Park University beach volleyball qualifies for NAIA National Invitational Tournament
PARKVILLE, Mo. — Park University can very well make a claim as the Volleyball Capital of America. For a number of years, both of Park鈥檚 men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 indoor volleyball teams have advanced to the NAIA national tournament and have claimed seven national championships (5 men鈥檚, 2 women鈥檚) between them. Now, for the second year in a row as an official NAIA sport, Park鈥檚 women鈥檚 beach volleyball team is one of six teams that have qualified for the NAIA Beach Volleyball National Invitational Tournament. Park University is the only NAIA school in the country to have all three teams advance to those tournaments.
On April 10, the NAIA announced the pairings for the beach volleyball national tourney, to be played in Panama City, Fla., Thursday-Saturday, April 20-22.
The No. 5 Pirates (16-1), whose only loss came at the hands of the NCAA鈥檚 University of Nebraska at the start of the season, will open play in Pool A against No. 1 Westcliff University (Calif., 17-3) at 10 a.m. on April 20. Park will then play No. 4 Ottawa University (Ariz., 16-8) at noon.
Pool play will determine placement in the single-elimination tournament that begins on Friday (April 21) with the first round (2nd place in one pool playing 3rd place in the other pool and vice versa for the second match) and semifinals (the two teams that win their respective pools advance to the semifinals to play the winners of the first round). The national championship match will be played on Saturday, April 22, at noon.
Also competing in the national tournament are No. 2 Corban University (Ore., 19-4); No. 3 Vanguard University (Calif., 17-4); and No. 6 Webber International University (Fla., 16-3)
For the uninitiated, in beach volleyball, five two-person teams compete against their respective counterpart (No. 1 vs. No. 1, No. 2 vs. No. 2, etc.). Each match is a best-of-three with the first two sets to 21 and the third set (if needed) to 15 (all sets must be won by two points). The school that is victorious in the majority of the matches against their opponent wins.
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