – Boston College earned its second sweep of the 2022 NIVC, moving past St. John’s and into the quarterfinals.
 
The Eagles (21-13) hit .421 and set a record for the most wins in a single season for the program; they will face Xavier in the next round, with the match scheduled for xxx..
 
Silvia Ianeselli had nine kills and eight digs for BC, with Izzy Clavenna also banging in nine kills. Kate Brennan had seven kills; Grace Penn closed with 17 assists.
 
The Red Storm (20-14) had won a five-setter between these two teams in September. Rachele Rastelli finished with 12 kills, leaving her second in program history with 1,874 kills. Wiktoria Kowalczyk had 22 assists and Bre Martin added nine digs.
 
TOLEDO 3, CLEMSON 1 (26-28, 25-23, 25-22, 25-18)
 
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Toledo threw a balanced offensive attack at Clemson in a Round 1 matchup at the 2022 NIVC, with the Rockets coming back for the win after dropping an extended first set.
 
The Rockets (19-12) will play Western Carolina on Sunday in Round 2. Taylor Alt had 21 kills and seven digs; Olivia Vance and Jada Bouyer each had 11 kills and Sinalauli’I Uluave added nine kills and nine digs. Mary Kate Lopez finished with 45 assists and Ryann Jaqua had 24 digs.
 
The Tigers (13-18) got 12 kills each from Cate Long and Camryn Hannah; Colleen Finney had nine kills. McKenna Slavik closed with 37 assists and nine digs, with both Mia McGrath and Anna Renwick closing with 10 digs.
 
DAVIDSON 3, WAKE FOREST 2 (22-25, 25-19, 26-24, 21-25, 17-15)
 
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Davidson won its second five-set match in the 2022 NIVC in two days, working past Wake Forest to advance to Round 3.
 
The Wildcats (22-10) will host UTRGV in the quarterfinals; that match is set for 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, Dec. 8.
 
Isabel Decker had 18 kills and 12 digs; Emma Slusser closed with 14 kills and Jackie Bardin added 10 kills. Jessie Doyal added 32 assists to go with 10 digs, and Brady Bella finished with 14 digs.
 
The fifth set was snug the entire way; Decker’s kill made it 14-14 for Davidson, and Slusser converted a shot to make it 16-15. The match then ended on a Wake Forest error.
 
The Deacons (17-14) got 18 kills from Paige Crawford, with 14 kills coming from Peyton Suess. Emmy Ogogor closed with 10 kills, and Andrea Fuentes had 48 assists and 10 digs. Emma Farrell added 20 digs.

WAKE FOREST 3, COPPIN STATE 2 (25-23, 22-25, 22-25, 25-17, 21-19)
 
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Wake Forest needed every corner of the roster to contribute Friday, and the Deacons got it done with a tough five-set win over Coppin State to advance to Round 2 of the 2022 NIVC.
 
The Deacons (17-13) had a couple leads in the final set thanks to kills from Emmy Ogogor and Peyton Suess, but the Eagles (23-11) tied it up at 14-all and took a 16-15 lead on an ace from Ashley Roman. The neck-and-neck affair continued until Suess got a kill to make it 20-19, and an error followed, giving Wake Forest the win. The team will face Davidson in Round 2.
 
Paige Crawford closed with 21 kills; Suess had 15 kills, with both Ogogor and Olivia Franke adding 11 kills. Andrea Fuentes added 31 assists and Emma Farrell closed with 23 digs.
 
Coppin State got 17 kills from Yaniri Miller-Green; Ammaarah Williams chipped in with 12 kills and Geraldyn Palacios had 10 kills. Andrea Tsvetanova closed with 49 assists and 15 digs, with Roman providing 23 digs.
 
PACIFIC 3, OMAHA 1 (25-20, 22-25, 25-19, 27-25)
 
PORTLAND, Ore. – Pacific had five players in double figures for digs, a sign of a great defensive effort that held Omaha to a .064 hitting percentage, propelling the Tigers to Round 2 of the 2022 NIVC.
 
Pacific (17-13) got 22 kills and 14 digs from Biamba Kabengele; Alexa Edwards added 17 kills and 11 digs. Jenna Heller added 40 assists and 19 digs, and Jadyn Tubbs closed with 16 digs for the Tigers, who will play Santa Clara or Portland State in Round 2.
 
The Mavericks (20-11) were paced by Shayla McCormick’s 12 kills and 18 digs. Olivia Curry had 16 assists, Sami Clarkson added 15 assists and both Brilee Wieseler and Jaiden Centeno had 14 digs.
 
UTRGV 3, HOUSTON CHRISTIAN 1 (21-25, 26-24, 25-23, 25-22)
 
EDINBURG, Texas – UT-Rio Grande Valley entered the 2022 NIVC with the best RPI ranking in the 32-team field and held up against a tough challenge by Houston Christian.
 
The Vaqueros (26-6) will play South Dakota State on Saturday in Round 2. Claudia Lupescu had 20 kills, Luisa Silva Dos Santos finished with 17 kills and Luanna Emiliano added 49 assists and 16 digs. Perris Key also closed with 16 digs.
 
The Huskies (23-11) saw Shelby O’Neal post 17 kills and 12 digs. Anna Gadway and Audrey Pearce each had 11 kills, Grace McLaughlin came through with 49 assists and Kaley Feris had 25 digs. Alexia Jones came through with 15 digs.
  
SANTA CLARA 3, PORTLAND STATE 1 (27-25, 25-23, 26-28, 25-21)
 
PORTLAND, Ore. – Santa Clara entered the 2022 NIVC with a sub-.500 record but continued a hot streak with its fifth straight win, getting past host Portland State to move to Round 2.
 
The Broncos (13-18) will face Pacific on Saturday. Julia Sangiacomo had 17 kills, Layla Truitt closed with 15 kills and Sophia Tulino added 10 kills. NiveTuileta had a big day with 48 assists and nine digs, and she had a solo block for the final point in the second set. Kat Georgiadis finished with 18 digs.
 
The Vikings (18-13) got 19 kills from Parker Webb; Makayla Lewis added 12 kills, Ashleigh Barto had 11 kills and Sophia Meyers added 10 kills. Madison Friebel finished with 35 assists and Ellie Snook had 21 digs.

DAVIDSON 3, NORTH DAKOTA STATE 2 (23-25, 25-18, 12-25, 25-23, 15-13)
 
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Davidson came back from multiple deficits on Friday, then had all the answers in a competitive fifth set in taking down North Dakota State in Round 1 of the 2022 NIVC.
 
The Wildcats (21-10), who reached 20 victories for the first time in two decades, took 3-0 and 7-4 leads in the final set, with Buffalo (21-12) tying it at 9-all. A kill from Isabel Decker made it 14-12 for Davidson, and the match ended on a kill from Kayla Davis. Davidson, having earned its first-ever postseason victory, will play Wake Forest in Round 2.
 
The Wildcats now have four players who have topped 200 kills on the season. Davis and Decker each had 12 kills Friday, as did Jackie Bardin. Xuan Nguyen closed with 23 assists and Bella Brady had 20 digs and three aces.
 
North Dakota State got 18 kills from Ali Hinze and 15 kills by Syra Tanchin. Kelley Johnson, who entered the postseason ranked No. 8 in NCAA D-I in total assists, had 48 on Friday. Logan O’Brien closed with 21 digs.
 
BOSTON COLLEGE 3, BUFFALO 0 (25-18, 25-17, 27-25)
 
NEWTON, Mass. – Boston College hit just below .400 in winning the first two sets, taking control before taking down Buffalo in Round 1 of the 2022 NIVC.
 
The Eagles (20-13), who hit .366 overall, will play St. John’s in Round 2. Katrina Jensen had 11 kills and Izzy Clavenna added 10 kills – Grace Penn had 22 assists and Sophia Lambros added 21 assists.
 
The Bulls (19-14) got 10 kills each from Emma Gileas and Courtney Okwara, with 29 assists coming from Mandy Leigh.
 
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 3, LOUISIANA 2 (25-19, 19-25, 23-25, 25-20, 16-14)
 
EDINBURG, Texas – South Dakota State came back from a 2-1 deficit to drive past Louisiana and into Round 2 of the 2022 NIVC.
 
The Jackrabbits (18-14), who went 7-0 in their seven matches ahead of the Summit Conference tournament, took an early lead in the fifth set, but the Ragin’ Cajuns (15-13) tied it at 13-all on a kill from Celeste Darling. Service errors gave SDSU a leg up in the final moments, and the match was secured on a kill from Masa Scheierman.
 
Crystal Burk, who entered the postseason ranked No. 5 in the nation with 553 kills, had 25 kills and 12 digs for the Jackrabbits. Scheierman added 18 kills; Raegen Reilly came through with 53 assists and 16 digs, while Jadyn Makovicka also had 16 digs.
 
Louisiana got 14 kills and 20 digs from Coco Gillett, 12 more kills from Darling and 10 kills from Kara Barnes. Reka Koterman added 32 assists and Paige Guidry had 19 digs.
 
SOUTHERN MISS 3, UT MARTIN 0 (25-4, 28-26, 25-21)
 
TROY, Ala. – Southern Miss stormed into the quarterfinals of the 2022 NIVC with a straight-sets win over UT Martin.
 
The Golden Eagles (20-11) got 14 kills apiece from Cara Atkinson and Cailin Demps, with 37 assists coming off the hands of Kenzie Smith. Megan Harris added 27 digs.
 
The Skyhawks (23-12) were paced by seven kills from Karen Scanlon. Dylan Mott had 14 digs.
 
XAVIER 3, OHIO 1 (15-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-20)
 
ATHENS, Ohio – Xavier stumbled out of the gate Friday but found its footing the rest of the way, moving past host Ohio and into the quarterfinals of the 2022 NIVC.
 
The Musketeers (21-11) took charge behind Brooklyn Cink, how had 13 kills and 15 digs. Maryann O’Toole added 11 kills and Delaney Hogan chipped in with 10 kills; Carrigan O’Reilly had 41 assists and Lucia Corsaro added 16 digs.
 
The Bobcats (20-12) saw Kristy Frank ring up 13 kills and Anna Kharchynska add 10 kills. Chariti Winzeler and Tria McLean each registered 22 assists, and Sam Steele closed with 17 digs.
 
ST. JOHN’S 3, BINGHAMTON 0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-16)
 
NEWTON, Mass. – St. John’s hit a scorching .459 over three sets, sweeping past Binghamton and into Round 2 of the 2022 NIVC.
 
Three players had 10 kills for the Red Storm (20-13) – Giorgia Walther, Lucrezia Lodi and Rachele Rastelli. Wiktoria Kowalczyk had 24 assists as St. John’s hit .560 in the final set – they’ll take on Boston College in Round 2.
 
Binghamton (17-9) got nine kills each from Tsvetelina Ilieva and Anna Sprys. Jessie Bilello had 25 assists and Giulia Bonifacio added 10 digs.

SOUTHERN MISS 3, ALABAMA STATE 1 (17-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-18)
 
TROY, Ala. – Mia Wesley, who entered play Thursday ranked 10th in NCAA D-I with 512 kills, rang up 21 kills for Southern Miss in the first match of the 2022 NIVC to secure the program’s first-ever postseason victory.
 
The Golden Eagles (19-11), who had dropped three of their last five matches heading into the NIVC, hit .248 overall and will play UT Martin on Friday for a spot in the quarterfinals. Cailin Demps had 11 kills and Cara Atkinson added 10 kills in the comeback win. Kenzie Smith closed with 46 assists and 10 digs; Megan Harris added 16 digs.
 
The Hornets (20-15), who started the year 1-12 before going on a 19-1 run ahead of the postseason, got 12 kills from Kalysia Bates and 11 kills by Jada Rhodes. Madison Beasley added 29 assists and 14 digs; Temperance Chatman had 20 digs.

UT MARTIN 3, TROY 0 (25-21, 25-23, 27-25)
 
TROY, Ala. – UT Martin held firm while facing two big hitters for Troy, with the Skyhawks earning a sweep to advance into Round 2 of the 2022 NIVC.
 
The Skyhawks (23-11) will play Southern Miss on Friday for a spot in the quarterfinals. UT Martin was paced by the 12 kills from Karen Scanlon; Logan Wallick added 10 kills and Angel Baylark registered eight kills. Dylan Mott closed with 18 digs, and Haeleigh Paulino and Addy Vaughn both had 17 assists.
 
Tori Hester, who entered the day ranked No. 12 in all of NCAA D-I with 503 kills, closed with 19 kills and one hitting error for the Trojans (18-13). Amiah Butler closed with 17 kills – Amara Anderson had 43 assists and 13 digs.

XAVIER 3, CENTRAL MICHIGAN 0 (25-23, 25-18, 29-27)
 
ATHENS, Ohio – Xavier earned its first postseason win in program history Thursday, surviving a stress-packed third set to get past Central Michigan and into Round 2 of the 2022 NIVC, where they will face Ohio.
 
The Musketeers (20-11) got an outstanding effort from Anna Taylor, who had 12 kills and no hitting errors. Brooklyn Cink came through with 12 kills and 24 digs, and Maryann O’Toole added 10 kills. Carrigan O’Reilly closed with 38 assists as the team hit .267 overall.
 
The Chippewas (20-12) got 10 kills apiece from Elly Medendorp and Anna Erickson. Mallory Hernandez added nine kills; Claire Ammeraal closed with 33 assists and 13 digs, and Aly Gurtiza added 16 digs.

OHIO 3, VALPARAISO 0 (25-19, 25-11, 25-17)
 
ATHENS, Ohio – Ohio hit a solid .247 in a sweep of Valparaiso, holding the Beacons to a .031 hitting percentage and advancing to Round 2 of the 2022 NIVC.
 
The Bobcats (20-11) will take on Xavier on Friday for a spot in the quarterfinals. Ohio spread the offense out, getting eight kills from Anna Kharchynska and seven from Caroline Clippard. Tria McLean came through with 18 assists and Sam Steele added 14 digs.
 
The Beacons (22-11), who reached the championship match of the 2021 NIVC, got seven kills from Maddy Boyer and six kills from Jillie Grant. Emma Hickey closed with 13 digs.

By Kyle Koso
 
In one of the southern-most locations in the country, the arrow continues to point up for the UT-Rio Grande Valley volleyball squad.
 
The Vaqueros blitzed through and blasted away at their 2022 schedule, going 13-1 in the Western Athletic Conference to earn the regular season title after being picked to finish seventh in the preseason polling. UTRGV stumbled in the WAC tournament and didn’t get a berth in the NCAA Tournament, but their sterling RPI number (57) and 25-6 overall record made them ideal candidates to play in the 2022 National Invitational Volleyball Championship.
 
UTRGV did decide to jump into the NIVC again (they went 0-1 in the event last season) and will host one of eight four-team pods, taking on Houston Christian (23-10) on Friday night. The other game in Edinburg, TX., will feature South Dakota State (17-14) vs. Louisiana (15-12) – the two winners will then play Saturday to earn a spot in the quarterfinals.  
 
Todd Lowery knew his roster needed a day or two to work past that WAC tourney loss, a startling 3-0 defeat in their gym against Utah Valley, a team they’d beaten on the road just two weeks before. Pretty quickly, the benefits of extending the season were easy to embrace.
 
“We had conversations early on with them – after our experience in the NIVC last year, we thought it was a super positive thing and helped our growth going into this year,” said Lowery, head coach since 2015 and who steered UTRGV to its first-ever NCAA tourney bid in 2016. “As a staff we were ready to do it again if we had that opportunity. The day after (the Utah Valley loss), the girls were certainly a little somber and felt like they should have performed better than they did. The best thing about the NIVC, it’s another opportunity to perform in the postseason at the level they are capable of.
 
“We gave them a couple days off, then we came back in over the weekend and started getting some touches. We have something to prepare for, and the fact we get to host puts a bit of excitement in.”
 
On the court, UTRGV features a couple of players with Texas-sized resumes in outside hitter Sarah Cruz and setter Luanna Emiliano, both first-team all-WAC selections this year. Cruz, a grad student and native of the Czech Republic, has 508 kills on the season, which ranks 11th in NCAA D-I, leads the team in aces and is third in digs. She’s at the receiving end of Emiliano’s consistently excellent and clever touches from the setter spot – the Brazilian native has 1,231 assists (No. 15 in NCAA D-I) and as a sophomore is already widely respected for the quality of her play.
 
“Everything we do starts with Luanna. She’s an amazing setter, and it’s a dream for a player like that to come in as a freshman, to show the growth she did and then to have the type of season she just had,” Lowery said. “We knew she was a special talent; she makes every hitter better, she makes every pass better because she has such ability with her hands.
 
“Sarah had an amazing year and carried a big load for us early on, really went out and won some matches for us on her own. She took it upon her shoulders as some of the other kids developed and got time to establish a connection with our setter. Those things happen because Sarah’s had this kind of season early on when we were searching for offense.”
 
Junior Luisa Silva Dos Santos is second in kills (271); sophomores Cladia Lupescu (214 kills) and Margherita Giani (213) come in next. Junior libero Regina Tijerina leads in digs (447) and defensively UTRGV has held the opposition to a .186 hitting percentage.
 
The lineup maybe took a while to flex its full muscle, but it really didn’t come at the expense of the win-loss totals. The Vaqueros lost in five sets to UNLV (an NCAA qualifier) to start the season, then dashed off 11 victories before a three-match skid ending with a three-set loss to UTEP. That kind of streak just ahead of conference play could have rattled the young-ish roster, but Lowery said the setback provided the clarity that only comes when a team feels disappointment and the subsequent desire to not feel that way anymore.
 
A sweep at New Mexico State (a typical WAC powerhouse) kicked off the league slate, and UTRGV never looked back.
 
Under Lowery’s direction, the Vaqueros are distinctly international in makeup; five Americans and players coming from Brazil (five), Turkey (two), Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Mexico and Romania. Not only that, many started at smaller schools before making the trip to South Texas – Cruz first played at an NAIA program in Kentucky. The challenge of blending personalities and cultures is something the UTRGV coaching staff has come to appreciate.
 
“It’s something we base the program on; it’s been successful for us. We are in a unique geographical location, a bit far from everything,” Lowery said. “We put a lot of time in trying to figure out the kids’ personalities, and I think we recruit a certain type of personality. They need to fit that and our culture as much as they fit on the court. We went back to focusing on that the last two years, not just on what we are missing in the gym.
 
“Leadership, personalities, the blend … like any organization, if you’ve got 15 people who are exactly the same, that’s not versatile enough. College athletics are changing so fast, and at the mid-major level those intangibles play a huge part in a program’s success.”
 
LAST WORD – Lowery on playing in the NIVC: “That opportunity to play in the postseason is invaluable. To help the growth of the younger kids … the more times you play in the conference tournament, the postseason, the more the kids get comfortable, and it’s a huge part of being successful. The teams that are there, well, they’re used to it, and the culture of winning starts to develop at that level. We want to improve on what we did last year in the NIVC, and that will be key for us.”

2022 NIVC BRACKET 

FORT COLLINS, CO – The NCAA D-I volleyball postseason palate will be brightened again by the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC), as tournament officials have released details on the 32 teams that will take part in the event, produced for the fifth year by Triple Crown Sports.
 
The bracket launches with eight host schools, with action set to begin on Thursday, Dec. 1. The championship match is slated for Dec. 11, 12 or 13 – all matches are held on campus locations. A total of seven automatic qualifiers won or had a share of their regular season conference championship, and 12 teams in the 32-team field won at least 20 matches this season.
 
“We sensed from conversations ahead of Selection Day that dozens of teams were interested in the 2022 NIVC, and we’re thrilled to welcome another potent mix of programs from around the country,” said NIVC director Jared Rudiger. “The depth of talent in D-I volleyball continues to amaze, and we are proud to be a forum for all these teams that have earned respect and that crave a postseason championship chase.”
 
The event previously ran from 1989-95; champions of the current NIVC era include UNLV (2021), Georgia Tech (2019), Iowa State (2018) and Ole Miss (2017).
 
Here is the 32-team field for the 2022 NIVC:
Automatic qualifiers (*- won or had share of regular season conference title):
 
*Alabama State (Southwestern Athletic Conference) -- 20-14
*Binghamton (American East Conference) – 17-8
*Coppin State (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) -- 23-10
Davidson (Atlantic 10 Conference) -- 20-10
Drake (Missouri Valley Conference) -- 26-7
*Houston Christian (Southland Conference) – 23-10
*Liberty (Atlantic Sun Conference) – 23-8
Ohio (Mid-American Conference) – 19-11
Omaha (Summit Conference) -- 20-10
Portland State (Big Sky Conference) -- 18-12
Santa Clara (West Coast Conference) – 12-18
*UT Martin (Ohio Valley Conference) -- 22-11
*UT-Rio Grande Valley (Western Athletic Conference) – 25-6
Xavier (Big East Conference) – 19-11
 
At Large qualifiers:
Boston College (Atlantic Coast Conference) – 19-13
Buffalo (Mid-American Conference) – 19-13
Central Michigan (Mid-American Conference) – 20-11
Clemson (Atlantic Coast Conference) – 13-17
Grand Canyon (Western Athletic Conference) – 17-10
Louisiana (Sun Belt Conference) – 15-12
North Dakota State (Summit Conference) – 21-11
Pacific (West Coast Conference) – 16-13
St. John’s (Big East Conference) – 19-13
South Dakota State (Summit Conference) – 17-14
Southern Miss (Sun Belt Conference) – 18-11
Toledo (Mid-American Conference) – 18-12
Troy (Sun Belt Conference) – 18-12
Valparaiso (Missouri Valley Conference) – 22-10
Wake Forest (Atlantic Coast Conference) – 16-13
Weber State (Big Sky Conference) – 17-11
Western Carolina (Southern Conference) – 18-12
Wichita State (American Athletic Conference) – 18-12
 
In bracket order, here are the matchups, locations and match times for Rounds 1 and 2 (designated home team listed second):
 
at Portland State, Dec. 2
Pacific (16-13) vs. Omaha (20-10), 7 p.m. ET
Santa Clara (12-18) vs. Portland State (18-12), 10 p.m. ET
Dec. 3
Winners, 10 p.m. ET
 
at Wichita State, Dec. 4
Weber State (17-11) vs. Drake (26-7), 2 p.m. ET
Grand Canyon (17-10) vs. Wichita State (18-12), 4:30 p.m. ET
Dec. 5
Winners, 6:30 p.m. ET
 
at UT Rio Grande Valley, Dec. 2
Louisiana (15-12) vs. South Dakota State (17-14), 5 p.m. ET
Houston Christian (23-10) vs. UTRGV (25-6), 8 p.m. ET
Dec. 3
Winners, 3 p.m. ET
 
at Wake Forest, Dec. 2
Davidson (20-10) vs. North Dakota State (21-11), 3 p.m. ET
Coppin State (23-10) vs. Wake Forest (16-13), 6 p.m. ET
Dec. 3
Winners, 4 p.m. ET
 
at Boston College, Dec. 2
Buffalo (19-13) vs. Boston College (19-13), 4 p.m. ET
Binghamton (17-8) vs. St. John’s (19-13), 7 p.m. ET
Dec. 3
Winners, 4 p.m. ET
 
at Ohio, Dec. 1
Xavier (19-11) vs. Central Michigan (20-11), 5 p.m. ET
Valparaiso (22-10) vs. Ohio (19-11). 7:30 p.m. ET
Dec. 2
Winners, 6 p.m. ET
 
at Liberty, Dec. 3
Western Carolina (18-12) vs. Liberty (23-8), 1 p.m. ET
Clemson (13-17) vs. Toledo (18-12), 4 p.m. ET
Dec. 4
Winners, 1 p.m. ET
 
at Troy, Dec. 1
Alabama State (20-14) vs. Southern Miss (18-11), 4 p.m. ET
UT Martin (22-11) vs. Troy (18-12), 7 p.m. ET
Dec. 2
Winners, 6 p.m. ET
 
About Triple Crown Sports
Based in Fort Collins, CO., Triple Crown Sports has been producing youth, high school and college events for 40 years. TCS runs both the preseason and postseason WNIT basketball events and produces the men’s and women’s DI Cancun Challenge tournaments in November. Triple Crown is also powering “WNIT” concept events in D-I softball (NISC) and volleyball (NIVC), with those two events debuting in 2017. Triple Crown’s PV College Challenge features two sessions of top-level DI college softball teams in the country each year in Puerto Vallarta, MX, helping to kick off the season in February.

The NCAA has passed legislation adding the National Invitational Volleyball Championship as a permanent season-ending event for volleyball – Triple Crown Sports brought the event back to life in 2017 and has seen the programs from Ole Miss, Iowa State, Georgia Tech and UNLV claim an NIVC title. The 2022 event will launch with selection night on Nov. 27, with the championship match slated for Dec. 12 or 13.   
 
By Kyle Koso
 
When you play an ocean of volleyball, there’s a sea of possibilities that open up as a result.
 
The 2022 season for Marist College has shown the Red Foxes are not flinching from the demands of hard work, whether that’s gutting out a cluster of five-set matches or pounding away in practice as head coach Sean Byron keeps the tempo rocking like the busiest heavy-metal bass drum. Marist currently sits tied for second at 11-4 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (15-10 overall) and is set to end the regular season with three road matches and a route that can end with the program’s first 20-win season since 2015.
 
No one is likely to catch MAAC preseason No. 1 Fairfield (13-1, 19-6) before the league tournament, but Marist did win at Fairfield in five sets on Oct. 12, part of a 10-day window where the squad won three five-setters on the road. There’s a confidence that comes when every player knows they suit up prepared for whatever might happen.
 
“It helps then, justifying all that training. We talk about it a lot; recruits come in and ask what’s different, we say we play a lot, parents say no kidding, I would hope so and you’re not just out in the quad taking pictures,” said Byron, who took the reins at Marist in 2019 after working on Power 5 staffs (Ohio State, Michigan, West Virginia) for 12 years. “Traditional men’s training is 6-on-6, thinking that the team will make the individual better. Traditionally, old-school for women, we say we’ll work on digging from the left back, you put them in a line, they get a ball and go back to the end of the line. That’s training the individual to make the team better.
 
“We look to combine both – I’ll hit one to the girl at left back, and then we’ll go 6-on-6. It then goes back to the random sport (aspect) like soccer or lacrosse, the free-flowing where you have to make decisions. We had a 200-point practice (recently), and in a five-set match, you’re at 160, 170 points … with the volume, you get into game five, we’re feeling good.”
 
Offensively, the Red Foxes are getting great production from juniors Sasha van der Merwe (354 kills) and Jordan Newblett (251), but it can be argued that the special sauce for the group is cooked up from three grad students who fortify three essential positions on the floor. Running the show is setter McKinley Fox (9.55 assists per set); the back row features the steady hands of Morgan Owens at DS (who leads the team in digs), and the outside also can come hard with the swings of Gabrielle Heller (306 kills), who played at Washington State and Loyola Marymount before crossing the country and jumping in with Marist.
 
“We have grad students in three integral spots. They’ve been in college, going through the year-round training, dealing with classwork, living away from home, playing and training, watching their nutrition – all the stuff in a college season, when our current freshmen were in eighth grade,” Byron said. “You respect the fact this is their fifth year, and they’ve been doing it at this speed and physicality for so long. The maturity and confidence level really shows, and younger players will emulate that.
 
“You might hit a ball out of bounds; one attack error isn’t a lot. You can see as freshman, they hit one out and mentally spin, but hey, the next one isn’t worth two points. You play each point as it comes along, and that’s what is big for the grad students, the maturity and functioning under duress.”
 
After the dozen years of coaching for large-scale programs, Byron has embraced the little things that have led the Red Foxes to believe big things are possible from their intimate setting in Poughkeepsie, NY, just two hours from the heart of The Big Apple.
 
“It’s nice to be able to have control and run it how you want to,” he said. “It’s a lot different in terms of resources; the head coach is washing uniforms on Saturday so we have them for Sunday, we set up the nets and tape the floor. We’re the academic advisor, we talk about how to interview for jobs in the spring – it’s a one-stop shop for me and my staff. It’s also rewarding, you have ownership over every aspect. In terms of play, these kids want to win. They bought in to how we changed things and how we train, the volume we are training at, which is very high.”
 
The volleyball will continue to come fast and furious for Marist, with road contests at Siena (10-5), Niagara (5-9) and Canisius (8-6) looming ahead of the MAAC tourney, which hits before Thanksgiving weekend.
 
“I feel like even the matches we lost, it was really about things that were in our control, things we didn’t handle very well,” Byron added. “It wasn’t like having breakdowns in the same spot, and we felt good about our ability to correct all that. The kids feel pretty good where we are at.
 
“In the middle of season, we felt by end of year we wanted certain things in our toolbox, and we forced a few things into the system. We weren’t great at it, but eventually it started to feel better … the matches we’ve been good, we’ve been diversified. Middles, right side, outside, then offensively we can be a lot to handle. The matches where we played one-dimensional, that’s where we struggled. The more we can spread things out, the better we’ll be.”

​The NCAA has passed legislation adding the National Invitational Volleyball Championship as a permanent season-ending event for volleyball – Triple Crown Sports brought the event back to life in 2017 and has seen the programs from Ole Miss, Iowa State, Georgia Tech and UNLV claim an NIVC title. The 2022 event will launch with selection night on Nov. 27, with the championship match slated for Dec. 12 or 13.   
 
By Kyle Koso
 
Where others might see disconnect and disarray, Emily Mansur sees pieces in position and a story yet to be told.
 
The head coach for the Hofstra volleyball team has a nine-year history of bringing in multiple players from other countries to campus in Hempstead, NY., as the Brazilian native has connections there and elsewhere that have directed a lot of talent to the program. However, the range of countries contributing players means a swirl of cultures, languages and personalities must be directed to common ground – it’s tough to build a team on polite smiles.
 
Mansur’s roster in 2022 had unwieldly variety and an unhappy start, going 3-8 in pre-conference action, but the Pride has clearly solved the mystery, going 10-0 in the Colonial Athletic Association and sitting atop the standings with Towson (9-1, 19-1 overall) finally dropping a match last weekend. The recent success resonates all over the planet, as the following countries/territories are suiting up for Hofstra (take a breath) – Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Italy, Puerto Rico, Spain and Turkey, along with five Americans.
 
“It's a lot of fun, and a big, big challenge. We tell the players, when we start the season we’ll be two steps behind everyone else because of where players come from and that we need to teach the Hofstra Way,” Mansur said. “It is beautiful when you do get everyone speaking the same (volleyball) language. It’s a process, something we’ve been doing for the past nine years … we know there will be some tough moments. They figure out how to learn and respect each other, and that’s a lot of fun to see. We as coaches learn from each system we recruit from; it makes us better. All these different individuals become a part of Hofstra.”
 
It all looked and felt like an uphill journey when the current season began, with a real mood-tester hitting on Sept. 9-10 when the Pride lost in four sets to Syracuse and then in straight sets to Army and Yale. And it’s not like there were multiple seniors already on board, ready to deliver wisdom and insight to calm spirits, as the two seniors who see steady playing time still have two years of eligibility to come.
 
“That’s not a great situation, going 0-3 right before conference. We kept reminding the team, 65 percent of the lineup was injured, and we had ley players not able to play what they were recruited to do,” Mansur said. “That made a big difference, and it gave us hope that once we got healthy, things would change. For a lot of the off-season, a huge (portion) of our team just couldn’t play. The (struggles) may have helped us, given us some motivation, and we knew we’d become a better team.”
 
The Hofstra coaching staff top-to-bottom has international experience. Years ago, the personal connections they evolved helped attract foreign players, while today is more noted for internet-based services that speed the process. In the end, players report having a great run with the Pride, and foreign clubs and academies are willing to send in the next crew.
 
Leading the way in kills is senior Zyare Abdul-Rahim (215), with junior Yagmur Cinel next at 186 and two freshmen, Izadore Stedile and Clara Ball, right there with 146 and 144 kills, respectively. Sophomore setter Beatriz Alves was the most recent CAA offensive player of the week, and she has totaled 755 assists.  
 
“We are super young, but I think players feel they need to step it up and grow, being young is no excuse,” Mansur said. “And a little bit that with players from different countries, many of them are used to playing alongside older teammates and used to taking on a bigger role. Once they get here and figure out, how does NCAA volleyball work, how does my schedule work, it becomes easier to focus on volleyball. At the beginning, everything is super overwhelming. When parts of their life in American become regular, we see them able to focus on volleyball, and we see the results.”
 
The Pride has been to the NCAA tournament twice under Mansur’s direction, and it’s likely that Towson will be one of the primary obstacles as Hofstra looks to make it happen in 2020. Those teams square off Nov. 12-13 to close the CAA regular season, but the Pride will be on high alert this weekend to be sure, hosting a Delaware team that started 6-0 in CAA play before getting swept by Towson (which finally lost, at Elon, on Oct. 15).
 
“I won’t lie, I was hoping they didn’t lose yet – it’s hard to have a perfect season, and them losing now isn’t really that big or helpful for us,” Mansur added. “We will trust in our team, and Towson has all our respect, that is a great team and they do a phenomenal job. But if we don’t believe in our ability to find a way to beat them in the end, then they deserve it. We may have a chance at the regular season (title), but as a mid-major what really matters is the (CAA) tournament.
 
“We have lots of minor concerns, no question, but to pick on one, it’s the ability to be patient. When you are young, you want to produce the big kill, but the American game is much more about ball control. In Europe, it’s all about attacking, but here it’s more the tips and rolls, and you’ve got to be patient to play points that go longer. We are trying to develop that. Towson has great attackers, but they are really good at keeping the ball in play, and if we don’t play right that will be a problem.”

The NCAA has passed legislation adding the National Invitational Volleyball Championship as a permanent season-ending event for volleyball – Triple Crown Sports brought the event back to life in 2017 and has seen the programs from Ole Miss, Iowa State, Georgia Tech and UNLV claim an NIVC title. The 2022 event will launch with selection night on Nov. 27, with the championship match slated for Dec. 12 or 13.   
 
By Kyle Koso
 
Expectations can weigh heavily on a volleyball team, either way you look at it.
 
For the UTEP program, the old days were haunted thanks to a rough profile, evidenced by a 34-111 (.234) record from 2014-18 that drove a change at the top and the hiring of Ben Wallis as head coach. People didn’t much think about or care what the Miners were trying to do and being ignored can be very irritating in college athletics.
 
As the 2022 season began UTEP ended up with a curious spin on wrestling with history, trying to unleash its capabilities while still semi-obsessing over a 2021 season that saw them win 24 matches and make a run to the NIVC semifinals. That effort spawned the inevitable (and nagging) follow-up question, can you do it again?
 
The pressure certainly landed hard early, hitting maximum velocity when the Miners lost three straight five-set matches in three days – at their own tournament – including final set scores of 20-18 (New Mexico) and 17-15 (South Dakota). But the resilience of the program has been the more relevant story with UTEP (10-7) starting the Conference USA schedule at 4-0 and fully engaged to take on No. 22 Rice (14-1, 4-0 C-USA) on Saturday for an early foothold in the league standings.
 
“I knew we could be .500 at the end of preseason and still have a chance to win this conference. I did not expect us to just turn around, however, and win 24 matches like we did last year,” said Wallis, who did some aggressive tweaking of the lineup that brought in intriguing freshmen and asked veterans to work with the changes. “I knew it would be tougher, but I didn’t think we’d falter on match point on all three of those matches … that was a heartbreaking stretch, for our team and our psyche. And we had a hangover over the next couple weekends, just faltering and trying to figure out our identity.
 
“We sat down, got real with each other, said don’t feel sorry for yourselves. Our record’s bad, but we need to be competing better and being better offensively, for sure. We were functioning well, just not scoring, and that was our calling card last year. We started grinding at practice through the offense stuff, and we’ve gotten on a roll. Winning cures all, your confidence starts to grow, you’re more excited to get to work every day instead of thinking about five-set losses. Anytime you are starting five freshmen, you’re going to have ups and downs.”
 
With two five-set wins in C-USA play already, UTEP appears to have landed on the right approach. Grad student Serena Patterson (team-high 176 kills) and senior Alianza Darley (91 total blocks) were preseason all-conference honorees and have decoded the routes that allowed newcomers to thrive. Freshman outside Sara Pustahija (168 kills, team-high 31 aces) and setter Mattie Gantt look wise beyond their years, and the offense is getting a huge boost from redshirt freshman Torrance Lovesee (162 kills), who has earned C-USA offensive player of the week honors on two occasions.
 
“We had young pieces I thought would help us function more dangerously against the teams we need to beat at the end of the year. You’re trying to build the roster and a lineup to win not just right now but to win at the end of the year, when it’s most important,” Wallis said. “It all put a lot of pressure on Serena and Alianza to perform better than last year, pressure they put on themselves, and it didn’t go well. We took the pressure off, told them they don’t need to be world-beaters, just do their job and be competitive, because the young players can do the job. They recognize it … and it’s been cool because the veterans look around and see yeah, we can be better than last year. The record won’t be better, but we can win at a higher level.
 
“Expectations are high, people think it’s a team that should be pretty good, and we are. It just looks different. Any program that has a target on their back, the hardest thing is recreating it. We used to be picked to be dead last … it’s one thing to be the doormat and work your way to the top versus having an expectation and executing that. Winning programs need to get how to deal with that.”
 
The Miners (who ranks third in all of D-I in total aces) will certainly get tested in the next week or so, hosting Rice on Saturday and also taking on No. 25 Western Kentucky (16-2, 4-0) at home on Oct. 16. UTEP will play five of its first six C-USA games on its home floor. Wallis added that the team is about to get a major reinforcement in junior Vittoria Price, who has been out several weeks with a broken finger and may be available as soon as Saturday.
 
“We run two setters, with four attackers at any given time,” he said. “We are hitting over .300 in the last six matches, against good opponents, and we are starting to be that six-headed monster.”
 
LAST WORD – Wallis on the significant boost his program enjoyed when the Miners accepted an NIVC bid last year, making that impressive run to the final four:
 
“The NIVC experience for my team was invaluable. I’m glad the NCAA has sanctioned in as a postseason tournament; getting your female student-athletes in the most exciting sport in the country and the fastest-growing sport, that opportunity to play in the postseason and go after a championship is a big deal. The NIVC provided a special environment, on the road but for sure at home. Our city fell in love with the team, 3,500-3,600 people at our games, and I’ll never forget what it felt like watching the team run out of the locker room into that scene. The gym hadn’t looked like that since the 1960s when the basketball team used to play there. To play good volleyball against really good teams at the end of the year, it’s a no-brainer. You’ve got a meaningful reason for teams that miss out on an at-large NCAA big to play in it and try to win it. That’s what we are looking for.”