NCVF Championships– 2025 Registration Process Update 

Following several years of significant increases in the number of teams applying to participate in the NCVF Championships, the NCVF has revised the registration process for the event.

 January 10-29th

  • Registration will open for all teams and will remain open throughout the full 19-day window. Order of registration will not determine order of acceptance.

  • Teams finishing in the top ~22% of the top divisions of each enrollment class (Division I, Division II, and Division III) will be automatically accepted if they register within this window). The following teams will be eligible for automatic acceptance:

    • Division I – Top 32 out of 144 teams from prior event. All Division I Gold Bracket, Division I Silver Bracket, and Division I Silver Consolation teams from the year before.

    • Division II – Top 16 out of 72 teams from prior event. All Division II Gold Bracket teams from the year before.

    • Division III – Top 16 out of 72 teams from prior event. All Division III Gold Bracket teams from the year before.

    • Notes:

      • Subdivisions (IAA, IAAA, II/IIIAA etc.) are teams that were seeded outside of the top 48 for their enrollment class/full division (Division I, Division II, Division III) and are not eligible for automatic acceptance.

      • The exact numbers or automatic acceptances may be adjusted based on the size of prior tournament and number of available positions for current tournament.

January 30-February 2nd

  • A random lottery will fill the next ~61% of each division.

  • A selection committee will review teams that were not accepted automatically or through the lottery and fill the last ~17% of tournament teams based on level of competitiveness, current and historical, league or independent rep recommendations, etc., and will place remaining teams onto a waitlist.

February 3rd

  • Notifications will be sent to all accepted teams.

  • Team Travel Source (TTS) will begin reaching out to accepted teams to book housing. Teams will have until February 20th to finalize housing through TTS.

February 20th

  • Rosters will lock for the tournament. NO PLAYERS MAY BE ADDED AFTER THIS DATE FOR ANY REASON, ENSURE THAT ALL PLAYERS WHO MAY BE ATTENDING THE EVENT ARE LISTED ON YOUR ROSTER.

  • Accepted teams that have not completed housing may be removed from the event.

This update process was designed to balance the following factors:

  • Fairness – In 2023, the NCVF Championships filled 528 teams in just under 40 days. In 2024, the Championships filled 564 teams in just under 10 days. The speed at which the tournament filled meant that teams who faced administrative challenges at their universities, returned to campus later from holiday breaks, etc., were at increased likelihood to miss entry to the event. The new process will allow almost 3 weeks for all teams to register before moving forward with the acceptance process, giving all teams a fair window to complete the process.

  • Opportunity – The NCVF was created to expand opportunities for collegiate volleyball players, and as such, the largest portion of the tournament (>60%) will be filled via lottery to ensure that new teams, less competitive teams, etc., still have a great chance to participate in the event.

  • Competitiveness – A small piece of the tournament (around 21%) will be reserved for the most competitive teams from the year prior to ensure the competitiveness of the event and reward teams for their accomplishments. Following the lottery, a tournament selection committee will fill the final ~17% based on level of competitiveness, current and historical, league or independent rep recommendations, etc., and will place remaining teams onto a waitlist.

We expect this new approach to make registration easier on teams while maintaining both the opportunity and the competitiveness that makes the event special.

 

Other Requirements and Deadlines

After teams are ACCEPTED, the additional registration requirements begin and must still be fulfilled to participate. Teams may be removed from the event if these requirements are not met.

  • Refund Deadline (February 20th) – Teams must communicate their withdrawal prior to February 20th in order to receive an entry fund refund. Teams that are not accepted from the waitlist will be refunded in full upon request or following the event.

  • Appeals (February 20th) – Graduation Senior, Internship, and other exceptions/appeals must be submitted by February 20th to avoid late fees. Eligibility checklist and appeal/exception information can be found here.

  • Active Participation (March 31st) – All teams must meet Active Participation requirements to finalize acceptance to the NCVF Championships. Teams must show that they have or will compete in at least two NCVF Recognized competitions during the NCVF Regular Season (January-April) and prior to the NCVF Championships. Beginning March 31st, teams may be removed for non-compliance.

  • Enrollment Verification (April 2nd) – Enrollment Verification Forms will be available in early March through each team’s VBReg Account. Teams must submit this form by April 2nd, or by April 9th with a $100 late fee. Beginning April 9th, teams may be removed for non-compliance.

  • Player Forms (April 2nd) – Player forms and waivers will be sent to all players participating in the NCVF Championships in early March. These forms must be electronically signed by each player. Beginning April 2nd, teams may be removed for non-compliance.