Men's Volleyball: NCAA Division III Tournament Bracket Announced
(Nashua, N.H.) The Rivier University Men's Volleyball team was announced as the No. 8 seed in the NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Championship, which will begin this upcoming weekend. The Raiders will square off against #9 Lancaster Bible on Friday night with the winner moving on to play against #1 Springfield College on Saturday.
The Raiders, who are ranked #14 in the latest AVCA Division III National Coaches Poll, earned an automatic bid to the National Dance of 12 teams as the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Champions. Rivier enters this weekend's opening round with an overall record of 26-6 and a perfect 14-0 mark against the conference.
Springfield College will serve as a a host site for an opening weekend pod, as Rivier and Lancaster Bible will compete in Blake Arena on Friday, April 20 at 6 pm. The Pride will await the winner for a Saturday night tilt at 6 pm on April 21, with the winner earning a spot in the national semifinals. The national semifinals and championship will take place at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Ticket prices for the weekend are $6 for adults, $4 for senior citizens and students, and $3 for children.
On the same side of the bracket as Rivier, 4th-seeded Vassar will face either No. 5 Kean or No. 12 St. Joseph's (L.I.). In the bottom half of the bracket, 3rd-seeded Stevens will play the winner of No. 10 Stevenson and No. 7 Elms, while 2nd-seeded Carthage will face the winner of No. 11 Hunter and No. 7 Dominican. The championship continues with two semifinal matches on Friday, April 27 and the championship match on Saturday, April 28 in Wisconsin.
The Raidrs faced Springfield twice earlier this season, dropping a 3-0 decision in New Hampshire on January 31 before falling at the Blake Arena in three sets on February 24. Rivier and Lancaster Bible have never played each other.
Rivier has played in three of the last six NCAA Division III National Championship tournaments, advancing to the National Semifinals in 2013.
Live Video and Live Stats will be available for all matches played at Springfield College. Links will be made available on both www.rivierathletics.com and www.springfieldcollegepride.com
For the complete NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Interactive Bracket, click here: https://www.ncaa.com/interactive-bracket/volleyball-men/d3/2018
