November 5, 2023

BISMARCK, N.D. – The 2023 North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) Volleyball conference postseason tournament is set at Civic Arena in Watertown, S.D.  A new tournament format this year will expand to three days, starting with the quarterfinals round on Thursday (Nov. 9), followed by the semifinals on Friday (Nov. 10) and the championship match on Saturday (Nov. 11).  The top six teams in the NSAA volleyball conference standings advance to the postseason tournament.

Viterbo (Wis.) (28-4 overall record, No. 5 in NAIA national poll) clinched the North Star conference regular season outright with an undefeated 12-0 record in the league.  The V-Hawks receive a bye in the first round and play in the semifinals on Friday night at 7:30 p.m.

There were three ties in the NSAA women’s volleyball conference standings.  Valley City State (N.D.) (22-8 overall record, receiving votes in the national poll) and Bellevue (Neb.) (22-8 overall record, No. 20 in the national poll) were tied for second place with an 8-4 record each.  VCSU swept BU in the first meeting in Bellevue (25-15, 25-17, and 25-21) on Oct. 6.  The Bruins answered back with a 3-0 sweep (25-18, 25-13, and 25-23) over the Vikings on Oct. 28. 

No. 2 seed belongs to Valley City State after breaking a tie with total points scored with Bellevue.  The Vikings edged the Bruins by a slim margin of one point (129-128) to secure the No. 2 seed.  VCSU receives a first-round bye and plays in the semifinals round on Friday at 5:30 p.m.

Dakota State (S.D.) (15-14 overall record) and Mayville State (N.D.) (15-10 overall record) were tied for fourth in the standings with a 6-6 conference record each.  The Trojans won the tiebreaker after winning more sets than the Comets.  MSU defeated DSU in five sets on Sept. 27, while DSU earned a 3-0 sweep over MSU in the regular season finale on Nov. 4. 

No. 4 seed belongs to Dakota State after earning winning a total of five sets to Mayville State three sets.  Both teams will play in the quarterfinals round on Thursday evening at 6 p.m.  The winner of the match plays the top-seed Viterbo on Friday evening at 7:30 p.m.

The final tie in the conference standings was also determined on the final day of the regular season contest between Waldorf (Iowa) and Dickinson State (N.D.) for the sixth seed.  The Blue Hawks defeated the Warriors in Dickinson, N.D., on Sept. 29 in five sets.  WU defeated DiSU in five sets on Nov. 4, earning a season series split.  Both WU and DiSU finished the league schedule with a 1-11 record.

Waldorf (12-14 overall record) broke the tiebreaker by collecting seven more points in total sets points than Dickinson State (219-212).  The Blue Hawks ended their 2023 season with a 1-23 overall record. 

No. 6 seed Waldorf opens the NSAA conference tournament play Thursday late afternoon at 4 p.m. versus No. 3 seed Bellevue.  The winner of this match will move on to Friday’s semifinal match against Valley City State at 5:30 p.m.

The winner of the NSAA Volleyball Postseason Conference Tournament will earn an automatic bid to the NAIA Volleyball National Tournament Opening Round, which is set for Nov. 19.  The national opening round winners will move on to the final set at Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa from Nov. 29-Dec. 5.
 

2023 North Star Athletic Association Women's Volleyball Postseason Tournament Watertown Civic Arena (200 9th Street NE) - Watertown, S.D. - Times in Central Standard Time (Overall Record, NSAA Conference Record)
Thursday, November 9 - Quarterfinals
Match 1: No. 3 seed Bellevue (Neb.) 3, No. 6 seed Waldorf (Iowa) 0 - FINAL (25-19, 25-9, 25-12) Waldorf (Iowa) ends season at 12-15 overall reord, 1-11 NSAA	LIVE VIDEO	BOX SCORE	RECAP	RECAP
Match 2:  No. 4 seed Dakota State (S.D.) 3, No. 5 seed Mayville State (N.D.) 2 - FINAL (25-16, 21-25, 25-16, 17-25, 17-15) Mayville State (N.D.) ends season at 15-11 overall record, 6-6 NSAA	LIVE VIDEO	BOX SCORE	RECAP	RECAP
Friday, November 10 - Semifinals
Match 3:  No. 3 seed Bellevue (Neb.) 3, No. 2 seed Valley City State (N.D.) 1 - FINAL (23-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-20) Valley City State (N.D.) (22-9, 8-4 NSAA) awaits to see their fate from the NAIA national office for a possible at-large bid to the national tournament	LIVE VIDEO	BOX SCORE	RECAP	RECAP
Match 4:  No. 1 seed Viterbo (Wis.) 3, No. 4 seed Dakota State (S.D.) 1 - FINAL (25-17, 22-25, 25-21, 25-13) Dakota Staet (S.D.) ends season at 16-15 overall record, 6-6 NSAA	LIVE VIDEO	BOX SCORE	RECAP	RECAP
Saturday, November 11 - Championship Match
Match 5:  No. 1 seed Viterbo (Wis.) 3, No. 3 seed Bellevue (Neb.) 0 - FINAL (25-20, 25-22, 25-22) Viterbo (Wis.) (30-4 overall record, 12-0 NSAA) receives NSAA automatic bid Bellevue (Neb.) (24-9, 8-4 NSAA) will most likely receive an at-large bid NAIA Women's Volleyball Selection Show set for Monday, Nov. 13 at 2 p.m. (CT)	LIVE VIDEO	BOX SCORE	RECAP	RECAP
Winner receives NSAA’s automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round on Nov. 18