The 1981 NCAA Men's Volleyball Tournament was the 12th annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA men's collegiate volleyball. The tournament was played at the UC Santa Barbara Events Center in Santa Barbara, California during May 1981. UCLA defeated USC in the final match, 3–2 (11–15, 15–7, 15–11, 8–15, 15–13), to win their eighth national title. This was a rematch of the previous two years' finals, which were split between UCLA and USC. The Bruins (32–3) were coached by Al Scates.