LATROBE, PA — Saint Vincent College, in conjunction with SportsPITTSBURGH, will serve as the host for the 2022 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship, scheduled for Nov. 17-19 at Duquesne University's UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (formerly A.J. Palumbo Center).
 
Saint Vincent's selection was one of more than 450 selections of host sites announced for preliminary rounds and final sites of NCAA championships in Division I, II and III to be held from 2022-23 through 2025-26.
 
"I believe the success of these championships is because of all the hard and partnerships we created in the last cycle is why we have been so lucky with these bids," said Sue Hozak, Associate Athletic Director at Saint Vincent College. "The Pittsburgh championship in 2018 was viewed by many in NCAA Division III volleyball as a tough act to follow and is still being talked about to this day."
 
In a virtual press conference conducted via Zoom on Thursday, Hozak joined local officials, SportsPittsburgh representatives and athletic administrators from Clarion University, Duquesne University, the University of Pittsburgh and Robert Morris University, in discussing the 11 NCAA hosting bids awarded to the western Pennsylvania region over the next five years.
 
Encompassing all three NCAA divisions, they include national or regional championship events in women's volleyball, men's and women's basketball, women's bowling and women's gymnastics.
 
"To receive the 11 championships hosts from the NCAA while still holding several events in the coming years shows that the NCAA is satisfied with how we have held championships in the past," said Jennifer Hawkins, SportsPITTSBURGH Executive Director. "We are excited to continue the success from years past to welcome student-athletes, families and fans in the coming years."
 
"Pittsburgh is a sports town and the combination with being a college town, this gives us a chance to hold these various championships and be a very hospitable city," said Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto. "In the past, we have shown a great success of welcoming these championships and look forward to the next championships in Pittsburgh."
 
This will mark the second time in four years in which Saint Vincent College will host the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship at Duquesne, after successfully doing so in Nov. 2018. It was the first time that a Presidents' Athletic Conference member was selected to host a NCAA championship event.
 
"Our staff will review all of our notes and put together a timeline and get right to it," Hozak said about the short turn around for the 2022 championship. "With the exceptional sports tradition that Pittsburgh has, I am sure we will provide an amazing event for everyone that will return to the city."
 
Sites were recommended by the respective sport committees, made up of coaches and administrators from NCAA member schools and conferences, and ultimately approved within the Division III governance structure.