The NCAA Division III women's volleyball tournament is the annual event that decides the championships in women's volleyball from teams in Division III contested by the NCAA each winter since 1981 except in 2020, when all D-III championship events were canceled due to COVID-19.
Washington St. Louis is the most successful program, with ten national titles.
Wisconsin–Oshkosh are the current champions, winning their first national title in 2025.
History From 1970 through 1980, before the NCAA governed women's collegiate athletics, the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women alone conducted the women's collegiate volleyball championships.
Volleyball was one of twelve women's sports added to the NCAA championship program for the 1981–82 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 conquered the AIAW and usurped its authority and membership.
The NCAA added a Division III men's championship in 2012, which at the time was the newest NCAA-sponsored championship. That distinction has since passed to the NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship, an all-divisions women-only championship launched in 2016.
Champions See Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women Champions for the Division III volleyball champions from 1979 to 1981. NOTE: In 1981 there were both NCAA and AIAW champions.
NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball ChampionshipYear Site(Host Team)ChampionshipThird Place Final / SemifinalistsChampionGamesRunner-upThird-placeGamesFourth-place1981Details Maryville, TN(Maryville) UC San Diego 3–2 Juniata Occidental 3–0 Benedictine (IL)1982Details La Jolla, CA(UC San Diego) La Verne 3–1 UC San Diego Sonoma State 3–2 Juniata1983Details La Verne, CA(La Verne) Elmhurst 3–1 UC San Diego La Verne 3–1 MIT1984Details Elmhurst, IL(Elmhurst) UC San Diego (2) 3–0 MIT La Verne 3–0 Calvin1985Details Elmhurst (2) 3–0 Juniata La Verne 3–0 UW–La Crosse1986Details Grand Rapids, MI(Calvin) UC San Diego (3) 3–2 Calvin UW–La Crosse 3–1 Juniata1987Details Elmhurst, IL(Elmhurst) UC San Diego (4) 3–0 Elmhurst Benedictine (IL) 3–2 Juniata1988Details La Jolla, CA(UC San Diego) UC San Diego (5) 3–2 Benedictine (IL) Juniata 3–2 UW–Whitewater1989Details St. Louis, MO(WashU) WashU 3–0 Ohio Northern Juniata 3–1 Menlo1990Details UC San Diego (6) 3–2 WashU St. Benedict 3–0 Juniata1991Details WashU (2) 3–2 UC San Diego Juniata 3–1 UW–Oshkosh1992Details WashU (3) 3–0 UC San Diego Stony Brook 3–2 Calvin1993Details Huntingdon, PA(Juniata) WashU (4) 3–0 Juniata RIT 3–2 UC San Diego1994Details Ithaca, NY(Ithaca) WashU (5) 3–0 UW–Oshkosh Juniata 3–2 Ithaca1995Details Whitewater, WI(UW–Whitewater) WashU (6) 3–2 Cal Lutheran UW–Whitewater 3–2 Ithaca1996Details Oshkosh, WI(UW–Oshkosh) WashU (7) 3–0 Juniata St. Olaf 3–1 UW–Oshkosh1997Details La Jolla, CA(UC San Diego) UC San Diego (7) 3–2 Juniata Central (IA) 3–0 WashU1998Details Huntingdon, PA(Juniata) Central (IA) 3–2 UC San Diego Juniata and Wellesley1999Details Central (IA) (2) 3–0 Trinity (TX) Muskingum 3–0 Juniata2000Details Pella, IA(Central) Central (IA) (3) 3–0 UW–Whitewater WashU 3–2 Juniata2001Details Whitewater, WI(UW–Whitewater) La Verne (2) 3–2 UW–Whitewater Juniata 3–1 Wellesley2002Details UW–Whitewater 3–0 WashU Trinity (TX) 3–0 Juniata2003Details La Verne, CA(La Verne) WashU (8) 3–0 NYU La Verne 3–0 Emory2004Details Winona, MN(St. Mary's (MN)) Juniata 3–0 WashU La Verne 3–1 NYU2005Details Salem, VA UW–Whitewater (2) 3–0 Juniata La Verne and Wittenberg2006Details Juniata (2) 3–2 WashU UW–Whitewater and Wittenberg2007Details Bloomington, IL(Illinois Wesleyan) WashU (9) 3–2 UW–Whitewater Juniata and Wittenberg2008Details Emory 3–1 La Verne Juniata and Ohio Northern2009Details University Heights, OH(John Carroll) WashU (10) 3–1 Juniata Hope and UW–Oshkosh2010Details St. Louis, MO(Washington) Calvin 3–1 Emory Juniata and WashU2011Details Wittenberg 3–0 Christopher Newport Carthage and Eastern2012Details Holland, MI(Hope) St. Thomas (MN) 3–2 Calvin Christopher Newport and Elmhurst2013Details Calvin (2) 3–2 Cal Lutheran Emory and UW–Stevens Point2014Details Newport News, VA(Christopher Newport) Hope 3–2 Emory Calvin and UW–Stevens Point2015Details Grand Rapids, MI(Calvin) Cal Lutheran 3–0 Wittenberg Carthage and Hendrix2016Details Oshkosh, WI(UW–Oshkosh) Calvin (3) 3–0 WashU Northwestern (MN) and Southwestern (TX)2017Details Grand Rapids, MI(Calvin) Claremont–Mudd–Scripps 3–0 Wittenberg Calvin and Ithaca2018Details Pittsburgh, PA(Duquesne) Emory (2) 3–0 Calvin Juniata and UW–Eau Claire2019Details Cedar Rapids, IA Johns Hopkins 3–0 Emory Carthage and Trinity (TX)2020Details Canceled due to COVID-19. 2021Details Saint Louis, MO (Washington) UW–Eau Claire 3–0CalvinClaremont–Mudd–Scripps and Juniata 2022Details Pittsburgh, PA(Saint Vincent) Juniata (3) 3–0 Trinity (TX) Northwestern (MN) and NYU 2023Details Claremont, CA(Claremont–Mudd–Scripps) Juniata (4) 3–0 Hope Claremont Scripps and NYU 2024Details Salem, VA(ODAC) Juniata (5) 3–2 UW-Whitewater Hope and Johns Hopkins 2025Details Bloomington, IL(Illinois Wesleyan) UW–Oshkosh 3–0 La Verne Berry and Trinity (TX) 2026 Pittsburgh, PA 2027 Glen Allen, VA Records Most championships: Washington University in St. Louis (10), UC San Diego (8) Undefeated Seasons: Washington University in St. Louis (1992), Central (IA) (1999), Johns Hopkins (2019), Juniata (2023), Juniata (2024)
Champions Team Titles Years 10 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2003, 2007, 2009 5 2004, 2006, 2022, 2023, 2024 3 2010, 2013, 2016 1998, 1999, 2000 2 2008, 2018 2002, 2005 1982, 2002 1983, 1985 1 2025 2021 2019 2017 2015 2014 2011
Former programs Team Titles Years 7 1981, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1997 1 2012
See also AIAW Intercollegiate Women's Volleyball Champions AVCA NCAA Women's Volleyball Championships (Division I, Division II) NCAA Men's Volleyball Championships (Divisions I and II, Division III) NAIA Volleyball Championship
References
External links NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball