GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Golden Eagles find themselves in Sioux City, Iowa as one of the final 24 teams in competition for the NAIA Women's Volleyball National Title. CU is seeded 16^th and will begin action on Thursday with the 17^th seed (RV) Saint Xavier who they played earlier this year and won in four sets. They will follow that with their second ever meeting with Eastern Oregon, last playing them in 2017 where they won in four sets. For more information on this week's national's action, visit the links below. 

Opponent: #RV Saint Xavier (Ill.)
Location: Sioux City, Iowa (Tyson Events Center)  
Date: Thursday, December 1
Time: 11 a.m. EST
Live Video
Live Stats
Tickets
 
Opponent: #1 Eastern Oregon
Location: Sioux City, Iowa (Tyson Events Center)  
Date: Friday, December 2
Time: 11 a.m. EST
Live Video
Live Stats
Tickets
 
Third Time in Program History
The Golden Eagles are at the NAIA Final Site for the third time in program history previously making it in 2004 and 2017. Cornerstone has never advanced past group play as they nearly did in 2017 as they fell to top seed Lindsey Wilson in five sets in the final game of group play. CU will play in group A again this season with matches against Saint Xavier and Eastern Oregon. 
 
How it Works
The NAIA Final Site opens play with eight groups of three with a total of 24 teams in competition. Each team is guaranteed two matches. The winner of each pool will move on to the quarterfinals on Saturday, December 3, immediately cutting the field from 24 to eight in two days. If teams are tied at the end of group play, there will be a tiebreaker set played that will be scheduled and announced at the conclusion of pool play. Once action hits quarterfinals, it is true bracket play style where it is win or go home competition. 
 
NAIA Quick Facts

• This is the 15th year that the championship has been hosted at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.
• There are 24 teams that advanced to the final site. All qualifying teams had to advance to the final site by winning an opening round.
• There were a total of 48 teams that qualified for the championship tournament. Thirty-six of them were automatic qualifiers and 12 captured at-large berths. The automatic berths are determined by regular-season champions or runner-ups, conference tournament title winners or runner-ups, or by conference selection. The remaining at-large bids were determined by a selection committee comprised of coaches and administrators from across the country.
• Eight of the 12 at-large bids remain in the championship field
• No first-year teams advanced to the final site. Every team remaining in the championship field has competed in a championship at least one other time. SAGU (Texas) is making its first appearance at the final site.
• The champions from the last four years will be competing in the championship field: Marian (Ind.), Missouri Baptist and Park (Mo.).
• Nineteen of the 24 teams that advanced also competed in the 2021 national championship.
• Taylor (Ind.) has not qualified for the longest length of time since they last qualified in 2011.
• So we meet again (Pool play matches that have happened before)       

o   Pool A has never previously played against each other in the national championship.
o   Pool B has never previously played each other in pool play in the national tournament. Jamestown and Rocky, however, faced each other in the opening round in 2010.
o   Pool C
·       Midland (Neb.) and Bellevue (Neb.) faced each other in pool play in 2016.
·       Midland (Neb.) and Westmont (Calif.) faced each other in pool play in 2017.    
o   Pool D has never previously played against each other in the national championship.
o   Pool E has never previously played against each other in the national championship.
o   Pool F has never previously played against each other in the national championship.
o   Pool G
·       Teams have not faced each other in pool play but Columbia (Mo.) and Missouri Baptist faced each other in the 2015 title match; Columbia (Mo.) and Viterbo (Wis.) faced each other in the quarterfinals in 2012; Missouri Baptist and Viterbo (Wis.) faced each other in the semifinals in 2015.
o   Pool H
·       Marian (Ind.) and Northwestern (Iowa) played each other in pool play in 2018
 
The NAIA Network – the association's official video-streaming home – will broadcast all matches excluding the championship match live at the 2022 NAIA Volleyball National Championship final site in Sioux City, Iowa. The video platform, powered by Presto allows users access to live video, statistics and social interaction on a number of devices, including mobile. Single-day passes can be purchased for $9.95, while a pool play pass is $24.95 (November 30 – December 2) and a championship package is available at $39.95. The championship match includes all pool play, quarterfinal and semifinal matches.

The championship on December 6 will be streamed on ESPN3. The link can be found on the schedule at a closer date.

Volleyball Contact: Jesse Campbell 
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