Just one more approval is needed before Nebraska becomes the sole host of the 2021 Spring NCAA Volleyball Tournament.
The Division I Competition Oversight Committee Wednesday approved consolidating the volleyball, bowling, and women’s ice hockey championships to one location each this spring.
“The city of Omaha has proven itself time and again to be one of the best host cities for sporting events in this country,” Nebraska Volleyball Head Coach John Cook said. “From the College World Series to the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials to NCAA Championships, they always do a phenomenal job, and I have no doubt Omaha will put its best foot forward and make it a memorable experience for all of the NCAA Volleyball teams.”
The Division I Council must give approval for the moves to be official.
For volleyball, all 48 teams would gather in Omaha, which was already slated to host the national semifinals and finals at CHI Health Center Arena and Convection Center. That would be the home for every match from April 13-24.
A different scheduling format would also be on tap for the event. Typically, the tournament runs on Fridays and Saturdays until the semifinals and finals take a day between matches. The new setup would utilize condense the games.
The first round matches would take place Tuesday April 13 with the second round on Wednesday April 14. The regional semifinals would then be Saturday April 17 and the regional finals Monday April 19. The national semifinals and finals would remain on Thursday April 22 and Saturday April 24.
The original tournament was set to begin April 8.