1986 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament

1986 NCAA women's Division I volleyball tournament
Champions	Pacific (2nd title)
Runner-up	Nebraska (1st title match)
Semifinalists	Texas (1st Final Four) Stanford (5th Final Four)
Winning coach	John Dunning (2nd title)
Final Four All-Tournament Team	Brooke Herrington (Pacific) Liz Hert (Pacific) Teri McGrath (Pacific) Elaina Oden (Pacific) Karen Dahlgren (Nebraska) Tisha Delaney (Nebraska)

The 1986 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament began with 32 teams and ended on December 20, 1986, when Pacific defeated Nebraska 3 games to 0 in the NCAA championship match.

Pacific won their second straight NCAA title in volleyball with an easy sweep of Nebraska by the scores of 15-12, 15-4, 15-4.

Nebraska became the first non-California or Hawaii university to make the NCAA national championship match (although it happened six times in the AIAW national championships in the 1970s). Semifinalist Texas joined Nebraska in becoming the first non-California or Hawaii universities to make the NCAA final four (although four such others reached title matches in the 1970s).

Brackets

Northwest regional

	First round					Regional semifinal					Regional Final
		Pacific	3
		Idaho State	0
							Pacific	3
							San Diego State	0
		UCSB	1
		San Diego State	3
												Pacific	3
												Hawaiʻi	1
		U.S. International	0
		Hawaiʻi	3
							Hawaiʻi	3
							San Jose State	0
		San Jose State	3
		Cal Poly	2

South regional

	First round					Regional semifinal					Regional Final
		UT Arlington	3
		Southwest Texas State	1
							UT Arlington	0
							LSU	3
		LSU	3
		Arizona	2
												LSU	0
												Texas	3
		Georgia	3
		Texas A&M	1
							Georgia	0
							Texas	3
		Duke	1
		Texas	3

Mideast regional

	First round					Regional semifinal					Regional Final
		Nebraska	3
		Pittsburgh	1
							Nebraska	3
							Penn State	2
		Penn State	3
		Wyoming	1
												Nebraska	3
												Illinois	1
		Western Michigan	3
		Colorado State	0
							Western Michigan	0
							Illinois	3
		Illinois	3
		Northern Iowa	1

West regional

	First round					Regional semifinal					Regional Final
		UCLA	2
		Loyola Marymount	3
							Loyola Marymount	0
							Stanford	3
		Stanford	3
		Oregon	1
												Stanford	3
												BYU	0
		Arizona State	3
		Pepperdine	0
							Arizona State	1
							BYU	3
		Washington	0
		BYU	3

Final Four - Alex G. Spanos Center, Stockton, California

	National semifinals December 18					National Championship December 20
	Pacific		3
	Texas		0
						Pacific		3
						Nebraska		0
	Nebraska		3
	Stanford		1

See also

• 1986 NCAA men's volleyball tournament
• 1986 NCAA Division II women's volleyball tournament
• 1986 NCAA Division III women's volleyball tournament
• 1986 NAIA women's volleyball tournament