Football tournament season
 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | May 1981 |
| Teams | 4 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | UCLA (8th title) |
| Runner-up | USC (4th title match) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 4 |
| Attendance | 3,946 (987 per match) |
| Best player | Karch Kiraly (UCLA) |
| ← 19801982 → | |
The 1981 NCAA men's volleyball tournament was the 12th annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA men's collegiate volleyball. The tournament was played at the UC Santa Barbara Events Center in Santa Barbara, California during May 1981.
UCLA defeated USC in the final match, 3–2 (11–15, 15–7, 15–11, 8–15, 15–13), to win their eighth national title. This was a rematch of the previous two years' finals, which were split between UCLA and USC. The Bruins (32–3) were coached by Al Scates.
UCLA's Karch Kiraly was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. Kiraly, along with six other players, comprised the All-tournament team.
Qualification
Until the creation of the NCAA Men's Division III Volleyball Championship in 2012, there was only a single national championship for men's volleyball. As such, all NCAA men's volleyball programs (whether from Division I, Division II, or Division III) were eligible. A total of 4 teams were invited to contest this championship.
| Team | Appearance | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 6th | 1980 |
| Penn State | 1st | Never |
| USC | 4th | 1980 |
| UCLA | 10th | 1980 |
Tournament bracket
| Semifinals | Championship | ||||||||||||||||
| UCLA (3) | 15 | 15 | 15 | ||||||||||||||
| Ohio State (0) | 8 | 7 | 9 | ||||||||||||||
| UCLA (3) | 11 | 15 | 15 | 8 | 15 | ||||||||||||
| USC (2) | 15 | 7 | 11 | 15 | 13 | ||||||||||||
| USC (3) | 15 | 15 | 15 | ||||||||||||||
| Penn State (0) | 2 | 6 | 8 | Third place | |||||||||||||
| Ohio State (1) | 15 | 15 | 7 | 8 | |||||||||||||
| Penn State (3) | 17 | 10 | 15 | 15 | |||||||||||||
All tournament team
- Karch Kiraly, UCLA (Most outstanding player)
- Steve Gulnac, UCLA
- Steve Salmons, UCLA
- Tim Hovland, USC
- John Hedlund, USC
- Bill Stetson, USC
- Ahmet Ozacm, Penn State
See also
References
- "Men's Volleyball National Championship Results" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
| NCAA men's volleyball tournament | |
|---|---|
| Tournaments | |
| Broadcasters | |
| 1980–81 NCAA Division I championships | |
|---|---|
| † Inaugural championship – Until 1981–82, all championships for men only |