ARLINGTON, Texas – The UTA volleyball team will get its first taste of postseason competition under head coach J.T. Wenger and will also make the program's first postseason tournament appearance in 17 years when it competes in the 2019 National Invitational Volleyball Championship this week.

The Mavs will host a region that includes Houston, Sam Houston State and UTSA. UTA will take on UTSA at 7 p.m. in the opening round on Dec. 5, with the winner moving on to face Houston/Sam Houston State in the second round on Dec. 6 (6:30 p.m.).

All three matches will be streamed online (Mavericks All-Access ($)). Tickets are $6 for each session and are general admission.

SCHEDULE
Dec. 5 at UT Arlington
Houston (16-16) vs. Sam Houston State (18-13), 5 p.m. CT
UTA (18-13) vs. UT San Antonio (16-13), 7 p.m. CT

Dec. 6 at UT Arlington
Winners, 6:30 p.m. CT

The Mavericks, who have posted an 18-13 overall record to date, earned an at-large bid to the NIVC after a solid run in the Sun Belt Championships, where they fell to No. 2 Coastal Carolina in the semifinals. UTA will participate in the NIVC for the second time in program history (1992) and make their first postseason tourney appearance since the NCAA Tournament in 2002.

Powered by Triple Crown Sports, this is the third year of the reborn NIVC event, which originally ran from 1989-1995. Previous champions of the new incarnation of the NIVC are Iowa State (2018) and Ole Miss (2017).

All matches in the NIVC are hosted by participating schools. Rounds 1 and 2 will be held Dec. 5-7; Round 3 will take place Dec. 9-12, and the semifinals will be held between Dec. 13-15. The NIVC championship game will be held either Dec. 16, 17 or 18.
For more information, visit the NIVC's website at www.womensnivc.com.

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POSTSEASON NIVC TOURNAMENT OVERVIEW
The National Invitational Volleyball Championship will be an annual tournament involving 32 to 40 of the nation's top women's Division I Volleyball teams. All games, including the semifinals and championship, are hosted by participating schools. Every round is single elimination.
 
POSTSEASON NIVC TOURNAMENT FORMAT
Eight teams host Rounds 1 & 2 in 4 to 5 team pods; single matches in Rounds 3-5. The championship game will be webcast. The event offers 32 automatic berths, one to each established conference. The NIVC field and bracket is announced late on the evening of the NCAA Tournament selections.

2019 POSTSEASON NIVC
The tournament is a single-elimination event with all games played at sites of host schools. The NIVC is committed to offering deserved opportunities to women's Volleyball programs, and the 2018 Postseason NIVC featured a full 32-team bracket.
 
The NIVC offers teams an opportunity to get more practices in, to experience playoff-atmosphere games, to play in front of passionate fans, and to use their NIVC success as a springboard to the next season.

AUTOMATIC QUALIFIERS (best regular season finish in conference, not playing in NCAA Tournament):
Alabama A&M – SWAC
Colgate – Patriot
High Point – Big South
Long Beach State – Big West
Miami (OH) – MAC
New Hampshire – America East
North Carolina A&T – MEAC
Sam Houston State – Southland
South Dakota – Summit
UC Davis – Big West
Weber State – Big Sky
Wyoming – Mountain West

TOURNAMENT FIELD
Alabama A&M (20-14)
Boise State (18-11) – Mountain West
Boston College (20-11) – ACC
Bowling Green (19-12) – MAC
Central Michigan (21-8) – MAC
Colgate (22-7)
Georgia Tech (21-8) – ACC
High Point (20-12)
Houston (16-16) – American
Kansas City (17-11) – WAC
La Salle (15-13) – Atlantic 10
Liberty (19-11) – Atlantic Sun
Long Beach State (12-16)
Miami (OH) (17-11)
Morehead State (23-9) – Ohio Valley
New Hampshire (17-9)
Northwestern State (20-12) – Southland
North Carolina A&T (16-14)
Purdue-Fort Wayne (18-14) – Summit
Sam Houston State (18-13)
Santa Clara (20-11) – West Coast
South Dakota (27-2)
TCU (9-17) – Big 12
Troy (22-9) – Sun Belt
Tulane (21-10) – American
Tulsa (15-15) – American
UC Davis (17-12)
UNLV (19-10) – Mountain West
UT Arlington (18-13) – Sun Belt
UT San Antonio (16-13) – Conference USA
Weber State (24-8)
Wyoming (21-8)