Road to the Championship

National Participation
There are 340 NCAA member institutions that sponsor Division I Women’s Volleyball teams and most are eligible to compete in the National Championship. All 340 programs support over 5,500 Women’s Volleyball student-athletes across the country.

Selection Process
The 2021 Division I Women’s Volleyball championship will provide a field of 64 teams to compete in a single elimination tournament. Of the 64 teams, 32 teams receive automatic qualification while the remaining 32 teams will be selected on an at-large basis by the Division I Women’s Volleyball Committee.

Selection Show | Sunday, November 28, 2021
The NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship bracket will be announced the Sunday before the first round of competition.

First and Second Rounds | December 2-4, 2021
First and Second round competition will be held at non-predetermined campus sites. Teams will compete in a single-elimination first round competition. The advancing teams will then compete against each other in single-elimination second round competition. The winning team from each of the 16 second rounds advance to the regional round.

Regionals | December 9-11, 2021
Regionals for the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship will also be held at non-predetermined campus sites. Teams will compete in single-elimination regional semifinal competition. The advancing teams then compete against each other in single-elimination regional finals. 

National Championship | December 16-18, 2021
The 2021 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship will be held at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH. The National Semifinals will be held December 16, at 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. The National Championship will take place December 18, at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.