The NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament is an annual event organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association to determine the national champion of women's collegiate volleyball among its Division I members in the United States. It has been contested every winter since 1981, except 2020.
Texas A&M won the most recent tournament, defeating Kentucky 3âÂÂ0 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
Stanford has been the most successful program, with nine national titles.
From 1970 through 1980, before the NCAA governed women's collegiate athletics, the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women conducted the women's collegiate volleyball championships.
Volleyball was one of twelve women's sports added to the NCAA championship program for the 1981âÂÂ82 school year, as the NCAA engaged in battle with the AIAW for sole governance of women's collegiate sports. The AIAW continued to conduct its established championship program in the same twelve (and other) sports; however, after a year of dual women's championships, the NCAA won the fight and assumed the AIAW's authority and membership.
The first NCAA championship tournament was held in 1981, with 20 schools competing for the title. The tournament expanded gradually, moving to 28 teams in 1982, 32 in 1986, 48 in 1993, 56 in 1997, and finally to its current size of 64 in 1998.
There is also an NCAA Men's National Collegiate Volleyball Championship, which until 2012 was open to members of all three NCAA divisions, as there are far fewer men's programs than women's. However, starting in the 2011âÂÂ12 school year (2011 women's season, 2012 men's season), a Division III championship was established. The National Collegiate championship now involves only Division I and II members; under NCAA rules, D-II schools can compete under D-I rules in any sport that does not have a dedicated D-II national championship.
See Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women championships for the Division I volleyball champions from 1970 to 1981. NOTE: In 1981 there were both NCAA and AIAW champions.
In 1991 and now annually since 1996, the NCAA has awarded the most outstanding player(s) of the NCAA championship.