NCAA RELEASE
INTERACTIVE BRACKET
INDIANAPOLIS – 2024 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men’s Volleyball Champion No. 3 Wentworth will be one of the four hosts for the opening round of the 2024 NCAA Division III Men’s Volleyball Championship as announced during the NCAA.com Selection Show on Monday (April 15) morning. The Leopards will play Lancaster Bible in the opening round on Friday, April 19. The game time is still TBA.
Wentworth was one of 16 teams selected into this year’s championship field and one of 11 squads to earn entry into this year’s bracket as their conference’s automatic qualifier. Wentworth claimed its spot in this year’s tournament by winning the GNAC title on Saturday (April 13) with a sweep of No. 3 seed Rivier.
The Leopards come into the national tournament with a 30-1 (13-1 GNAC) record and were the No. 1 seed in this year’s conference tournament. After receiving a bye as the top seed, the Leopards knocked off No. 4 seed Emmanuel in the semifinals before defeating the Raiders in the championship. Their incredible season has them ranked third in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA)/National Volleyball Association (NVA) Division III MVB Poll.
Lancaster Bible, Wentworth’s first round opponent was also an automatic qualifier, claiming the AQ in the United East Conference (UEC). The Chargers come into the national tournament with a 15-13 (6-0 UEC) record. They went undefeated in conference play and earned the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. They swept both No. 4 seed Saint Elizabeth and No. 2 seed Cairn to claim the conference title and the NCAA berth.
Joining the Leopards and the Chargers in Boston are two more nationally-ranked teams, No. 8 Vassar and No. 11 Nichols. Both teams were among the five at-large selections into this year’s field.
Nichols gained access to this year’s bracket via Pool B, which consists of independents and members whose conferences do not meet automatic qualification requirements. The Bison hold a 24-4 (7-0 NEVC) record. They won the New England Volleyball Conference (NEVC) title, but needed help from the national committee as the conference does not hold an AQ.
Vassar also needed the committee’s help to get into this year’s field after losing to No. 9 nationally-ranked NYU in the United Volleyball Conference (UVC) Championship and missing out on the AQ. The Brewers hold a 23-7 (6-1 UVC) record coming into this year’s national tournament. They were the No. 1 seed in the UVC Tournament and defeated No. 4 seed MIT to earn a chance at the title before falling to No. 2 seed NYU. However, their full body of work was enough for the national committee to award them one of the two Pool C bids into this year’s bracket.
The winners of the two matches at Wentworth will play each other in the quarterfinal round on Saturday, April 20.
Saturday’s winner will join the winners from the other three quarterfinals at the finals site, the Athletic Wellness Center in Dubuque, Iowa for the semifinals and finals on April 26 and 28, respectively.
2024 NCAA Division III Men’s Volleyball Championship Schedule
First Round – Friday, April 19
(Hosted by Wentworth – Boston, Mass.)
Lancaster Bible at. No. 3 Wentworth, TBD
No. 11 Nichols vs. No. 8 Vassar, TBD
Second Round – Saturday, April 20
(Hosted by Wentworth – Boston, Mass.)
First Round Winners, TBD
ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 16 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
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