The 2023 DII women's volleyball championship will serve things up beginning Nov. 30 in various host sites across the country for regional play. Before the road to UPMC Events Center in Moon Township, Pennsylvania begins, let's take a region-by-region look at the bracket.
DII WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL: EVERYTHING TO KNOW
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Atlantic Region
Team to beat: Gannon. Of course it is. In the last five DII women's volleyball championship tournaments, Gannon has reached the final eight four times. Somewhat surprisingly, despite all those final eight appearances, the Golden Knights enter the tournament on the heels of their first back-to-back PSAC tournament titles, so they have plenty of momentum at the right time.
Team to watch: Wheeling. Well, when Gannon doesn't make it to the final eight, it has been the Cardinals. Going back to a small sample size, since 2016, it has been Wheeling (three trips) or Gannon that has advanced to the national quarterfinals from this part of the bracket. The Cardinals are coming in hot, straight off their 16th consecutive conference championship, and should — as always — be considered a favorite to come out of the Atlantic.
Upset alert: Pitt-Johnstown. Traditionally, the Atlantic Region is pretty straight forward in the first round, with the higher seeds often prevailing, so you shouldn't expect too much drama here. So, why the Mountain Cats? They have faced their first-round opponent — Indiana (PA) — twice this season and lost each time. It is difficult to beat a team three times in a season.
Central Region
Team to beat: Concordia-St. Paul. Really going out on a limb here. The Golden Bears are No. 2 in the AVCA top 25 and have appeared in 11 national championship matches over the past 20 years. This team could have a down year, be the No. 8 seed — and they would still be the most-feared team in this part of the bracket.
Team to watch: Wayne State (Neb). The Wildcats returned to the DII tournament for the first time since 2016 last year, and they did so as the No. 1 host seed. They fell in upset fashion in the second round to No. 5 St. Cloud State, so they certainly have that fresh in their minds. The Wildcats opened the season playing on the largest stage in women's college volleyball history at Volleyball Day in Nebraska, so wouldn't it be fitting to see them close the season on DII women's volleyball's largest stage?
Upset alert: St. Cloud State. Upsets happen often in the Central Region because the depth of talented teams is unmatched by nearly every other region. We've seen a No. 8 seed (Harding) pull of an upset here in the past five years, so anything is possible. The No. 5 seed has been quite successful, historically speaking, winning three times over the past five tournaments, so why not roll with St. Cloud State? The Huskies actually pulled off the 5/4 upset last year, so they seem ready for the challenge.
East Region
Team to beat: New Haven. Traditionally, No. 1 seeds don't do very well in this part of the bracket. Also, New Haven has often been a fixture in this part of the bracket as long as one can remember. It's the Chargers 36th all-time appearance (remember, this is DII's 50th anniversary, so that number is quite impressive) and 16th in the past 17 years. That kind of tournament know-how looms large in a part of the bracket, where there is little rhyme or reason.
Team to watch: American International. The Yellow Jackets have reached the final eight twice since 2016 and always seem to be lurking around the East Region finals. Coming in off an early exit from the NE-10 tournament and a 16-10 record, some people may sleep on them, but with DII women's volleyball championship success in recent years, they shouldn't.
Upset alert: Southern New Hampshire. With all the uncertainty in this part of the bracket on an annual basis — a different team has advanced to the final eight in each of the past five seasons — it's fair to put everyone on upset watch. But the Penmen made a run to the national quarterfinals as the sixth seed last year, so why can't they do it again? They have a 13-12 record but lost back-to-back matches earlier in the season to their first-round opponent Bentley. Either they learned from those matches and know how to down the Falcons, or Bentley could dominate once again.
Midwest Region
Team to beat: Ferris State. Missouri-St. Louis is very good and well deserving of the No. 1 seed. The Tritons will be tough to beat, but the Bulldogs are a Midwest power that seems to be knocking on the door the past few seasons. This is Ferris State's 12th consecutive appearance, and it hasn't made the final eight since 2013, despite falling just short the past two seasons. This just feels like the year the Bulldogs break through.
Team to watch: Grand Valley State. The Lakers first-round opponent Quincy is very good and was the No. 1 seed in this part of the bracket last year. It will be tough for the Lakers to advance, but they enter the tournament with some intrigue. Grand Valley State has not been a DII women's volleyball power in recent years, this just its second DII tournament appearance since 2017. That could play to the Lakers' advantage as long as the spotlight doesn't shine too bright.
Upset alert: Rockhurst. This Rockhurst vs. Lewis first-round matchup should be a good one. These are two familiar faces in the Midwest part of the bracket. The two have met a few times in recent history, with No. 5 Rockhurst upsetting No. 1 Lewis in straight sets in 2019 and Lewis winning the Midwest Region 3-1 over Rockhurst in 2018 one year after Rockhurst won the Midwest Region 3-1 over Lewis. This is a fun DII tournament rivalry, so expect the unexpected.
South Region
Team to beat: Tampa. Another one that isn't a very tough pick. While the Spartans don't always win the South, this is a program that has 27 straight DII tournament appearances and two national championships in the past four tournaments. They are currently the No. 1 team in DII women's volleyball, are top-5 in both hitting percentage and opponents hitting percentage and have one loss all season.
Team to watch: Eckerd. The Tritons have some big wins this season. It is always tough to beat a team three times in a row, but Eckerd — despite the season sweep of first-round opponent Florida Southern — has big wins against Wingate, Lynn and Nova Southeastern this year. Can it beat a Tampa team it lost two twice this year? That will be a tall order.
Upset alert: West Florida. This part of the bracket is tough because the depth is also strong here. Lynn is also very good and a strong contender to take the region. That said, West Florida is a long-time tournament regular — this is the Argos 17th straight appearance — and it has won at least one round in three of the past five tournaments. The Argos seem dangerously under seeded at No. 7, so it will be interesting to watch how this match unfolds. If West Florida comes out a winner, the Argos will be a threat to make the final eight.
Southeast Region
Team to beat: Wingate. Historically speaking, the Bulldogs have a good chance to advance to the final eight. In four of the past six seasons, the No. 1 seed from the Southeast has moved on to the finals, and on two of those occasions, it has been Wingate. This is the Bulldogs' 10th time hosting over the past 15 years, so it seems the Southeast typically goes through Bulldog Country.
Team to watch: Lander. It's been a historic season for the Bearcats. They set the program record with 27 wins, which earned them a second straight trip to the DII tournament, another first in program history. They have seven wins against teams that made the DII tournament field, and are top-10 in DII in kills, attacks and digs. While Lander isn't a DII women's volleyball powerhouse, this particular team seems to have something special going.
Upset alert: Tusculum. The Pioneers have a tall task in Augusta, which is two years removed from a final eight appearance. However, Tusculum is on a roll, first taking down Anderson (SC) in straight sets in the SAC semifinals before defeating Wingate 3-1 to win its first-ever SAC tourney title. Now, does the near two-week layoff slow down that momentum? There's no telling, but the Pioneers have shown they can hang with the big guns in this part of the region.
South Central Region
Team to beat: West Texas A&M. You're probably wondering why so many No. 1s are the team to beat, but that's typically the case in the DII women's volleyball tournament. Going back five years, no fewer than five (out of eight) No. 1 seeds didn't at least make their regional finals, and usually, a good portion of those teams move on to the quarterfinals. So, naturally, the defending national champion and regionally ranked No. 1 Buffs are an easy pick in a not-so-easy region.
Team to watch: Regis. This was tough. Both Regis (CO) and MSU Denver are tough and should be considered threats. Further breaking down the two, the Roadrunners were slightly better against ranked competition (9-5) than Regis (8-6). What separates the two is that Regis won the season series, 2-1, including a come-from-behind victory in the RMAC finals. Both wins were also on the road, which shows big-time tournament moxie.
Upset alert: DBU. To be fair, the top seeds are strong in this part of the bracket, so there may not be much in the upset category. That's why perhaps we see it in the 5/4 match, where both teams are more similarly matched than the other first-round bouts. The Patriots did just get upset in the semifinals of the LSC tournament, which could sting a little bit and motivate them that much more.
West Region
Team to beat: Seattle Pacific. Wait, a No. 5 seed as the team to beat? Welcome to the Wild West. In three of the past five seasons, we have seen a West Region final that pitted the No. 8 seed vs. the No. 3 seed, the No. 5 seed vs. the No. 2 seed, and the No. 4 seed vs. the No. 2 seed. This portion of the bracket does not bode well for the No. 1 seed historically, so why not the Falcons? Way back in September, they were dubbed a sleeper for a deep tourney run, and fresh off their first GNAC title since 2011, they seem ready for a Cinderella adventure.
Team to watch: Cal State San Bernardino. Despite the craziness in this part of the bracket, the Coyotes are somewhat a stable force. They made at least the West Region finals in three of the past five years and won it all in 2019. They are currently the highest nationally ranked team in the region as well, so their 23rd straight appearance should bode well. Add in the fact that the Yotes are 15-2 all time against their first-round opponent and this could be a big run for CSUSB.
Upset alert: Anyone. Technically speaking, if No. 5 Seattle Pacific is the team to beat, the Falcons could upset every team they play on a run to the West Region title. But in a part of the bracket where No. 8 Chaminade made it to the West Region finals just a year ago, everyone here is on upset watch.
