Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association
| Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association | |
|---|---|
| EIVA | |
 | |
| Established | 1977 |
| Members | 9 (6 in July 2022) |
| Sports fielded |
|
| Region | Northeast |
| Former names | Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball League (ECVL) |
| Commissioner | Russ Yurk |
| Website | www |
The Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) is a college athletic conference whose member schools compete in men's volleyball. Its member institutions are located in the Northeast United States.
The EIVA Tournament champion receives one of five automatic bids to the NCAA National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Championship. The other four automatic bids go to the two other traditional major volleyball conferences, the MIVA (Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) and the MPSF (Mountain Pacific Sports Federation); the Big West Conference, which in the 2017–18 school year became the first Division I all-sports conference ever to sponsor men's volleyball; and Conference Carolinas, a Division II conference that was the first all-sports conference in either Division I or II to sponsor men's volleyball. Before the 2014 tournament, the EIVA, MIVA, and MPSF received three of the four bids to the NCAA tournament, with the remaining entry being an at-large bid that was chosen from one of the three leagues by a committee of coaches from these leagues. The tournament expanded to six teams in 2014 when Conference Carolinas was given its automatic bid, and seven in 2018 with the addition of the Big West champion. The current lineup consists of the five conference champions and two at-large entries.
Penn State won every conference championship from 1991 through 2017, with the exception of 1998 when Princeton captured the title and 2016 when George Mason won the title.[1] Harvard and Princeton emerged on top in 2018 and 2019, respectively. The Nittany Lions are the only conference team to win the NCAA national championships, having captured the title in 1994 and 2008.
As of the current 2022 season (2021–22 school year), the EIVA consists of nine schools: the University of Charleston (in West Virginia; not to be confused with the College of Charleston in South Carolina), George Mason University, Harvard University, the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU), Princeton University, Sacred Heart University, St. Francis College (known athletically as St. Francis Brooklyn, from its New York City location), and Saint Francis University (in Pennsylvania; like St. Francis Brooklyn, it is a member of the Northeast Conference [NEC]). The top four teams compete for the EIVA championship. The winner represents the conference in the NCAA Div. I/II national championships.
Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, and Saint Francis (PA), all NEC members, will leave after the 2022 season to join the new NEC men's volleyball league. This leaves the EIVA with six members, the minimum needed to maintain its automatic NCAA tournament berth.[2]
Previously, from 2005-2006 to 2010-2011, the conference was divided into two divisions. The higher division was named the Tait Division and the lower division was named the Hay Division. The conference used a system of promotion and relegation whereby the last place team from the Tait Division went to the Hay for the following season and the highest ranked Hay Division team moved to the Tait. Prior to that, there was a second lower division (equal to Hay) named the Sweeney Division, but this was eliminated for the 2006 season. The two lower divisions were merged into one division at that time.
On April 28, 2012, Uvaldo Acosta (George Mason), Tom Hay (Springfield College), Ivan Marquez (Concordia [NY]), Bill Odeneal (SUNY New Paltz), Bob Sweeney (East Stroudsburg), and Tom Tait (Penn State) were inducted into the EIVA's inaugural Hall of Fame class during the 2012 EIVA Championship match at Penn State.[3]
Members[]
The EIVA has nine member teams, eight from the NCAA's Division I. The University of Charleston of Division II joined the conference for competition in 2016 after spending the 2015 season as an independent.[4] The most recent change in membership was the arrival of St. Francis Brooklyn in July 2021.[5]
Through the 2014 season, Division III Rutgers–Newark had been the EIVA's eighth member but spent its final years in the EIVA transitioning to Division III men's volleyball and left for the D-III Continental Volleyball Conference in 2015.[6] Because Rutgers–Newark traditionally competed in the former University Division in men's volleyball before the NCAA created its current three-division setup in 1972, it had been allowed to award scholarships in that sport, making it one of only seven D-III schools then allowed to do so in any sport. As part of its D-III transition, it stopped awarding scholarships to new athletes in the 2011 season.
As noted previously, three of the D-I members will leave after the 2022 season for the new NEC men's volleyball league.
Departing members are indicated in pink.
| School | Location | Team nickname | Primary conference | Joined EIVA[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Charleston | Charleston, West Virginia | Golden Eagles | Mountain East (Division II) |
2016 |
| George Mason University | Fairfax, Virginia | Patriots | Atlantic 10 (A-10) | 1977 |
| Harvard University | Cambridge, Massachusetts[b] | Crimson | Ivy League | 1982 |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) | Newark, New Jersey | Highlanders | America East | 1977 |
| Pennsylvania State University (PSU) | State College, Pennsylvania | Nittany Lions | Big Ten | 1972 |
| Princeton University | Princeton, New Jersey | Tigers | Ivy League | 1977 |
| Sacred Heart University | Fairfield, Connecticut | Pioneers | Northeast Conference | 1993 |
| St. Francis College (St. Francis Brooklyn) | Brooklyn, New York | Terriers | Northeast Conference | 2022 |
| Saint Francis University | Loretto, Pennsylvania | Red Flash | Northeast Conference | 1977 |
- ^ First season of EIVA competition, which takes place in the calendar year after a school formally joins.
- ^ Although most of Harvard's athletic facilities and its athletic administration are in Boston, the volleyball arena is in Cambridge, which also hosts Harvard's overall administration and undergraduate campus.
Conference arenas[]
Departing members in pink.
| School | Facility | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Charleston | H. Bernard Wehrle Sr. Athletic Arena | 1,551 |
| George Mason | Recreation Athletic Complex | 1,550 |
| Harvard | Malkin Athletic Center | 1,000 |
| NJIT | Wellness and Events Center (WEC) | 3,500 |
| Penn State | Rec Hall | 6,469 |
| Princeton | Dillon Gym | 1,500 |
| Sacred Heart | Pitt Center | 2,000 |
| St. Francis Brooklyn | Genovesi Center | N/A |
| Saint Francis (PA) | DeGol Arena | 3,500 |
Former members[]
- Concordia College (New York) - dropped program in 2003
- East Stroudsburg University - dropped program
- Juniata College - left EIVA in 2011 due to creation of NCAA Div. III national championship
- New York University - left EIVA in 2011 due to creation of NCAA Div. III national championship
- University of New Haven - dropped program after 2008 season
- Queens College - dropped program
- Rutgers–Newark – completed transition to D-III volleyball in 2014
- Springfield College - left EIVA in 2011 due to creation of NCAA Div. III national championship
- Vassar College - moved to NECVA
- SUNY New Paltz - left EIVA in 1999
- Southampton College - Dropped program when the school was closed.
References[]
- ^ "EIVA All-Time Champions". Retrieved 2021-04-21.
- ^ "Northeast Conference Announces Men's Volleyball as 25th Championship Sport" (Press release). Northeast Conference. September 30, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ "EIVA Inaugural Hall of Fame Inductees". Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association. 8 May 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
- ^ "EIVA votes to add Charleston to conference beginning in 2016". Off the Block. February 20, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
- ^ "St. Francis College Brooklyn Men's Volleyball Accepted into EIVA" (Press release). St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers. May 6, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ "Transitioning Scarlet Raiders Join CVC" (Press release). Rutgers–Newark Athletics. March 13, 2014. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
External links[]
- Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association
- NCAA conferences