Preview: Chicago State Hosts NIVC Rounds 1 & 2

CHICAGO — Chicago State volleyball is set to host and compete in the 2021 National Invitational Volleyball Tournament (NIVC) for the first time ever.

The Cougars will host Sam Houston, Evansville and Bradley, with matches taking place on Thursday and Friday at the Jones Convocation Center. Sam Houston faces Evansville at 5:00 p.m. Thursday, followed by Bradley vs. Chicago State at 7:30 p.m. The winners then face off at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. See below for information on how to watch, follow and attend this week's competition:

Round 1: Sam Houston Bearkats vs. Evansville Purple Aces Date | Time Thursday, December 2 | 5:00 p.m. CT Location Jones Convocation Center | Chicago, Illinois Television ESPN+ Tickets Buy Tickets Live Stats Live Stats

 

Round 1: Bradley Braves vs. Chicago State Cougars Date | Time Thursday, December 2 | 7:30 p.m. CT Location Jones Convocation Center | Chicago, Illinois Television ESPN+ Tickets Buy Tickets Live Stats Live Stats

 

Round 2: Winner 1 vs. Winner 2 Date | Time Friday, December 3 | 7:00 p.m. CT Location Jones Convocation Center | Chicago, Illinois Television ESPN+ Tickets Buy Tickets Live Stats Live Stats

Reminders for fans

• Tickets are mobile-only. There are no on-site sales, so we encourage fans to purchase in advance of the matches
• Doors will open one hour prior to each match
• Because this is postseason play, each spectator will need to have a paid ticket to be admitted into the facility, including CSU Students, Faculty and Staff

Chicago State Preview
During the regular season, WAC Coach of the Year Tony Trifonov engineered one of college volleyball's best single-season turnarounds, featuring a 16-win improvement to a Division I school-record 17 wins. The Cougars finished third in the WAC West and earned their second consecutive WAC Tournament berth. Now, the team is in the national postseason for the first time in program history.

"This means a lot for a program," Trifonov said. "When you're trying to change a culture, this is huge. We want to get used to playoff matches. And the opportunity to host is great. It feels awesome to be at home."

In the regular season, Chicago State was powered by WAC Player of the Year Yanlis Feliz. In her second season, CSU's star outside hitter has rolled through her competition in her second season. Feliz capped the regular season with 499 kills, averaging 5.25 kills per set, both leading the WAC. Her kills per set also stand as the most per set in program history. Feliz wrapped the regular season ranking in the top three of all of NCAA Division I in kills and kills per set. After the WAC Tournament, her 523 kills make her the second player in Chicago State history with over 500 in a season, joining Stacy Cole (524) in 2004.

Trifonov, star middle blocker Berenice Almeyda and graduate transfer setter Jaclyn Inclan all discussed the upcoming NIVC in advance of postseason play:

         

This is the fourth edition of the NIVC since its reboot through Triple Crown Sports. The event previously ran from 1989-95. Previous champions of the current NIVC are Georgia Tech (2019), Iowa State (2018) and Ole Miss (2017).

The 2021 NIVC features Round 1 and 2 action from Dec. 2-5, Round 3 is scheduled for Dec. 6-8. The semifinals will be held Dec. 8-11 and the championship match be played Dec. 12-14. 

See the complete 2021 NIVC Bracket HERE.

The 2021 National Invitational Volleyball Championship features 31 teams and the field is listed below:

Automatic Qualifiers

Arkansas (19-10) – Southeastern Conference

Colorado State (18-10) – Mountain West Conference*

Delaware State (26-4) – Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference*

Houston Baptist (21-8) – Southland Conference

Jackson State (17-13) – Southwestern Athletic Conference*

Pacific (13-16) – West Coast Conference

Sam Houston State (18-9) – Western Athletic Conference*

UConn (21-10) – Big East Conference

UTEP (21-7) – Conference USA

Weber State (20-9) – Big Sky Conference*

*Denotes conference regular season champion

At-Large Teams

Arizona (16-15) – Pac-12 Conference

Bradley (16-14) – Missouri Valley Conference

Boston College (16-16) – Atlantic Coast Conference

Butler (16-15) – Big East Conference

Chicago State (17-10) – Western Athletic Conference

CSU Bakersfield (18-10) – Big West Conference

Evansville (19-11) – Missouri Valley Conference

Indiana State (18-12) – Missouri Valley Conference

Middle Tennessee (9-11) – Conference USA

New Mexico State (19-9) – Western Athletic Conference

North Carolina A&T (20-10) – Big South Conference

North Florida (24-7) – Atlantic Sun Conference

Portland State (19-10) – Big Sky Conference

Stephen F. Austin (18-9) – Western Athletic Conference

Troy (17-12) – Sun Belt Conference

Tulsa (14-15) – American Athletic Conference

Toledo (19-12) – Mid-American Conference

UNC Greensboro (23-7) – Southern Conference

UNLV (23-9) – Mountain West Conference

Univ. Texas Rio Grande Valley (17-10) – Western Athletic Conference

Valparaiso (22-9) – Missouri Valley Conference

About Chicago State

Chicago State University Athletics is comprised of 15 intercollegiate teams involving over 150 student-athletes that compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and volleyball. CSU held memberships in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and NCAA Division II before transitioning to NCAA Division I in 1994. Melvin Bland was the first CSU student-athlete to gain NAIA All-American status in 1974 as a wrestler. Fred Evans became the first black swimmer ever to win a national championship in 1975. CSU's women's basketball team earned a spot in the 2011 Women's Basketball Invitational and CSU's men's basketball team won the 2013 Great West Conference Tournament title and made an appearance in the CollegeInside.com Postseason Tournament (CIT).  The Men's Outdoor Track & Field 4x100-Meter Relay team were 2019 Honorable Mention All-Americans and WAC Champions. Their feat marked the first time the Chicago State's men's track & field program was represented at the national meet. 

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