The 1997 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship provides for a field of 56 teams. Sixteen first- and second-round matches will be played December 4-7. Winners will advance to four regional tournaments (December 11- 14), also to be played on the campuses of participating institutions. The four regional winners will meet for the championship December 18 and 20. Competition will be single-elimination, best three-of-five-game matches.
The national semifinals and final will be played December 18 and 20 at the Spokane Arena in Spokane, Washington. Washington State University is the host institution.
Twenty-six conferences were granted automatic qualification for the 1997 championship and four conferences competed in play-in competition to fill the remaining two conference berths. The remaining 28 teams were selected at large.
Previous Appearances Last
Conference Team Record Yrs. Won Lost Appear.
America East Hofstra 23-13 2 0 2 1996
Atlantic Coast Clemson 26-7 2 1 2 1994
Atlantic 10 Temple 29-4 FIRST APPEARANCE
Big East Notre Dame 23-8 6 6 6 1996
Big Sky Cal State Sacramento 21-8 FIRST APPEARANCE
Big South Liberty 26-8 FIRST APPEARANCE
Big Ten Penn State 30-1 16 18 16 1996
Big 12 Texas 23-6 15 32 14 1996
Big West Long Beach State 30-1 11 24 9 1996
Colonial American 30-3 FIRST APPEARANCE
Conference USA Houston 22-9 7 3 7 1996
Ivy Princeton 22-5 1 0 1 1994
Metro Atlantic Fairfield 25-9 FIRST APPEARANCE
Mid-American Northern Illinois 26-3 2 1 2 1996
Mid-Continent Oral Roberts 28-9 2 3 2 1996
Midwestern Col. Butler 27-6 FIRST APPEARANCE
Missouri Valley Illinois State 24-8 9 2 9 1996
Ohio Valley Tennessee Tech 23-9 FIRST APPEARANCE
Pacific-10 Stanford 28-2 16 44 14 1996
Southeastern Arkansas 29-5 1 1 1 1996
Southern Chattanooga 26-9 FIRST APPEARANCE
Southland Stephen F. Austin 23-12 1 0 1 1994
Sun Belt Arkansas-Little Rock 16-12 1 0 1 1996
Trans America Central Florida 27-3 3 0 3 1996
West Coast San Diego 25-3 2 0 2 1996
Western Ath. Brigham Young 27-5 15 17 15 1996
Mid-Eastern At. Morgan State 25-9 FIRST APPEARANCE Patriot Lehigh 18-12 FIRST APPEARANCE
Previous Appearances Last
Team Conference Record Yrs. Won Lost Appear.
Western Ath. Brigham Young 27-5 15 17 15 1996
Arizona Pacific-10 20-6 12 9 12
Colorado Big 12 20-8 7 3 7
Colorado State Western Ath. 26-5 8 5 8 1996
Florida Southeastern 31-3 7 15 7 1996
Florida State Atlantic Coast 25-8 8 1 8 1993
Hawaii Western Ath. 25-7 15 35 12 1996
Kansas State Big 12 20-12 1 1 1 1996
Loyola Marymount West Coast 21-6 4 2 4 1996
Maryland Atlantic Coast 26-1 3 1 3 1996
Miami (Ohio) Mid-American 23-7 4 0 4 1996
Michigan Big Ten 20-11 FIRST APPEARANCE
Michigan State Big Ten 22-11 3 5 3 1996
Minnesota Big Ten 22-9 3 4 3 1996
Nebraska Big 12 25-6 15 33 14 1996
Ohio State Big Ten 22-10 8 10 8 1996
Oklahoma Big 12 19-12 2 2 2 1988
Pacific Big West 22-8 16 33 16 1996
Pepperdine West Coast 23-5 9 0 9 1991
South Carolina Southeastern 20-7 2 1 2 1995
South Florida Conference USA 25-8 3 0 3 1996
Southern California Pacific-10 21-5 14 21 13 1996
Texas A&M Big 12 24-7 8 6 8 1996
UC Santa Barbara Big West 29-4 16 8 16 1996
UCLA Pacific-10 16-12 15 43 13 1995
Villanova Big East 20-8 FIRST APPEARANCE
Washington Pacific-10 18-9 5 4 5 1996
Washington State Pacific-10 24-6 5 3 5 1996
Wisconsin Big Ten 28-2 5 5 5 1996
1. Penn State (East) 2. Long Beach State (Pacific) 3. Stanford (Mountain) 4. Wisconsin (Central) 5. Florida (Central) 6. U.C. Santa Barbara (Mountain) 7. Nebraska (Pacific) 8. Brigham Young (East)
EAST 1. Penn State (30-1) 2. BYU (27-5) 3. Texas A&M (24-7) 4. Maryland (26-1) 5. Ohio State (22-10) 6. Michigan (20-11) 7. Minnesota (22-9) 8. Nothern Illinois (26-3) 9. Villanova (20-8) 10. Miami (Ohio) (23-7) 11. Temple (29-4) 12. Fairfield (25-9) 13. Princeton (22-5) 14. Hofstra (23-13) CENTRAL 1. Wisconsin (28-2) 2. Florida (31-3) 3. Washington State (24-6) 4. Arkansas (29-5) 5. Colorado State (26-5) 6. Notre Dame (23-8) 7. Florida State (25-8) 8. Central Florida (27-3) 9. Clemson (26-7) 10. South Florida (25-8) 11. Liberty (26-8) 12. American (30-3) 13. Arkansas-Little Rock (16-12) 14. Lehigh (18-12) PACIFIC 1. Long Beach State (30-1) 2. Nebraska (25-6) 3. Southern Cal (21-5) 4. Washington (18-9) 5. Pacific (22-8) 6. San Diego (25-3) 7. Michigan State (22-11) 8. Hawaii (25-7) 9. Loyola Marymount (21-6) 10. Butler (27-6) 11. Kansas State (20-12) 12. Cal State Sacramento (21-8) 13. Chattanooga (26-9) 14. Morgan State (25-9) MOUNTAIN 1. Stanford (28-2) 2. UC Santa Barbara (29-4) 3. Texas (23-6) 4. Colorado (20-8) 5. Arizona (20-6) 6. South Carolina (20-7) 7. UCLA (16-12) 8. Oklahoma (19-12) 9. Houston (22-9) 10. Pepperdine (23-5) 11. Illinois State (24-8) 12. Oral Roberts (28-9) 13. Tennessee Tech (23-9) 14. Stephen F. Austin (23-12)
6 Teams: Big Ten, Big 12, Pacific-10 3 Teams: Atlantic Coast, Big West, Southeastern, West Coast, Western Athletic 2 Teams: Big East, Conference USA, Mid-American 1 Team: America East, Atlantic 10, Big Sky, Big South, Colonial, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-Continent, Mid-Eastern Athletic, Midwestern Collegiate, Missouri Valley, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Sun Belt, Trans America
17th APPEARANCE (every year since 1981) (4 teams) Pacific Penn State Stanford UC Santa Barbara 16th APPEARANCE (5 teams) Brigham Young (1981-82-83-84-85-86-87-88-90-91-92-93-94-95-96-97) Hawaii (1981-82-83-84-85-86-87-88-89-90-91-93-94-95-96-97) Nebraska (1982-83-84-85-86-87-88-89-90-91-92-93-94-95-96-97) Texas (1982-83-84-85-86-87-88-89-90-91-92-93-94-95-96-97) UCLA (1981-82-83-84-85-86-87-88-89-90-91-92-93-94-95-97) 15th APPEARANCE (1 team) Southern Cal (1981-82-83-84-85-87-88-89-91-92-93-94-95-96-97) 14th APPEARANCE (0 teams) 13th APPEARANCE (1 team) Arizona (1981-82-83-84-85-86-87-88-89-93-94-96-97) 12th APPEARANCE (1 team) Long Beach State (1985-87-88-89-90-91-92-93-94-95-96-97) 11th APPEARANCE (0 teams) 10th APPEARANCE (2 teams) Illinois State (1982-83-84-85-88-89-92-93-96-97) Pepperdine (1981-82-84-86-87-88-89-90-91-97) 9th APPEARANCE (4 teams) Colorado State (1983-84-85-86-87-88-95-96-97) Florida State (1983-85-87-88-89-90-92-93-97) Ohio State (1989-90-91-92-93-94-95-96-97) Texas A&M (1981-82-85-86-93-94-95-96-97) 8th APPEARANCE (3 teams) Colorado (1989-91-92-93-94-95-96-97) Florida (1987-91-92-93-94-95-96-97) Houston (1989-91-92-93-94-95-96-97) 7th APPEARANCE (1 team) Notre Dame (1988-92-93-94-95-96-97) 6th APPEARANCE (3 teams) Washington (1986-88-7-89-94-96-97) Washington State (1991-93-94-95-96-97) Wisconsin (1990-91-93-94-96-97) 5th APPEARANCE (2 teams) Loyola Marymount (1986-94-95-96-97) Miami (Ohio) (1981-90-95-96-97) 4th APPEARANCE (5 teams) Central Florida (1994-95-96-97) Maryland (1990-95-96-97) Michigan State (1994-95-96-97) Minnesota (1989-93-96-97) South Florida (1993-95-96-97) 3rd APPEARANCE (7 teams) Clemson (1993-94-97) Hofstra (1995-96-97) Northern Illinois (1993-96-97) Oklahoma (1987-88-97) Oral Roberts (1995-96-97) San Diego (1993-96-97) South Carolina (1984-95-97) 2nd APPEARANCE (5 teams) Arkansas (1996-97) Arkansas-Little Rock (1996-97) Kansas State (1996-97) Princeton (1994-97) Stephen F. Austin (1994-97) 1st APPEARANCE (12 teams) American Butler Cal State Sacramento Chattanooga Fairfield Lehigh Liberty Michigan Morgan State Temple Tennessee Tech Villanova