NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament
The NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament is an annual event that leads to the championship in women's volleyball from teams in Division I contested by the NCAA each winter since 1981. Stanford won the most recent tournament, defeating Wisconsin 3-0 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.
History
From 1970 through 1980, before the NCAA governed women's collegiate athletics, the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women conducted the women's collegiate volleyball championships.Volleyball was one of twelve women's sports added to the NCAA championship program for the 1981–82 school year, as the NCAA engaged in battle with the AIAW for sole governance of women's collegiate sports. The AIAW continued to conduct its established championship program in the same twelve sports; however, after a year of dual women's championships, the NCAA won the fight and assumed the AIAW's authority and membership.
The first NCAA championship tournament was held in 1981, with 20 schools competing for the title. The tournament expanded gradually, moving to 28 teams in 1982, 32 in 1986, 48 in 1993, 56 in 1997, and finally to its current size of 64 in 1998.
There is also an NCAA Men's National Collegiate Volleyball Championship, which until 2012 was open to members of all three NCAA divisions,, as there are far fewer men's programs than women's. However, starting in the 2011–12 school year, a Division III championship was established. The National Collegiate championship now involves only Division I and II members; under NCAA rules, D-II schools can compete under D-I rules in any sport that does not have a dedicated D-II national championship.
Champions
- The following is a list of Division I champions and runners-up with the champion's overall record, city, site and other national semifinal participants.
Statistics
Team titles
| Team | Number | Year won |
| Stanford | 9 | 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2016, 2018, 2019 |
| Penn State | 7 | 1999, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014 |
| Nebraska | 5 | 1995, 2000, 2006, 2015, 2017 |
| UCLA | 4 | 1984, 1990, 1991, 2011 |
| Hawaii | 3 | 1982, 1983, 1987 |
| Long Beach State | 3 | 1989, 1993, 1998 |
| USC | 3 | 1981, 2002, 2003 |
| Texas | 2 | 1988, 2012 |
| Pacific | 2 | 1985, 1986 |
| Washington | 1 | 2005 |
Champions by decade
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
Winners of two or more consecutive championships
| Wins | Team | Years |
| 4 | Penn State | 2007–10 |
| 2 | Hawaii | 1982, 1983 |
| 2 | Pacific | 1985, 1986 |
| 2 | UCLA | 1990, 1991 |
| 2 | Stanford | 1996, 1997, 2018, 2019 |
| 2 | USC | 2002, 2003 |
| 2 | Penn State | 2013, 2014 |
Common Matchups in Championship Final
Champions by state
Final 4 Appearances
Current Conference Key
Records
- Highest attendance: 18,516
- Lowest attendance for a championship match: 2,000
- Lowest seed to win championship: 11
- Lowest seed in championship game: Unseeded
- Most championships: Stanford
- Most consecutive championships: Penn State
- Most consecutive postseason victories: Penn State
- Most championships by a head coach: Russ Rose
- Most championships by conference: Pac-12
- Most appearances in championship match: Stanford
- Most semifinal appearances: Stanford
- Most semifinal appearances without a championship: Florida
- Undefeated seasons : Long Beach State, Nebraska, USC, Penn State
Most Outstanding Player
In 1991 and now annually since 1996, the NCAA has awarded the most outstanding player of the NCAA championship.| Year | Most Outstanding Player | School |
| 1991 | Natalie Williams Antoinnette White | UCLA Long Beach State |
| 1996 | Kerri Walsh | Stanford |
| 1997 | Terri Zemaitis | Penn State |
| 1998 | Misty May Lauren Cacciamani | Long Beach State Penn State |
| 1999 | Lauren Cacciamani | Penn State |
| 2000 | Greichaly Cepero | Nebraska |
| 2001 | Logan Tom | Stanford |
| 2002 | Keao Burdine | Southern California |
| 2003 | Keao Burdine | Southern California |
| 2004 | Ogonna Nnamani | Stanford |
| 2005 | Christal Morrison | Washington |
| 2006 | Sarah Pavan | Nebraska |
| 2007 | Megan Hodge | Penn State |
| 2008 | Megan Hodge | Penn State |
| 2009 | Destinee Hooker | Texas |
| 2010 | Deja McClendon | Penn State |
| 2011 | Rachael Kidder | UCLA |
| 2012 | Bailey Webster | Texas |
| 2013 | Micha Hancock | Penn State |
| 2014 | Megan Courtney | Penn State |
| 2015 | Mikaela Foecke | Nebraska |
| 2016 | Inky Ajanaku | Stanford |
| 2017 | Mikaela Foecke Kelly Hunter | Nebraska |
| 2018 | Morgan Hentz Kathryn Plummer | Stanford |
| 2019 | Kathryn Plummer | Stanford |