FORT COLLINS, Colo. (November 26, 2023) – Triple Crown Sports revealed its 32-team field for the 2023 National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) where Howard University among the programs selected. The announcement came Sunday night.
 
HU is set to play in the opening round Friday (Dec. 1) at St. John's. Match time is slated for 7 p.m.
 
The tournament launches with eight host schools Wednesday (Nov. 29) and the championship match is slated for Dec. 10, 11 or 12 – all matches are held on campus locations.
 
A total of six programs won or had a share of their regular season conference championship and 17 teams in the 32-team field won at least 20 matches this season.
 
"The competitive mix for the 2023 NIVC is a clear indicator that the event is truly a viable answer for teams looking to conclude their seasons with the most valuable experience possible," said NIVC director Jared Rudiger. "A significant number of teams have played with us before and feel very strongly about how the NIVC can fortify their programs, while several new teams tell us the word is spreading and that a postseason run in the NIVC is something that inspires and intrigues."
 
For the sixth time, Triple Crown Sports has produced the event with Howard competing for the first time since its return in 2017. The event previously ran from 1989-95; champions of the current NIVC era include Boston College (2022), UNLV (2021), Georgia Tech (2019), Iowa State (2018) and Ole Miss (2017).
 
Howard (17-14) secured its third straight winning season since COVID-19, led by two-time Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Player of the Year Rya McKinnon (Hoover, Ala.).
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com or the NIVC website at www.womensnivc.com.