KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has officially released the Volleyball National Championship Opening Round matches for the 31st annual event. The top-11 teams in addition to host school Briar Cliff (Iowa) will receive a bye, while the next 24 teams will play in the Opening Round matches on Nov. 20. All matches will be played at on-campus sites.

Point Loma Nazarene University will play host to Dillard University (LA). With the match beginning at 2:00 pm in Golden Gymnasium.

Ticket prices are:
General Admission - $8
Seniors (62 and older) $5 
PLNU Students - $5
Special Note: First 100 PLNU students get in free, courtesy of PLNU Athletic Department.
PLNU Faculty and Staff - $5
Non-PLNU Faculty & Staff - $5
Non-PLNU Students - $5
Children under 12 Free

 
The Opening Round tilt will be broadcast live on the America One Networks here.
The match can also be followed via Livestats

PREVIEW: The PLNU vs. Dillard match is one of 12 taking place across the country on Saturday. The Bleu Devils won the GCAC Tournament Championship for the first time and enter Golden Gym with a 20-11 overall re­cord. The Sea Lions ended the regular season with a 17-12 mark and finished up as the 17th ranked team in the NAIA.

Saturday's match will be the third consecutive season that Point Loma Nazarene has hosted an Opening Round tilt. The Sea Lions swept the University of Saint Thomas (TX) in 2008 and did the same to Menlo College in 2009.

PLNU is led by All-GSAC outside hitter Tabitha Hen­ken. The 6-2 junior has 538 kills on the year and averages 5.2 kills per game – tops in all of the NAIA. The Sea Lions have some other weapons as well, including middle Alyssa Dwyer (287 K, 116 B), outside Alyssa Pitkin (121 K) and rightside Maddie Dahms (184 K). Setter Aimee Bird (612 A, 74 K) is a threat at the net as well. Libero Nicole Ei­ler (438 D) leads the Sea Lion defense with Natalie Hamill adding 500 assists and 150 digs.

The Bleu Devils have five players with at least 100 kills led by 196 from Monica Barros de Alcantara. Valencia Wise is next with 180, followed by Krista Hall with 172, Jamara Celistan with 131 and Paula Osbevoen with 110. Hall paces DU with 59 total blocks, setter Danta Cobb has 705 assists and Zorana Piljevic has 407 digs.

The winners of the National Championship Opening Round matches will advance to the Tyson Events Center/ Gateway Arena in Sioux City, Iowa, location of the NAIA National Championship presented by Siouxland Sports Medicine Foundation Nov. 30 – Dec. 4.

The following teams have received an opening round bye: Azusa Pacific (Calif.), Biola (Calif.), California Bap­tist, Columbia (Mo.), Concordia (Calif.), Fresno Pacific (Calif.), Lewis-Clark State (Idaho), Lee (Tenn.), North­western (Iowa), Taylor (Ind.) and Texas at Brownsville.

The final 24 teams will be placed into six pools and will play round robin pool play Nov. 30 – Dec. 2, with the top two teams from each pool advancing to the single-elim­ination bracket starting Dec. 3. The championship match will take place at 8 p.m. CST on Dec. 4 in Sioux City.

NeuLion is the NAIA's Digital Media Partner and official video-streaming company of nine select NAIA National Championship events. Select matches from the NAIA Volleyball National Championship final site will be streamed: single-elimination play, quarterfinals, semifinals and the championship final. Refer to the Championship schedule, which can be found by clicking here.

For more information on the National Championship Opening Round, click here.
For more information on the National Championship, click here.
For complete conference tournament breakdown, click here.

2010 NAIA Volleyball National Championship Opening Round  - Nov. 20 - On-Campus Sites
Match 1	Union (Ky.) at Embry-Riddle (Fla.)
Match 2	Malone (Ohio) at Indiana Tech
Match 3	Holy Names at Southern Oregon
Match 4	Trinity Christian (Ill.) at Doane (Neb.)
Match 5	St. Thomas-Houston (Texas) at College of Idaho
Match 6	St. Ambrose (Iowa) at Dordt (Iowa)
Match 7	Dillard (La.) at Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.)
Match 8	Jamestown (N.D.) at Rocky Mountain (Mont.)
Match 9	Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) at Lindenwood (Mo.)
Match 10	St. Xavier (Ill.) at Bellevue (Neb.)
Match 11	Oklahoma City at Friends (Kan.)
Match 12	Indiana East at Shawnee State (Ohio)