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Despite a conference affiliation change for every other team in the athletics department, the Grand Canyon men’s volleyball team will be staying put.
Grand Canyon confirmed to Off the Block on Wednesday that the Antelopes will remain in the MIVA for the upcoming seasons.
The Antelopes athletics department announced Tuesday that it will join the Western Athletic Conference starting next year and begin the process of reclassification from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I status.
With the school’s transition to NCAA Division I, this will result in the majority of MIVA teams being from Division I institutions. The MIVA for the upcoming season had the MIVA evenly split with four Division I and four Division II programs after Lindenwood, a Division II school, joined the conference this summer.
Grand Canyon has been a member of the MIVA for the last three seasons after starting its program in 2009. It also remains the only school in the MIVA’s 52-year history to join the conference despite not being located in the Midwest.
Under second-year head coach Jeremy Price, Grand Canyon ended the regular season tied for fourth place in the MIVA and for the first time in its program history played host to a conference tournament match.
The Antelopes will be the only WAC member for the 2013-14 season with a men’s volleyball program.
Mercyhurst was in the MIVA for some time from Erie, PA, and to me that is not the midwest…