The NCAA men’s volleyball tournament is back and bigger than ever for 2026.
The bracket has expanded from nine to 12 teams, with seven automatic qualifiers and five at-large teams. That opens the door for more schools to compete but the usual suspects enter postseason play as the favorites.
One of this year’s top three seeds — No. 1 UCLA, No. 2 Hawaii and No. 3 Long Beach State — has won every NCAA title since 2018. Every championship match in that span except 2021, when Hawaii beat BYU for the title, has featured a matchup of two of those three schools in the final.
Defending champion Long Beach and UCLA have met in the final the last two years, with the teams splitting the titles. Will they make it three in a row or will Hawaii or another team break through this year?
Here’s everything you need to know to watch.
NCAA men’s volleyball bracket 2026
Four teams are seeded nationally and will host regionals the opening weekend, awaiting the winners of first-round matches between the other two teams in their regions. See the full match schedule below.
No. 1 UCLA- No. 4 Ball State
- Pepperdine
Fort Valley State
- No. 2 Hawaii
- No. 3 Long Beach State
- Loyola Chicago
Saint Francis
Where to watch NCAA men’s volleyball tournament
- TV channel: ESPN2 (final only)
- Live stream: ESPN app
Every match of the 2026 NCAA men’s volleyball tournament can be streamed live via the ESPN app. The final also will air on ESPN2.
Now you can watch ESPN without cable. Stream live NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, college sports, plus SportsCenter, First Take, and all your favorite ESPN shows—anytime, anywhere—only in the ESPN app.
NCAA men’s volleyball tournament schedule, scores 2026
Friday, May 1 – First round
| Match | Time (ET) | Watch |
|---|---|---|
| Pepperdine 3, Fort Valley State 0 | — | — |
| UC Irvine 3, Penn State 2 | — | — |
| Loyola Chicago 3, Saint Francis 0 | — | — |
| USC 3, Belmont Abbey 0 | — | — |
Saturday, May 2 – Regional finals
| Match | Time (ET) | Watch |
|---|---|---|
| No. 4 Ball State 3, Pepperdine 2 | — | — |
| UC Irvine 3, No. 1 UCLA 2 | — | — |
| No. 3 Long Beach 3, Loyola Chicago 0 | — | — |
| No. 2 Hawaii 3, USC 1 | — | — |
Saturday, May 9 – Semifinals
Semifinals and final will be played at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles
| Match | Time (ET) | Watch |
|---|---|---|
| UC Irvine 3, No. 4 Ball State 1 | — | — |
| No. 2 Hawaii 3, No. 3 Long Beach 1 | — | — |
Monday, May 11 – Championship
| Match | Time (ET) | Watch |
|---|---|---|
| No. 2 Hawaii vs. UC Irvine | 7 p.m. | ESPN2, ESPN app |
NCAA men’s volleyball champions list
Here are the last 10 NCAA men’s volleyball champions and runners-up. There was no tournament in 2020 due to COVID-19.
| Year | Champion | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Long Beach State | UCLA |
| 2024 | UCLA | Long Beach State |
| 2023 | UCLA | Hawaii |
| 2022 | Hawaii | Long Beach State |
| 2021 | Hawaii | BYU |
| 2019 | Long Beach State | Hawaii |
| 2018 | Long Beach State | UCLA |
| 2017 | Ohio State | BYU |
| 2016 | Ohio State | BYU |
| 2015 | Loyola Chicago | Lewis |
