2019 NIVC Tournament Bracket


North Carolina A&T State, which won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Southern Division crown before being eliminated in the semifinals of the conference tournament, has earned a bid in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC), as the 32-team field was announced on Sunday.

This will be the program's first-ever postseason bid.

The Aggies (16-14) will head to Atlanta, Ga., to take on Troy in the first round on Friday at 4 p.m. Site host Georgia Tech will face Alabama A&M at 7 p.m.

The winners of those two matches will face each other on Saturday at 7 p.m.

North Carolina A&T State boasts the MEAC Co-Player of the Year in setter/rightside Edie Brewer, the MEAC Coach of the Year in Hal Clifton and First Team All-MEAC honorees in Brewer and Courteney Pitt. Brewer ranks seventh in the MEAC in assists, eighth in hitting percentage and ninth in kills, while Pitt ranks fourth in the conference in kills.

Troy (22-9) fell to Texas State in the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference tournament on Saturday, Nov. 23. The Trojans are led by outside hitter Cheyenne Hayes and setter Amara Anderson, both of whom were named First Team All-Sun Belt. Defensive specialist Lacy Jeffcoat was named to the Sun Belt All-Tournament Team.

“We are honored to have been selected to play in the NIVC,” Clifton said. “This is a big step forward for our program, as it's the first time A&T volleyball has made the postseason. It's a testament to the work and effort the team has put into this year. I'm really proud of the team and the way they have competed throughout the season. We are certainly excited to represent our beloved school on a national stage against other top-level volleyball programs.”

Powered by Triple Crown Sports, this is the third year of the reborn NIVC event, which originally ran from 1989-1995. Previous champions of the new incarnation of the NIVC are Iowa State (2018) and Ole Miss (2017).
 
All matches in the NIVC are hosted by participating schools. Rounds 1 and 2 will be held Dec. 5-7; Round 3 will take place Dec. 9-12, and the semifinals will be held between Dec. 13-15.

The NIVC championship match will be held either Dec. 16, 17 or 18.

This marks the second time a MEAC program has earned an NIVC bid in the tournament's three years since its return. Maryland Eastern Shore earned a bid in 2017, taking on West Virginia.