RALEIGH, N.C. – The Shaw University women's volleyball team has earned the No. 6 seed in the 2026 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Volleyball Championship and will face third-seeded Livingstone College in the quarterfinal round on Monday, November 9, at the Rocky Mount Event Center in Rocky Mount, N.C.
First serve between the Lady Bears and Blue Bears is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
Shaw (11-18, 11-10 CIAA), under the direction of head coach Jailynn Hunt, enters postseason play following a convincing 3-0 sweep of Lincoln (Pa.) in Thursday's regular-season finale. The Lady Bears closed conference play with set victories of 25-8, 25-23 and 25-18, highlighted by 11 kills from Kamaria Sanders, 10 from Leana Gould and nine service aces from Mary Barnes.
The Lady Bears will look to carry that momentum into the eight-team championship field as they begin their pursuit of the conference title.
Livingstone enters the tournament as the No. 3 seed after finishing in a three-way tie atop the conference standings alongside Fayetteville State and Virginia State. The CIAA utilized its established tiebreaker procedures to determine the top three seeds, awarding Fayetteville State the No. 1 seed and regular-season championship, followed by Virginia State at No. 2 and Livingstone at No. 3.
Elizabeth City State earned the fourth seed, followed by Winston-Salem State at No. 5, Shaw at No. 6, Bowie State at No. 7 and Bluefield State at No. 8.
The winner of Shaw's quarterfinal matchup against Livingstone will advance to Tuesday's semifinal round, with the conference championship scheduled for Wednesday, November 11, at noon.
Championship Schedule
Monday, November 9 – Quarterfinals
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11 a.m. – No. 4 Elizabeth City State vs. No. 5 Winston-Salem State
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1:30 p.m. – No. 3 Livingstone vs. No. 6 Shaw
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4 p.m. – No. 2 Virginia State vs. No. 7 Bowie State
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6:30 p.m. – No. 1 Fayetteville State vs. No. 8 Bluefield State
Tuesday, November 10 – Semifinals
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2 p.m. – Semifinal 1
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4:30 p.m. – Semifinal 2
Wednesday, November 11 – Championship
All tournament matches will take place at the Rocky Mount Event Center. Admission to the championship is free, with parking available for $10.
For additional tournament information, visit theciaa.com.
Fans can follow Shaw volleyball throughout postseason play at shawbears.com and across Shaw Athletics' official social media platforms.
