More NAIA – Champions of Character

“We are the champions, my friends, and we’ll keep on fightin’ till the end. We are the champions, No time for losers, ‘Cause we are the champions of the world.” From the song “We Are the Champions” by Queen. Women’s college Volleyball teams (all 1,686 of them) begin their annual quest for a championship. We’ll stay focused on the NAIA for now.
In 2014 the NAIA Women’s national championship tournament will take place in Sioux City, Iowa from December 2 through December 6. The NAIA uses a pool play system followed by a single elimination playoff bracket. Pool play consists of 6 pools of 4 teams each for a total of 24 teams, which is approximately 10% of the 222 colleges which sponsor women’s volleyball.
Last year the University of Texas, Brownsville defeated Biola University in straight sets to take home the hardware. Other top programs in 2013 are listed below, based on the conference tournaments.
• American Midwest Conference (AMC) – Columbia College.
• Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) – Bryan College.
• Association of Independent Institutions (AII) – Cal State University at San Marcos.
• California Pacific Conference (Cal Pac) – . Menlo College.
• Cascade Collegiate Conference (Cascade) – College of Idaho.
• Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) – Trinity Christian College.
• Crossroads League (Crossroads) – Indiana Wesleyan University.
• Frontier Conference (Frontier) – Rocky Mountain College.
• Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) – Biola University.
• (Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) – Midland University.
• Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) – Xavier University of New Orleans.
• Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) – MidAmerica Nazarene University.
• Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) – Ottawa University.
• Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC) – Indiana University East.
• Mid-South Conference (Mid-South) – Georgetown College.
• Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC) – Bellevue University.
• Midwest Collegiate Conference (MCC) – Grand View University.
• North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) – University of Jamestown.
• Red River Athletic Conference (Red River) – University of Texas at Brownsville
• Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) – Oklahoma Baptist University.
• Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) – Spring Hill College.
• The Sun Conference (TSC) – Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
• Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) – Madonna University.

So, a different conference than the NCAA. Let’s grow the game and support these programs, too.