FAQ

How many teams make the NCAA Division III women’s volleyball tournament?
In 2023, 64 teams. There were 64 teams in 2011-22, 63 teams in 2010 and 62 teams in 2009.

How do teams qualify for the NCAA tournament?
The NCAA selects teams via Pool A, Pool B and Pool C bids.

What’s a Pool A bid?
Those are the automatic qualifiers from conferences with six or more full NCAA members. Not all conferences award Pool A bids in the same way, although the vast majority are given to conference tournament outright winners. These are the conferences that will receive Pool A bids (42 total) in 2023:
Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference
American Rivers Conference
American Southwest Conference
Atlantic East Conference
Centennial Conference
City University of New York Athletic Conference
Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference
College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin
Commonwealth Coast Conference
Commonwealth Conference
Empire 8 Athletic Conference
Freedom Conference
Great Northeast Athletic Conference
Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference
Landmark Conference
Liberty League
Little East Conference
Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Midwest Conference
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
New England Small College Athletic Conference
New England Women’s and Men’s Athletics Conference
New Jersey Athletic Conference
North Atlantic Conference
North Coast Athletic Conference
Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference
Northwest Conference
Ohio Athletic Conference
Old Dominion Athletic Conference
Presidents’ Athletic Conference
Skyline Conference
Southern Athletic Association
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
State University of New York Athletic Conference
United East Conference
University Athletic Association
Upper Midwest Conference
USA South Athletic Conference
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
There were 44 Pool A bids in 2021-22, 43 in 2016-19, 44 in 2014-15, 43 in 2013, 42 in 2010-12, and 40 in 2009.

What’s a Pool B bid?
Pool B bids are awarded to independent institutions and institutions that are members of conferences that do not meet the requirements for automatic qualification (Pool A).

What’s a Pool C bid?
Pool C is reserved for institutions from automatic-qualifier (Pool A) conferences that are not their conference’s automatic qualifier and the remaining teams in Pool B.

Exactly how many Pool A, Pool B and Pool C bids are awarded?
In 2023 there will be 42 Pool A bids, 1 Pool B bid, 21 Pool C bids.
2022: 44 Pool A bids, 1 Pool B bid, 19 Pool C bids.
2021: 44 Pool A bids, 0 Pool B bids, 20 Pool C bids.
2020: [No championship]
2019: 43 Pool A bids, 1 Pool B bid, 20 Pool C bids.
2018: 43 Pool A bids, 2 Pool B bids, 19 Pool C bids.
2017: 43 Pool A bids, 1 Pool B bid, 20 Pool C bids.
2016: 43 Pool A bids, 1 Pool B bid, 20 Pool C bids.
2015: 44 Pool A bids, 0 Pool B bids, 20 Pool C bids.
2014: 44 Pool A bids, 0 Pool B bids, 20 Pool C bids.
2013: 43 Pool A bids, 2 Pool B bids, 19 Pool C bids.
2012: 42 Pool A bids, 2 Pool B bids, 20 Pool C bids.
2011: 42 Pool A bids, 2 Pool B bids, 20 Pool C bids.
2010: 42 Pool A bids, 2 Pool B bids, 19 Pool C bids.
2009: 40 Pool A bids, 3 Pool B bids, 19 Pool C bids.

How is the NCAA D III volleyball tournament structured?
In 2023 the 64 selected teams will play in eight regional tournaments (Nov. 16-18) held on DIII campuses. With 64 teams, all eight regionals will have eight teams.

The winners of the eight regional tournaments play in the final tournament at a predetermined site. In 2023 the seeded final tournament will be held Nov. 29 – Dec. 2 at Roberts Pavilion in Claremont, Calif.

The 2024 finals (Dec. 4-7) will be in Salem, Va., before heading to Bloomington, Ill., in 2025 (Dec. 3-6).

How are regional tournament hosts determined?
The NCAA selects hosts based on bids submitted by schools. The NCAA considers, in no particular order: regional rankings, geographic locations, submitted budgets, available lodging accommodations, quality and seating capacity of the playing facilities among many other criteria.

What are regional rankings?
The NCAA Division III volleyball is broken down into 10 geographic regions. Each of those regions has an advisory committee (with different people making them up each year), comprised of head coaches and/or athletic administrators, that helps create a ranking for each region.

The 10 committees rank seven teams in each region this year. Those regional rankings are published on the NCAA website during the last three weeks of the regular season. The final regional rankings – the ones that are formed following conference tournaments and used for selection purposes  – will be also be published along with the announced field of 64.

The regional rankings are based on teams’ records, opponents’ winning percentages, results against ranked teams, head-to-head results and opponents’ opponents’ winning percentages among other factors.

Each regional advisory committee has a chairperson. Those chairpersons form the national selection committee on selection day. The national committee can alter the regional rankings if they did not conform to the stated selection criteria.

What’s the difference between regional rankings and regular Top 25 rankings?
In short, regional rankings are the rankings that matter. The NCAA publishes three regional rankings that help create the official order for the purposes of selection to the NCAA tournament. Top 25 polls have no bearing on NCAA selections.

In what order are Pool A, Pool B and Pool C bids awarded?
Pool A teams are the first in the NCAA tournament. Then the NCAA selects the Pool B teams, if any. After Pool A and Pool B teams are taken away, every other team, regardless of region or whether they are from Pool B or Pool C conferences, is up for consideration. The basis for selection is the final and the one preceding regional rankings lists. The NCAA begins the Pool C process by selecting the best team in the nation of the ones that didn’t earn a Pool A or a Pool B bid.

Ten teams – one team from each region – are up for selection consideration in each round.

Example: The No. 2-ranked teams from each region are up for Pool C selection. Say the No. 2 team from Region VIII is selected. Then the No. 2 teams from the previous selection round are still up for consideration against the No. 3 team from Region VIII. Repeat that process until all 64 slots are full, and that’s how the NCAA arrives at the final 64 teams, which are then grouped into the eight regionals based primarily on geographic location and competitive balance.

Where can I get a harder-to-comprehend version of this information?
The NCAA publishes Manuals for each sport in each division, detailing how champions are determined.
The 2023 NCAA Division III Pre-Championship Manual can be found here.

-Ricky Nelson