# 2016 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament

The 2016 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament began on December 1, 2016 and concluded on December 17 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The tournament field was determined on November 27, 2016. Stanford defeated Texas 3 sets to 1 in the final to claim their seventh title, tying them with Penn State for most all-time.

## Qualifying teams

The champions of the NCAA's 32 conferences qualified automatically, while the remaining 32 positions were filled with at-large selections. The Big Ten and Pac-12 led all conferences with eight teams each in the field, followed by the Big 12, which placed six teams.

### Records

Lincoln Regional :
| Seed | School | Conference | Berth Type | RPI | Record |
| | Arizona | Pac-12 | At-Large | 36 | 18-14 |
| | Cleveland State | Horizon | Automatic | 37 | 25-5 |
| | Colorado State | Mountain West | At-Large | 46 | 21-8 |
| | Dayton | A-10 | Automatic | 28 | 30-1 |
| | Fairfield | MAAC | Automatic | 119 | 28-5 |
| | Kentucky | SEC | At-Large | 19 | 22-7 |
| | LIU Brooklyn | NEC | Automatic | 196 | 16-14 |
| 9 | Michigan State | Big Ten | At-Large | 15 | 24-8 |
| 1 | Nebraska | Big Ten | Automatic | 3 | 27-2 |
| | New Hampshire | America East | Automatic | 139 | 21-10 |
| 16 | Penn State | Big Ten | At-Large | 26 | 22-9 |
| | Pittsburgh | ACC | At-Large | 39 | 24-8 |
| | TCU | Big 12 | At-Large | 20 | 14-12 |
| | Texas A&M–Corpus Christi | Southland | Automatic | 60 | 24-7 |
| 8 | Washington | Pac-12 | Automatic | 6 | 26-4 |
| | Wichita State | MVC | Automatic | 21 | 24-7 |
Austin Regional :
| Seed | School | Conference | Berth Type | RPI | Record |
| | American | Patriot | Automatic | 86 | 27-7 |
| 13 | BYU | West Coast | Automatic | 7 | 27-3 |
| | Creighton | Big East | Automatic | 17 | 26-6 |
| 5 | Kansas | Big 12 | Automatic | 5 | 26-2 |
| | Miami (OH) | MAC | At-Large | 40 | 24-6 |
| 12 | Michigan | Big Ten | At-Large | 13 | 22-10 |
| | Northern Iowa | MVC | At-Large | 45 | 24-9 |
| | Oregon | Pac-12 | At-Large | 24 | 20-9 |
| | Princeton | Ivy League | Automatic | 78 | 19-4 |
| | Samford | SoCon | Automatic | 129 | 21-13 |
| | SMU | The American | Automatic | 30 | 25-7 |
| 4 | Texas | Big 12 | At-Large | 4 | 22-4 |
| | Texas A&M | SEC | At-Large | 25 | 21-8 |
| | UNLV | Mountain West | At-Large | 33 | 23-7 |
| | Utah | Pac-12 | At-Large | 31 | 20-11 |
| | UTRGV | WAC | Automatic | 123 | 21-13 |
Madison Regional :
| Seed | School | Conference | Berth Type | RPI | Record |
| | Alabama State | SWAC | Automatic | 194 | 24-8 |
| | Boise State | Mountain West | Automatic | 32 | 25-6 |
| | Cincinnati | The American | At-Large | 38 | 22-9 |
| | Denver | The Summit | Automatic | 110 | 23-8 |
| 11 | Florida | SEC | Automatic | 10 | 26-3 |
| | Florida State | ACC | At-Large | 22 | 24-5 |
| | Howard | MEAC | Automatic | 159 | 26-5 |
| 14 | Kansas State | Big 12 | At-Large | 18 | 20-9 |
| | Lipscomb | ASUN | Automatic | 52 | 22-7 |
| | Marquette | Big East | At-Large | 41 | 23-8 |
| | Missouri State | MVC | At-Large | 44 | 26-8 |
| | Ohio State | Big Ten | At-Large | 34 | 20-12 |
| 6 | Stanford | Pac-12 | At-Large | 11 | 21-7 |
| | Washington State | Pac-12 | At-Large | 43 | 21-11 |
| | Western Kentucky | C-USA | Automatic | 14 | 30-2 |
| 3 | Wisconsin | Big Ten | At-Large | 1 | 25-4 |
Minneapolis Regional :
| Seed | School | Conference | Berth Type | RPI | Record |
| | Baylor | Big 12 | At-Large | 42 | 21-11 |
| | Coastal Carolina | Sun Belt | Automatic | 35 | 27-4 |
| | Hawaiʻi | Big West | Automatic | 23 | 22-5 |
| | High Point | Big South | Automatic | 109 | 23-9 |
| | Iowa State | Big 12 | At-Large | 27 | 18-10 |
| | James Madison | CAA | Automatic | 50 | 21-10 |
| 2 | Minnesota | Big Ten | At-Large | 2 | 25-4 |
| 15 | Missouri | SEC | At-Large | 9 | 25-5 |
| | Murray State | Ohio Valley | Automatic | 96 | 23-8 |
| 7 | North Carolina | ACC | Automatic | 8 | 27-3 |
| | North Dakota | Big Sky | Automatic | 98 | 26-9 |
| | Northern Illinois | MAC | Automatic | 51 | 25-5 |
| | Purdue | Big Ten | At-Large | 29 | 18-13 |
| | San Diego | West Coast | At-Large | 16 | 24-5 |
| 10 | UCLA | Pac-12 | At-Large | 12 | 24-6 |
| | USC | Pac-12 | At-Large | 48 | 18-13 |

## Bracket

The first two rounds are held on campus sites (the home court of the seeded team). Regional semifinals and finals will be held at four non-predetermined campus sites, which will be announced after play concludes, on December 3.

### Lincoln Regional

| First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | | Regional finals | Regional finals | Regional finals |
| 1 | Nebraska | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | New Hampshire | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | New Hampshire | 0 | 1 | Nebraska | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Lincoln, NE | Lincoln, NE | Lincoln, NE | 1 | Nebraska | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Lincoln, NE | Lincoln, NE | Lincoln, NE | | TCU | 0 | | | | | | | |
| | Wichita State | 1 | | TCU | 0 | | | | | | | |
| | TCU | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | TCU | 3 | | | | 1 | Nebraska | 3 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 16 | Penn State | 2 | | | | |
| 16 | Penn State | 3 | | | | | | | 16 | Penn State | 2 | | | | |
| | LIU Brooklyn | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | LIU Brooklyn | 0 | 16 | Penn State | 3 | | | | | | | |
| University Park, PA | University Park, PA | University Park, PA | 16 | Penn State | 3 | | | | | | | |
| University Park, PA | University Park, PA | University Park, PA | | Pittsburgh | 1 | | | | | | | |
| | Pittsburgh | 3 | | Pittsburgh | 1 | | | | | | | |
| | Dayton | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Dayton | 1 | | | | | | | | 1 | Nebraska | 3 |
| | | | | | | | | | | 8 | Washington | 0 |
| 8 | Washington | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | 8 | Washington | 0 |
| | A&M-Corpus Christi | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | A&M-Corpus Christi | 0 | 8 | Washington | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Seattle, WA | Seattle, WA | Seattle, WA | 8 | Washington | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Seattle, WA | Seattle, WA | Seattle, WA | | Kentucky | 0 | | | | | | | |
| | Kentucky | 3 | | Kentucky | 0 | | | | | | | |
| | Colorado State | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Colorado State | 1 | | | | 8 | Washington | 3 | | | | |
| | | | | | | | Arizona | 0 | | | | |
| 9 | Michigan State | 3 | | | | | | | | Arizona | 0 | | | | |
| | Fairfield | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Fairfield | 0 | 9 | Michigan State | 2 | | | | | | | |
| East Lansing, MI | East Lansing, MI | East Lansing, MI | 9 | Michigan State | 2 | | | | | | | |
| East Lansing, MI | East Lansing, MI | East Lansing, MI | | Arizona | 3 | | | | | | | |
| | Cleveland State | 0 | | Arizona | 3 | | | | | | | |
| | Arizona | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |

### Austin Regional

| First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | | Regional finals | Regional finals | Regional finals |
| 4 | Texas | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | UT-Rio Grande Valley | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | UT-Rio Grande Valley | 0 | 4 | Texas | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Austin, TX | Austin, TX | Austin, TX | 4 | Texas | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Austin, TX | Austin, TX | Austin, TX | | Southern Methodist | 0 | | | | | | | |
| | Texas A&M | 0 | | Southern Methodist | 0 | | | | | | | |
| | Southern Methodist | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Southern Methodist | 3 | | | | 4 | Texas | 3 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 13 | BYU | 2 | | | | |
| 13 | BYU | 3 | | | | | | | 13 | BYU | 2 | | | |
| | Princeton | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Princeton | 0 | 13 | BYU | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Provo, UT | Provo, UT | Provo, UT | 13 | BYU | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Provo, UT | Provo, UT | Provo, UT | | UNLV | 0 | | | | | | | |
| | UNLV | 3 | | UNLV | 0 | | | | | | | |
| | Utah | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Utah | 1 | | | | | | | | 4 | Texas | 3 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | Creighton | 0 |
| 5 | Kansas | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | Creighton | 0 |
| | Samford | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Samford | 0 | 5 | Kansas | 2 | | | | | | | |
| Lawrence, KS | Lawrence, KS | Lawrence, KS | 5 | Kansas | 2 | | | | | | | |
| Lawrence, KS | Lawrence, KS | Lawrence, KS | | Creighton | 3 | | | | | | | |
| | Northern Iowa | 2 | | Creighton | 3 | | | | | | | |
| | Creighton | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Creighton | 3 | | | | | Creighton | 3 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 12 | Michigan | 2 | | | | |
| 12 | Michigan | 3 | | | | | | | 12 | Michigan | 2 | | | |
| | American | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | American | 0 | 12 | Michigan | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Ann Arbor, MI | Ann Arbor, MI | Ann Arbor, MI | 12 | Michigan | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Ann Arbor, MI | Ann Arbor, MI | Ann Arbor, MI | | Oregon | 1 | | | | | | | |
| | Oregon | 3 | | Oregon | 1 | | | | | | | |
| | Miami (OH) | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |

### Madison Regional

| First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | Regional finals | Regional finals | Regional finals |
| 3 | Wisconsin | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Howard | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Howard | 0 | 3 | Wisconsin | 3 | | | | | | |
| Madison, WI | Madison, WI | Madison, WI | 3 | Wisconsin | 3 | | | | | | |
| Madison, WI | Madison, WI | Madison, WI | | Washington State | 0 | | | | | | |
| | Marquette | 1 | | Washington State | 0 | | | | | | |
| | Washington State | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Washington State | 3 | | | | 3 | Wisconsin | 3 | | | |
| | | | | | | | Ohio State | 2 | | | |
| 14 | Kansas State | 3 | | | | | | | Ohio State | 2 | | | | |
| | Lipscomb | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Lipscomb | 0 | 14 | Kansas State | 2 | | | | | | |
| Manhattan, KS | Manhattan, KS | Manhattan, KS | 14 | Kansas State | 2 | | | | | | |
| Manhattan, KS | Manhattan, KS | Manhattan, KS | | Ohio State | 3 | | | | | | |
| | Ohio State | 3 | | Ohio State | 3 | | | | | | |
| | Missouri State | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Missouri State | 0 | | | | | | | 3 | Wisconsin | 2 |
| | | | | | | | | | 6 | Stanford | 3 |
| 6 | Stanford | 3 | | | | | | | | | | 6 | Stanford | 3 |
| | Denver | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Denver | 0 | 6 | Stanford | 3 | | | | | | |
| Stanford, CA | Stanford, CA | Stanford, CA | 6 | Stanford | 3 | | | | | | |
| Stanford, CA | Stanford, CA | Stanford, CA | | Boise State | 0 | | | | | | |
| | Western Kentucky | 0 | | Boise State | 0 | | | | | | |
| | Boise State | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Boise State | 3 | | | | 6 | Stanford | 3 | | | |
| | | | | | | | Florida State | 1 | | | |
| 11 | Florida | 3 | | | | | | | Florida State | 1 | | | | |
| | Alabama State | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Alabama State | 0 | 11 | Florida | 2 | | | | | | |
| Gainesville, FL | Gainesville, FL | Gainesville, FL | 11 | Florida | 2 | | | | | | |
| Gainesville, FL | Gainesville, FL | Gainesville, FL | | Florida State | 3 | | | | | | |
| | Cincinnati | 1 | | Florida State | 3 | | | | | | |
| | Florida State | 3 | | | | | | | | | |

### Minneapolis Regional

| First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | | Regional finals | Regional finals | Regional finals |
| 2 | Minnesota | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | North Dakota | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | North Dakota | 0 | 2 | Minnesota | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Minneapolis–Saint Paul, MN | Minneapolis–Saint Paul, MN | Minneapolis–Saint Paul, MN | 2 | Minnesota | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Minneapolis–Saint Paul, MN | Minneapolis–Saint Paul, MN | Minneapolis–Saint Paul, MN | | Hawaii | 0 | | | | | | | |
| | Hawaii | 3 | | Hawaii | 0 | | | | | | | |
| | USC | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | USC | 2 | | | | 2 | Minnesota | 3 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 15 | Missouri | 1 | | | | |
| 15 | Missouri | 3 | | | | | | | 15 | Missouri | 1 | | | | |
| | Northern Illinois | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Northern Illinois | 0 | 15 | Missouri | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Columbia, MO | Columbia, MO | Columbia, MO | 15 | Missouri | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Columbia, MO | Columbia, MO | Columbia, MO | | Purdue | 1 | | | | | | | |
| | Purdue | 3 | | Purdue | 1 | | | | | | | |
| | Iowa State | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Iowa State | 0 | | | | | | | | 2 | Minnesota | 3 |
| | | | | | | | | | | 10 | UCLA | 0 |
| 7 | North Carolina | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | 10 | UCLA | 0 |
| | High Point | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | High Point | 0 | 7 | North Carolina | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Chapel Hill, NC | Chapel Hill, NC | Chapel Hill, NC | 7 | North Carolina | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Chapel Hill, NC | Chapel Hill, NC | Chapel Hill, NC | | Coastal Carolina | 0 | | | | | | | |
| | James Madison | 2 | | Coastal Carolina | 0 | | | | | | | |
| | Coastal Carolina | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Coastal Carolina | 3 | | | | 7 | North Carolina | 1 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 10 | UCLA | 3 | | | | |
| 10 | UCLA | 3 | | | | | | | 10 | UCLA | 3 | | | | |
| | Murray State | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Murray State | 1 | 10 | UCLA | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Los Angeles, CA | Los Angeles, CA | Los Angeles, CA | 10 | UCLA | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Los Angeles, CA | Los Angeles, CA | Los Angeles, CA | | Baylor | 0 | | | | | | | |
| | San Diego | 2 | | Baylor | 0 | | | | | | | |
| | Baylor | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |

### Schedule
#### Regional Final
## Final Four

National semifinal and championship were held at Nationwide Arena, in Columbus, Ohio on December 15 and 17 respectively. The national semifinal matches, originally scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN2, were moved to ESPN.
| National semifinals | National semifinals | National semifinals | National Championship | National Championship | National Championship |
| 1 | Nebraska | 0 | | | |
| 4 | Texas | 3 | | | |
| 4 | Texas | 3 | 4 | Texas | 1 |
| | | | 6 | Stanford | 3 |
| 2 | Minnesota | 1 | 6 | Stanford | 3 |
| 6 | Stanford | 3 | | | |

### National Championship
## Record by conference

| Conference | Teams | W | L | Pct. | R32 | S16 | E8 | F4 | CM | NC |
| Big Ten | 8 | 19 | 8 | .704 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 2 | – | – |
| Pac-12 | 8 | 16 | 7 | .696 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| ACC | 3 | 5 | 3 | .625 | 3 | 2 | – | – | – | – |
| Big East | 2 | 3 | 2 | .600 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – |
| Big 12 | 6 | 9 | 6 | .600 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – |
| WCC | 2 | 2 | 2 | .500 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| SEC | 4 | 4 | 4 | .500 | 3 | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| Big West | 1 | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Sun Belt | 1 | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Mountain West | 3 | 2 | 3 | .400 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – |
| The American | 2 | 1 | 2 | .333 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Other | 24 | 0 | 24 | .000 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
The columns R32, S16, E8, F4, CM, and NC respectively stand for the Round of 32, Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight, Final Four, Championship Match, and National Champion.