UW-Oshkosh To Host Final Rounds Of NCAA Volleyball Championship
UW-Oshkosh will host the final three rounds of the 2016 NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Championship from Nov. 17-19 in Kolf Sports Center.
The championship features a field of 64 teams, with eight squads beginning play at each of the eight regional sites. Regional winners will then convene on the UW-Oshkosh campus for the quarterfinal, semifinal and championship rounds.
Quarterfinal round matches in the 35th edition of the championship commence at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 17. That contest will be followed by games at 3 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Semifinal round matches will be held at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 18 and the national championship game will be contested at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19.
Kolf Sports Center, which seats nearly 5,000 people, is hosting the final rounds of the NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Championship for the second time. UW-Oshkosh previously hosted the semifinals and final of the 1996 championship when the Titans, Juniata College (Pa.), St. Olaf College (Minn.) and Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.) were the participants.
UW-Oshkosh secured the right to host the final three rounds of the 2016 championship through a bid it submitted during the 2014-18 NCAA championship bid cycle. Recent host institutions for the championship were Calvin College (Mich.) in 2015, Christopher Newport University (Va.) in 2014, Hope College (Mich.) in 2012 and 2013, and Washington University in St. Louis in 2010 and 2011.
Last year, California Lutheran University won its first NCAA Division III championship with a 3-0 victory over Wittenberg University (Ohio). Other quarterfinal round contestants in Grand Rapids, Mich., were Bethel University (Minn.), Bowdoin College (Maine), Carthage College (Wis.), Clarkson University (NY.), Hendrix College (Ark.) and Randolph-Macon College (Va.).
Just 13 schools have ever won the NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Championship. Washington University in St. Louis won the most recent of its division-leading 10 titles in 2009. Current NCAA Division II program University of California, San Diego is next with seven championships and Central College (Iowa) has three. They are followed by the two titles apiece from Calvin College, Elmhurst College (Ill.), Juniata College, University of La Verne (Calif.) and UW-Whitewater, and the one each from California Lutheran University, Emory University (Ga.), Hope College, University of St. Thomas (Minn.) and Wittenberg University.
Prior to California Lutheran University’s title of a season ago, Hope College won the championship in 2014, Calvin College in 2013, University of St. Thomas in 2012 and Wittenberg University in 2010. It marked the first time in the 34-year history of the championship that five different teams won titles over a five-year span.
UW-Oshkosh, along with three other Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference women's volleyball programs, is ranked nationally by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. UW-La Crosse (20-3) is ranked 10th in the country while UW-Whitewater (21-6) lists 14th, UW-Stevens Point (24-6) 17th and UW-Oshkosh (25-6) 23rd. UW-Oshkosh advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship in 1991, 1994, 1996 and 2009.
UW-Oshkosh has been the host institution for 35 NCAA Division III Championships from 1994-2015. The university previously hosted national events in the sports of baseball (2000-16), women’s basketball (1996), men’s and women’s cross country (1999, 2011, 2015), men’s and women’s indoor track & field (1994, 1997, 2001), men’s and women’s outdoor track & field (2007-08) and women’s volleyball (1996).
All-session passes to the final three rounds of the 2016 NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Championship in Kolf Sports Center are $25 for adults, $20 for senior citizens (55 and older) and $15 for students (3-18 or with a College ID). Daily tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for senior citizens (55 and older) and $6 for students (3-18 or with a College ID). Children under the age of 3 are admitted free.
Daily group tickets are on sale through Nov. 9. Group tickets are $3 each with a minimum order of 10 tickets. Each group will receive recognition during the matches and receive free popcorn. The first 400 group ticket holders will receive a Molten mini volleyball. (Group Rate Promotional Flyer)
For more information about the NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Championship, visit www.ncaa.com or www.uwoshkoshtitans.com. For ticket information, contact Susie Gustke at (920) 424-1383 or gustke@uwosh.edu.