Fisk, Dillard head to NAIA Volleyball Championship Opening Round
NEW ORLEANS - The two-time defending Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) postseason champion Dillard University and the HBCUAC East Division Champion Fisk University are off to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Volleyball Championship Opening Round, which starts play on Saturday.
Dillard (18-8) makes its second consecutive NAIA National Championship appearance and third overall in program history. It will travel to St. Louis to face No. 12 Missouri Baptist University at 6 p.m. on Saturday. The Lady Bleu Devils seek their first NAIA championship victory in postseason history. For the second straight season, they dominated the HBCUAC. Their only blemish was a road loss at Huston-Tillotson University. They swept Stillman College, won in four against Philander Smith University and pulled out a five-set thriller over Fisk University to secure their second straight postseason championship.
Fisk (29-7) makes its first NAIA National Championship appearance in program history. It travels to Salem, Oregon, to face No. 5 Corban University at 6 p.m. on Saturday. The Lady Bulldogs overpowered the HBCUAC East Division, only losing two sets. In non-conference play they beat quality opponents; including Freed-Hardeman twice.
Fans can catch the action on the Urban Edge Network. Live stats are also available. Saturday's winners will advance to the NAIA National Championship Final Site at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa, with Pool play beginning on December 3.
About the HBCU Athletic Conference
The HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) is the only HBCU conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The HBCUAC membership includes Dillard University (LA), Fisk University (TN), Huston-Tillotson University (TX), Oakwood University (AL), Paul Quinn College (TX), Philander Smith University (AR), Rust College (MS), Southern University at New Orleans (LA), Stillman College (AL), Talladega College (AL), Tougaloo College (MS), University of the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas), Voorhees University (SC), Wilberforce University (OH), and Wiley University (TX). HBCUAC sponsors championships in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's track and field, women's volleyball, softball, and baseball. In 2022, the HBCUAC secured the largest media rights deal in conference and NAIA history, signing a multimillion-dollar deal with Urban Edge Network. On July 1, 2024, the conference rebranded from the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) to the HBCU Athletic Conference, marking a new era for the conference that embodies the makeup of its membership. For more information, visit hbcuac.org.