JERSEY CITY, NJ...After three months of perhaps the most competitive all-around play in the history of the conference, the North East Collegiate Volleyball Association has announced the field of 16 which will compete for the 2010 NECVA Championship from Friday, April 9 through Sunday, April 11 at the Hyannis Youth and Community Center in Barnstable, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The NECVA Tournament Selection Committee announced the 2010 bracket on April 4, with the NECVA champion receiving the league's automatic bid to the Molten Division III Men's Invitational Volleyball Championship, to be held at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin, April 16-17.

Overall, the top two teams in each of the conference's five divisions—CUNYAC, GNAC, Metro, New England and Western Divisions—plus six at-large selections from among the 33 other eligible schools in the league, will battle for the 16th NECVA championship. The Metro Division matched a league record with five schools qualifying, including three at-larges. The Western Division saw four teams selected and New England three teams. The CUNYAC and GNAC have two representatives.

Rivier College (28-8), the GNAC Division Champions, claim the #1 seed in the conference tournament for the second consecutive year and the second time in its history. Rivier, the 2006 NECVA champions, will make its 10th consecutive NECVA Tournament appearance since 2001. The Raiders will face #16 New Jersey City University (18-9). The Gothic Knights received an at-large bid after finishing fifth in the Metro Division and will play in the tournament for the ninth time in program history and the first time since 2007.

Baruch College (32-4), the #1 ranked team in the league for much of the season, enters the tournament as the league's winningest team. The Bearcats, winners of the CUNYAC Division title, are the #2 seed in the tournament a year after advancing to the semifinals. It is the seventh consecutive appearance in the tournament and ninth overall. Nazareth College (15-14) will play in the 2/15 matchup for the second year in a row and third time in four years, but this season, the Golden Flyers are the 15th seed after placing fourth in the Western Division. Nazareth makes its fifth straight NECVA Tournament appearance.

Vassar College (18-8) is the #3 seed in the field after winning the Metro Division title. The Brewers, making their third straight tournament appearance since joining the NECVA, won the league championship in 2008. The 14th seed is D'Youville College (17-13). The Spartans, third place finishers in the Western Division, will play in the tournament for a 10th time since 1999 and the first time since 2008.

Western Division champion Philadelphia Biblical University (20-10) is the #4 seed. The Crimson Eagles make their fifth tournament appearance and fourth straight. Hunter College (24-10), runners-up in the CUNYAC Division, is seeded 13th. The Hawks will play in the tournament for the 13th consecutive year since 1998.

After winning back-to-back New England Division crowns, Endicott College (26-7) is the #5 seed for the second year in a row. The Gulls make their seventh NECVA Tournament appearance and fourth in a row. Their opponent is Emmanuel College (26-10). The 12th-seeded Saints were GNAC Division runners-up and make their fourth tournament appearance overall, qualifying in consecutive years.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology enters the tournament with a league-best 10-match winning streak. The Engineers (29-7), runners-up in the New England Division, are the #6 seed overall, qualifying for their sixth consecutive NECVA Tournament appearance. MIT will face No. 11 Newbury College (23-12) in one of two opening round matches features divisional opponents. The Nighthawks, third place finishers in the New England Division, make their fifth appearance in the tournament and fourth in a row.

Two long-time Metro Division rivals will make their 14th tournament appearances—tied for most all-time—and will meet each other in another first-round match of divisional opponents. Ramapo College, runners-up in the Metro, is seeded seventh. The Roadrunners (19-8) square off with 10th seeded Stevens Institute of Technology. The Ducks (19-10), the defending NECVA champions, qualify for the tournament for the 13th year in a row. Stevens received an at-large bid to the tournament after placing fourth in the Metro.

The 8/9 matchup features Western Division runner-up Medaille College (20-9) and Metro Division third-place finisher SUNY New Paltz (19-15). Medaille makes its 10th appearance in the tournament and seventh in a row. New Paltz is the highest-seeded at-large recipient in the 2010 field and will make its sixth appearance in the championship.

The tournament opens with eight first-round matches on Friday, April 9. Six quarterfinal and semifinal matches will be contested on Saturday, April 10. That evening, the annual conference banquet will be held, where the All-Conference Team, 2010 NECVA Hall of Fame class, and the winner of The David Hildebrandt Rising Star Award will be unveiled. The NECVA Championship will be decided on Sunday, April 11 at 1 p.m.

www.necva.org

2010 NORTH EAST COLLEGIATE VOLLEYBALL ASSOCIATION TOURNAMENT

April 9-11, 2010; Hyannis Youth and Community Center
Barnstable, Massachusetts

First Round (Friday, April 9)

MATCH #1: (1) Rivier College (28-8) vs. (16) New Jersey City University (17-9) 2 p.m.

MATCH #2: (2) Baruch College (32-4) vs. (15) Nazareth College (15-14), 2 p.m.

MATCH #3: (3) Vassar College (18-8) vs. (14) D'Youville College (17-13), 4 p.m.

MATCH #4: (4) Philadelphia Biblical University (20-10) vs. (13) Hunter College (24-10), 4 p.m.

MATCH #5: (5) Endicott College (26-7) vs. (12) Emmanuel College (26-10), 6 p.m.

MATCH #6: (6) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (29-7) vs. (11) Newbury College(23-12), 6 p.m.

MATCH #7: (7) Ramapo College (19-8) vs. (10) Stevens Institute of Technology (19-10), 8 p.m.

MATCH #8: (8) Medaille College (20-9) vs. (9) SUNY New Paltz (19-15), 8 p.m.

Quarterfinals (Saturday, April 10)

MATCH #9: Winner of Match #1 vs. Winner of Match #8, 11 a.m.

MATCH #10: Winner of Match #2 vs. Winner of Match #7, 11 a.m.

MATCH #11: Winner of Match #3 vs. Winner of Match #6, 1 p.m.

MATCH #12: Winner of Match #4 vs. Winner of Match #5, 1 p.m.

Semifinals (Saturday, April 11)

MATCH #13: Winner of Match #9 vs. Winner of Match #12, 4 p.m.

MATCH #14: Winner of Match #10 vs. Winner of Match #11, 4 p.m.

Finals (Sunday, April 11)

MATCH #15: Winner of Match #13 vs. Winner of Match #14, 1 p.m.