ST. LOUIS – The Missouri Baptist women's volleyball team was announced as the No. 3 seed in the latest NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll and received an opening round bye to the NAIA Championship final site. 

The Spartans automatically qualified for a 2015 NAIA Volleyball National Championship Opening Round bid after entering the American Midwest Conference (AMC) Tournament as the No. 1 seed.

After a tough loss to Columbia College (Mo.) in the AMC Championship match, MBU dropped only two spots in the NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll back to No. 3.

With a ranking in the top 11, Missouri Baptist received an opening round bye and will advance to the final site in Sioux City, Iowa.

Opening round will take place on Nov. 21 and the pool play teams will be announced Nov. 22. The Spartans will be placed in a pool with three other teams.

On Dec. 1, MBU will begin pool play in the Tyson Event Center.

The top two teams of each pool will advance to the first round/quarterfinals for the first single elimination round.

The winning teams of the quarterfinal matches will advance to the semifinals and the two winners of the semifinal matches will advance to the championship match.

Last year, Missouri Baptist advanced to the furthest point that the team has ever been in the NAIA National Tournament and ended the season tied for fifth in the nation.

With eight seniors, the Spartans are hungry for more and want to see this season all the way to the finals.

Stay tuned to the MBU Athletics website and social media for the women's volleyball road to the 2015 NAIA National Championship.