1997 NCAA men's volleyball tournament

The 1997 NCAA men's volleyball tournament was the 28th annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA men's collegiate volleyball. The single-elimination tournament was played at St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio, during May 1997.

1997 NCAA men's volleyball tournament

Tournament details
Dates	May 1997
Teams	4
Final positions
Champions	Stanford (1st title)
Runner-up	UCLA (19th title match)
Tournament statistics
Matches played	3
Attendance	6,237 (2,079 per match)
Best player	Mike Lambert (Stanford)

Stanford defeated UCLA in the final match, 3–2 (15–7, 15–10, 9–15, 6–15, 15–13), to win their first national title. The Cardinal (27–4) were coached by Ruben Nieves.

Stanford's Mike Lambert was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Lambert, along with five 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
Ball State	14th	1995
Penn State	13th	1996
Stanford	3rd	1992
UCLA	20th	1996

Tournament bracket

• Site: St. John Arena, Columbus, Ohio

	Semifinals									Championship
	–	UCLA (3)	15	13	15	10	15
	–	Penn State (2)	13	15	14	15	10
										–	UCLA (2)	7	10	15	15	13
										–	Stanford (3)	15	15	9	6	15
	–	Stanford (3)	15	15	15
	–	Ball State (0)	6	9	10

All tournament team

• Mike Lambert, Stanford (Most outstanding player)
• Matt Fuerbringer, Stanford
• Keenan Whitehurst, Stanford
• Paul Nihipali, UCLA
• Adam Naeve, UCLA
• Ivan Contreras, Penn State

See also

• NCAA Men's National Collegiate Volleyball Championship
• NCAA Women's Volleyball Championships (Division I, Division II, Division III)