Independent file photo SMSU’s Meg Schmidt connects on a kill during their NSIC Tournament match against Wayne State College on Nov. 6, 2018.

BURNSVILLE – The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and the Sanford Pentagon are excited to announce an agreement that will bring the NSIC volleyball tournament to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for the next three years. The eight-team, single elimination tournament will be held at the Sanford Pentagon in the 2019, 2020 and 2021 seasons.

The NSIC volleyball tournament, one of, if not the most competitive in all of NCAA Division II has been played on NSIC campuses since its inception in 2004.

“The NSIC and the Sanford Pentagon have an outstanding relationship, as we have hosted our basketball tournaments there since 2014,” stated NSIC Commissioner Erin Lind. “The venue is the best in the region for NSIC competition and we are excited to bring our volleyball student-athletes, coaches and fans to such an outstanding venue. This is an added opportunity for the Sioux Falls community and surrounding area to watch elite volleyball.”

The Sanford Pentagon is no stranger to hosting high level volleyball as Concordia-St. Paul won the 2016 National Championship on Heritage Court and the Pentagon is set to host the 2020 NCAA Division II National Championship.

“Some of the best volleyball in the country is played in the NSIC, and we are thrilled the student-athletes from these schools will play for a conference championship on Heritage Court,” said Jesse Smith, director of operations at the Sanford Pentagon. “I can’t overstate how much we value our relationship with the NSIC, and we look forward to hosting this tournament and providing a first-class experience for all involved.”

In past years the first round of the NSIC volleyball tournament was played on the campus of the top four seeds, with the highest remaining seed hosting the semifinals and championship matches. With this new arrangement, all three rounds of the NSIC Volleyball Championship would be played on Heritage Court in the Sanford Pentagon. Dates for the upcoming championship will be November 22-24, 2019.

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