NAIA Volleyball Bracket Announced; NWC Will Host College of the Ozarks in Opening Round

Fourth-straight season hosting NAIA Opening Round match

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The top-ranked and Great Plains Athletic Conference tournament champions Northwestern College volleyball team (26-2, 14-2 GPAC) was ensured a spot in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national tournament and a host bid in the Opening Round, as the national office announced the 48-team field this afternoon.

VB | No surprise! The No. 1-ranked Red Raiders will host their fourth-straight @NAIA Opening Round match on Saturday!#RaidersStandOut | @NWCVolleyball pic.twitter.com/7eSsIexbzk
— NWC Red Raiders (@nwcraiders) November 13, 2023

The Red Raiders will play host to the College of the Ozarks (Mo.) Bobcats in the Opening Round of the national tournament in Orange City. The Bobcats are members of the Continental Athletic Conference (CAC), the governing body of the NAIA independents and do not play a 'conference' schedule. Entering the national tournament with a 21-11 overall record, the College of the Ozarks earned an automatic berth as the tournament champions of the CAC.

For the fourth consecutive season, Northwestern will play host in the Opening Round. The last three seasons have seen the Red Raiders down (RV) Trinity Christian (Ill.) (2020), IU-Kokomo (Ind.) (2021), and Philander Smith (Ark.) all in straight sets. The Red Raiders are making their 19^th all-time appearance in the national tournament, and their seventh-straight appearance under head coach Kyle Van Den Bosch.

First serve from inside the Bultman Center is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 18. Stay tuned to nwcraiders.com for the preview and match notes to come later this week.

Don't forget to follow Northwestern College Athletics on Facebook @nwcraiders, Twitter @nwcraiders, and Instagram @nwcraiders! #RaidersStandOut

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