The 1972 NCAA men's volleyball tournament was the third annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA men's college volleyball. The tournament was played at Irving Gymnasium at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Like the previous year, the format of this championship consisted of a preliminary, four-team round robin to determine seeding for a subsequent single-elimination tournament.
UCLA defeated San Diego State, 3–2 (10–15, 9–15, 15–9, 15–10, 15–7), in the championship match to win their third consecutive national title. UCLA's Dick Irvin was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.
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 the University Division, or the College Division) were eligible. A total of 4 teams were invited to contest this championship.
Round robin
Bracket
Site: Irving Gymnasium, Muncie, Indiana
All tournament team
Dick Irvin, UCLA (Most Outstanding Player) John Zajec, UCLA Rick Niemi, Ball State Randy Stevenson, San Diego State Wayne Gracey, San Diego State David DeGroot, UC Santa Barbara