DES MOINES, Iowa – [Pool Play Schedule | Bracket] The 2021 NAIA Men’s Volleyball Championship will open up play with pool play matches on Tuesday, April 20 in the Iowa Events Center.

Quick Facts

• This is the third year that the championship has been hosted by Grand View (Iowa).
• There are 12 teams that advanced to the final site. Eight teams automatically qualified for the tournament through their conference and four teams were selected by a selection committee as at-large qualifiers.
• Eight of the 12 qualifying teams (Benedictine Mesa (Ariz.), Campbellsville (Ky.), Grand View (Iowa), Jamestown (N.D.), Lourdes (Ohio), Missouri Baptist, Missouri Valley and Park (Mo.)) have all been ranked in the Top 5 of the coaches’ Top 15 poll at least twice during some point in the season.
• Teams to watch
  • Benedictine Mesa (Ariz.) – The Redhawks return to the championship field as the defending national champions. The team started at No. 5 in the preseason poll and worked their way up to No. 2 and stayed there for the final three polls this season. Benedictine Mesa (Ariz.) leads the nation in hitting percentage at 0.366.
  • Campbellsville (Ky.) – The Tigers have been ranked in the Top 5 for the entire season. The team ranked as high as two and as low as four. Campbellsville (Ky.) is second in the nation in service aces per set at 2.3.
  • Grand View (Iowa) – The Vikings have held the No. 1 spot since the last poll that was released during 2020 for eight consecutive No. 1 appearances in the poll. The team has gone undefeated on the season and leads the nation in kills per set (13.9) and assists per set (12.5). Grand View returns to the championship field after losing in the semifinals to Benedictine Mesa (Ariz.) in 2019.
• Players to watch
  • Bobby Henige of Benedictine Mesa (Ariz.) -  leads the nation in hitting percentage of 0.610. The senior has totaled 113 kills on the season out of 177 total attempts with only five errors thus far.
  • Felix Chapman of Grand View (Iowa) - leads the nation in kills per set with 11 kills per set. Chapman has compiled 348 kills so far this season.
  • Francisco Arredondo of Grand View (Iowa) - leads the nation in assist per set at 11. Arredondo has totaled 716 assists on the season.
  • Aaron Kummer of Saint Xavier (Ill.) - follows Arredondo with 10.9 assists per set. The senior has totaled 927 assists on the year.
  • Jeff Lam of Lourdes (Ohio) - leads the nation in service aces per set at 0.9. Lam has recorded 47 aces in 52 sets played.
  • Ryan Gunn Georgetown (Ky.) – follows closely behind Lam with 0.8 aces per set. Gun has notched 40 service aces in 50 sets played.
• The first three days of the tournament will consist of pool play matches. Pools are made up of three teams each and the teams that have the best record in each pool or win on a tie break scenario advance to the semifinals.
• The semifinals are the beginning of single elimination bracket play with the winners advancing to the championships.
• In the second year of being a championship sport, the defending national champion Benedictine Mesa (Ariz.) return to the 2021 championship field.
• This is the first year that Campbellsville (Ky.), Georgetown (Ky.), Indiana Tech, Jamestown (N.D.), Missouri Valley and Vanguard (Calif.) have qualified for the national championship.
• Benedictine Mesa (Ariz.), Grand View (Iowa), Lourdes (Ohio), Missouri Baptist, Park (Mo.) and Saint Xavier (Ill.) all return to the championship field after competing in the inaugural championship in 2019.

• The NAIA Network – the association's official video-streaming home – will broadcast all pool play matches live at the 2020 NAIA Men’s Volleyball National Championship final site in Des Moines, Iowa. The video platform, powered by Stretch Internet, allows users access to live video, statistics and social interaction on a number of devices, including mobile. Single-day passes can be purchased for $9.95, while a pool play pass is $29.95 (April 20-22).

• The semifinals on April 23 and the championship on April 24 will be streamed through ESPN3.

Make sure to download the Experience NAIA Championship App for updated news and information for the 2020 NAIA Men's Volleyball Championship! Download the app HERE!