Connect with us
https://yoursportsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/call-to-1.png

Sports

Louisville economy helped by volleyball Final Four at KFC Yum! Center

Published

on



The volleyball championship is tied with the 2023 NCAA men’s basketball regional for the highest economic impact of any NCAA championship event the city has hosted.

play

  • These numbers were determined by the Economic Impact Calculator from Destinations International, which Louisville Tourism has used since 2017.
  • Last year’s NCAA volleyball championship, which spanned four days, set multiple attendance records at the KFC Yum! Center.

Louisville is known nationally as basketball country. But those who live in the city are well aware of its love affair with volleyball.

The sport’s NCAA championship returned to Louisville in December — 12 years after it first hosted the event — and left a grand financial mark.

The 2024 national semifinals and final had an estimated economic impact of $12.7 million, Louisville Tourism director of sports market development Gen Howard told The Courier Journal. The accompanying American Volleyball Coaches Association convention had an estimated economic impact of $2.6 million, making for a total impact of $15.3 million. It’s tied with the 2023 NCAA men’s basketball regional for the highest economic impact of any NCAA championship event the city has hosted, Howard said.

These numbers were determined by the Economic Impact Calculator from Destinations International, which Louisville Tourism has used since 2017. D.I. is “the global association for destination professionals,” and its calculator is an industry standard used by more than 375 destination entities in North America. The calculator takes two types of data into account when evaluating the economic impact of a given event:

One, event-specific data.

Two, city-specific data.

Event-specific data includes information like type of event (in this case, a sporting event, but more specifically, a volleyball tournament), attendance (including athletes participating in the tournament or meet), ticket sales and length of stay. Louisville Tourism gets this information from the event producer. For the volleyball championship, that was the NCAA.

Last year’s NCAA volleyball championship, which spanned four days, set multiple attendance records at the KFC Yum! Center. The semifinals between Louisville vs. Pitt and Nebraska vs. Penn State on Dec. 19 had an announced attendance of 21,726 — an NCAA semifinals record. The final between Louisville and Penn State on Dec. 22 broke the national indoor record with an announced attendance of 21,860.

City-specific data remains unchanged by Louisville Tourism. This information takes into account eight different sources of industry information like local taxes (such as sales tax, which is 6% in Kentucky), cost of living and average room rate.

The 2012 NCAA final between Texas and Oregon was the fourth most attended volleyball match in Division I history at the time, attracting 16,448 to the KFC Yum! Center. It still sat inside the top 20 ahead of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The 2012 national semifinals between Oregon-Penn State and Texas-Michigan entertained 13,385 in-person fans, making those the 13th most attended volleyball match at the time.

The 2023 NCAA men’s basketball regional had an economic impact of $15.3 million, Howard told The Courier Journal. The regional semifinals between Alabama vs. San Diego State and Creighton vs. Princeton drew 20,289 spectators, according to NCAA records. The regional final between SDSU and Creighton drew 20,051 fans.

The city of Louisville has previously hosted the NCAA men’s cross-country championship in 2012, 2015 and 2017. And the 2023 NCAA Men’s Soccer College Cup was played at 15,300-seat Lynn Family Stadium. But it’s the KFC Yum! Center’s 22,090-seat capacity that makes it optimal for hosting high-profile events.

Louisville volleyball ended its 2024 campaign as national runner-up to Penn State. The Cards are now led by former associate head coach Dan Meske, who took over for Dani Busboom Kelly after she accepted the head coaching job at her alma mater Nebraska. U of L most recently defeated rival Kentucky 3-1 in a spring match April 18 at L&N Arena.

Reach college sports enterprise reporter Payton Titus at ptitus@gannett.com, and follow her on X @petitus25.





Link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sports

Men’s Volleyball Sweeps Weekly Awards

Published

on


IRVINE, Calif. – The University of Hawai’i men’s volleyball team swept the Big West Weekly Awards after its two-match sweep of NJIT over the weekend in Honolulu.
 
Opposite Kristian Titriyski was named Offensive Player of the Week, setter Tread Rosenthal earned both Defensive Player of the Week and Setter of the Week, and setter Magnus Hettervik was Freshman of the Week.
 
For Titriyski the award marked his third career offensive recognition and seventh time he was honored by the conference with a weekly award. Rosenthal has now compiled 13 career weekly awards including his sixth setter award and first defensive honor.
 
Titriyski, a sophomore from Sofia, Bulgaria, averaged 3.83 kills per set and 5.17 points per set and hit .439 in the series. He was the only player on either team to record double digit kills in the two matches and also had a team-best five service aces.
 
Rosenthal, a junior from Austin, Texas, led the team with 11 blocks in the series for an average of 1.83 blocks per set and directed an offense to a combined .517 hitting percentage in the series with only 11 attack errors in 118 attempts. In Friday’s season-opener, he tied his career-high with eight blocks in a straight-set win.
 
Hettervik, a freshman from Stavanger, Norway, made his UH debut in the team’s win on Sunday and recorded three assists and his first career ace in the second set.
 
The Warriors will host No. 7 Loyola Chicago this week in a two-match series, Thursday, Jan. 8 and Friday, Jan. 9 at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
 
 

#HawaiiMVB

 
 
 



Link

Continue Reading

Sports

Clarksville High senior volleyball player earns TSWA All-State honors

Published

on


The TSWA has announced its selections for the volleyball all-state team for all five classes in the state. Clarksville High senior Keira Garinger earned a selection for her play throughout the 2025 season.

CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) has announced its selections for the volleyball all-state team for all five classes in the state. Clarksville High senior Keira Garinger earned a selection on the class 3A team for her play throughout the 2025 season.

Garinger was the driving force behind the best season in Clarksville High’s history, earning their first state tournament appearance, while finishing third place in the state. She finished this year with 489 kills, 67 aces, 48 blocks, 475 digs and she was selected as the district 13-4A MVP.

Garinger made a major impact on the program as a whole, compiling a record of 137-22 over her career and winning four district and region titles. Garinger will be taking her talents to Arkansas State in the fall to continue her volleyball career.

| SPORTS REPORT: Sign up for the new weekly Clarksville sports newsletter



Link

Continue Reading

Sports

YSU Mid Major Invitational Presented by Southwoods Health Pre-Meet Information

Published

on


14th Annual Youngstown State University College Indoor Track & Field Mid Major Meet Presented by Southwoods Health 

Friday, January 30 and Saturday, January 31

Meet: Open NCAA sanctioned Indoor Track & Field Competition

Timing: Fully automatic FinishLynx system

Location: The Watson and Tressel Training Site (WATTS) on the YSU campus. The WATTS features a full-length Shaw Sportexe Power Blade HP+ synthetic turf system football field, a 300-meter state-of-the-art mondo track surface, two long-jump pits, a high-jump pit, four batting cages, protective netting, a training room and locker rooms.

GPS address: 651 Elm St. | Youngstown, OH 44555

Entry’s: Entry’s are due by Tuesday, January 27 by 7 p.m., consisting of event entries with best marks from the previous year or realistic projected marks. All entries will be done on-line at www.directathletics.com.

Please visit the Direct Athletics website at your earliest convenience in order to familiarize yourself with how the entry process works. 

Also, please limit Eight athletes per event. If you have an event with more than eight quality athletes, please text Brian Gorby at (330) 519-7591 to get permission to email additional entries to bdgorby@ysu.edu.

We always try to help to accommodate all entry’s. 

**Note: Please check YSUsports.com after the entry deadline for changes or adjustments to the meet time schedule!

Please check to make sure your athletes are entered correctly. If there are mistakes or scratches, please email bdgorby@ysu.edu & ysutrackmeets@gmail.com. 

Entry Fees: $ 500

per each team, men or women separate, consisting of 10 or more individuals in unlimited events are paid online, when you complete Entry’s on Direct Athletics or $25 per individual event entry & paid online at Direct Athletics as well. 

ENTRY FEES

$ 25 per ENTRY (i.e. 2 events entered would be $ 50 )  Entry fees must be paid in advance online when you enter on DirectAthletics (all major credit and debit cards accepted).

Relay Entry’s $ 7 per runner for a total of $ 28 per relay team.  

Refund Policy

We understand that these are uncertain times.  As such, please rest assured that any entry fees (and processing fees) paid on DirectAthletics are 100% refundable in the unlikely event we have to cancel a meet. However, outside of meet cancellation, there is a strict NO REFUND policy on entry fees.  Absolutely no refunds will be processed due to scratches, change of plans, inability to travel, illness, injuries, etc. No day of Meet Entry. 

Spikes: ONLY 1/4 inch or shorter pyramid spikes will be allowed and all spikes will be checked prior to events. NO pin or needle spikes, spike elements, or any other type of spike will be allowed.

High Jump: All high jump competitions will be conducted on the Mondo surface.

Sections/Heats/Flights: Flights will be seeded by distance with best marks in the latest sections/flights. Finals in field events will consist of the top nine marks from the qualifying rounds.

Implement Weigh-In: 30 minutes prior to event at the Throws area.

January 30, 2026 | YSU Mid-Major National Collegiate Meet

1:00pm – Women’s Pent begins (60M H, HJ, Shot, LJ, 800M Run)

2:00pm – Long Jump (Women, Men to Follow)

2:00pm – Weight Throw (Women, Men to Follow)

3:00pm – Women’s Pole Vault

3:45pm – Men’s Heptathlon (60M Dash, LJ, Shot, HJ)

4:00pm – Running Events begin; 5000M, 500M, 1000M, DMR

January 31, 2026 | YSU Mid-Major National Collegiate Meet

8:10am – Guy’s Mile Run

9:30am – Men’s Hept (60M H, PV, 1000M Run)

9:30am – Shot Put (Men, Women to follow)

9:30am – Triple Jump (Men, Women to Follow)

9:45am – High Jump (following the Men’s Pentathlon 60M Hurdles) (Women, Men to Follow)

9:45am – Running Events Begin – Women first, followed by Men

Mile Run 

400M 

60M Hurdles

60M D 

Men’s Elite Mile Heats 

800M 

200M 

3000M 

4x400m relay

12:30pm – After the Men’s Pentathlon, Men’s Pole Vault



Link

Continue Reading

Sports

Spartan Club Athletes of the Week for Jan. 5: Anand Dharmarajan & Mya Hartjes

Published

on


The Spartan Club, comprised of Case Institute of Technology (CIT), Western Reserve University (WRU) and Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) alumni, parents of current students, faculty and staff, and friends of the University, is aimed at helping foster and honor the proud tradition of athletics at the University, while also supporting the current student-athletes. For more information on the Spartan Club, and to help support its purpose by becoming a member, CLICK HERE.

Case Western Reserve University senior Anand Dharmarajan, a guard on the men’s basketball team, and junior Mya Hartjes, a guard on the women’s basketball team, have been named the Spartan Club Athletes of the Week for their performances this past week.

Dharmarajan had a career day during the team’s 97-80 win over Kalamazoo. He scored a career-high 30 points over 29 minutes of action during the game, making 10-of-16 shots overall and seven-of-12 from three-point range. The seven three-pointers matched his career-best mark and were just one shy of the program’s single-game record. He added three rebounds and a steal in the effort. Dharmarajan is averaging 11.4 points per game this season on 46.8% shooting overall, including 45.3% from long range, and has added 1.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists per contest. The Spartans stand at 7-3 overall this season and have won four consecutive games.

The Spartans will close out their non-conference schedule on the road against La Roche College in Pittsburgh on Wednesday at 5 p.m.

Hartjes led the Spartans to two wins in three games over winter break. Hartjes led all CWRU players with 19.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game during the three contests, shooting 53.7% (22-of-41) overall, 52.0% (13-of-25) from three-point range, and converting both of her free throw attempts. She added five assists, a block, and two steals during the stretch. In a 68-55 win over Oberlin on December 29, she scored a career-best 25 points, making nine-of-15 shots overall and hitting a career-best seven threes on 10 tries, while contributing nine rebounds, an assist, a block, and a steal. She followed that by leading the team with 16 points in a 76-52 loss to 23rd-ranked Baldwin Wallace on December 30, making six-of-12 shots overall, including four-of-seven from three-point range, while collecting five rebounds and an assist. For her efforts over the two games, she was named to the All-Tournament Team at the BW Holiday Classic. Rounding out her week, Hartjes scored 18 points in a 75-65 win against Geneva on January 3, hitting seven-of-14 shots overall, two-of-eight from three-point range, and both of her free throw attempts, while adding a team-best eight rebounds with three assists and a steal. Hartjes has averaged 16.3 points and a team-high 7.2 rebounds per game this season with 3.5 assists per contest. The Spartans ended their non-conference schedule with a 7-4 record.

With its non-conference schedule complete, the Spartans will now turn their attention to their University Athletic Association slate. CWRU will begin its 14-game conference journey on Saturday at 3 p.m. on the road against Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

The Spartan Club Athletes of the Week are selected by the CWRU Department of Athletics each Monday, based on their performance during the previous week of competition.

Honorable Mentions:

Senior Art Martinez (wrestling) went 6-0 over the last two weeks, including a win over the then top-ranked wrestler in Division III, to lead the 21st-ranked Spartans to six dual wins over the holiday break. On December 20 at the Chocolate Duals in Grantham, Pennsylvania, Martinez defeated opponents from Ithaca, Messiah, and Arcadia. He started the day with a 21-4 technical fall over George McAteer of Ithaca and followed with a 22-4 technical fall over Tyler Ratledge of Messiah. In the final match of the day, Martinez delivered a decisive 18-4 major decision over Jacob Blair of Arcadia who was ranked first in Division III at the time of the dual. It marked Martinez’s first win over a nationally ranked opponent this season. CWRU won all three matches at the duals, defeating Ithaca 30-17, Messiah 23-20, and Arcadia 31-16. On January 3 at the UAA Challenge hosted by NYU, Martinez and the Spartans continued their winning streaks, defeating all three opponents at the annual event. Martinez earned bonus points in all three of his bouts, secured two technical falls and one pin at the event. This season, he is 20-1, including a 13-0 mark against Division III opponents, with six pins and a team-leading eight technical falls. CWRU improved to 8-2 in dual matches.  

The Spartans return home for the Claude Sharer Duals on Saturday hosting Manchester University and the University of Mount Union at the Veale Center.

2025-26 Spartan Club Athletes of the Week:

Sept. 2: Jacob Slater (men’s cross country) & Jamie Goldfarb (women’s soccer)

Sept. 8: Mitchell Fein (men’s soccer) & Maggie Farra (women’s soccer)

Sept. 15: Bradley Winter (men’s soccer) & Ceci Dapino (women’s soccer)

Sept. 22: Daniel King (football) & Halina Tompkins (women’s cross country)

Sept. 29: Sam DeTillio (football) & Kalli Wall (volleyball)

Oct. 6: Osi Chukwuocha (football) & Ceci Dapino (women’s soccer)

Oct. 13: Kalli Wall (volleyball) & Claire Kozma (women’s swimming and diving)

Oct. 20: Jacob Slater (men’s cross country) & Halina Tompkins (women’s cross country)

Oct. 27: Bradley Winter (men’s soccer) & Ellie Palaian (women’s soccer)

Nov. 3: Art Martinez (wrestling) & Sohalya Rawlins (women’s swimming and diving)

Nov. 10: Thomas Wagner (wrestling) & Emily Plachta (women’s basketball)

Nov. 18: Jacob Slater (men’s cross country) & Kalli Wall (volleyball)

Nov. 24: John Drumm (men’s swimming and diving) & Claire Kozma (women’s swimming and diving)

Dec. 1: Andrew Fox (men’s basketball) & Maura Schorr (women’s basketball)

Dec. 8: Antonio Sidoti (men’s track and field) & Gianna Phipps (women’s track and field)

Jan. 5: Anand Dharmarajan (men’s basketball) & Mya Hartjes (women’s basketball)



Link

Continue Reading

Sports

FSC Athletics Update – January 5

Published

on



FARMINGDALE, N.Y. | The Skyline Conference released its first winter weekly reports of the 2026 calendar year Monday, and Farmingdale State College junior Mia Simmons (Queens, N.Y.) was selected as its Women’s Basketball Player of the Week while freshman center Allison Ntambwe (Queens Village, N.Y.) earned honorable mention praise.

Women’s Basketball (6-5, 4-3 Skyline) | Skyline Report

Farmingdale State opened the calendar year in non-conference play Saturday at Hunter College, falling by a 79-61 score to the Hawks. Simmons poured in a career-high 21 points to lead the Rams, while Ntambwe came off the bench to score a career-high 10 points on 5-of-11 shooting. Senior point guard Shyann Parker (Floral Park, N.Y.) recorded a double-double, pulling down 11 rebounds while dishing out a career-high 10 assists.

The Rams travel to NYU’s Paulson Center Tuesday night for a Skyline Conference game versus Yeshiva at 8, before welcoming Lasell (Mass.) University for a 6 p.m. tip-off on Thursday.

Men’s Basketball (9-2, 2-0 Skyline) | Skyline Report

FSC resumed Skyline play Saturday with a 92-60 triumph over St. Joseph’s-Brooklyn on the team’s annual CYO Day. Five Rams scored in double figures against the Bears, including senior guard Michael Notias (Manhasset, N.Y.), who led all players with 15 points (6-of-11 FG, 3-of-5 3FG), five assists and three steals, while junior forward Kentrell Evans (Brooklyn, N.Y.) registered a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

The Rams will welcome conference foe St. Joseph’s-Long Island for a 7 p.m. tip-off on Wednesday night, before traveling Saturday for a noontime Skyline tilt at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

Indoor Track and Field

Farmingdale State returns to action on Friday, January 9, when it travels to the Ocean Breeze complex in Staten Island, N.Y., for the St. Thomas Aquinas Spartan Invitational at noon.



Link

Continue Reading

Sports

All 6 Wisconsin volleyball outgoing transfers have found new homes

Published

on


The Wisconsin Badgers and Kelly Sheffield had a pretty big exodus this season after their Final Four run. While none of them were surprising in a vacuum, as a whole, it was hard to watch six players for the present and the future decide it was time to get more guaranteed playing time elsewhere.

Many Wisconsin Badger fans hoped one or two, or even a few, would opt to leave the portal after entering it and return to Wisconsin; however, all six outgoing transfers have landed at new homes. Here’s where:

Una Vajagic and Tosia Serafinowska transferred to Arizona State

Maybe the biggest surprise was Una Vajagic transferring, as she clearly had a starter role last season and developed into an impressive outside hitter. However, she wasn’t going to be guaranteed the same minutes next season with other outside hitters coming in to compete for her job. That may have been what sent her looking for a new opportunity. She and the other international player on the team, Tosia Serafinowska, both decided to go to Arizona State.

Addy Horner transferred to TCU

Horner became a starter when star setter Charlie Fuerbringer went down with an injury. However, as soon as Fuerbringer was healthy, Horner went back to the bench. She proved she can be a starter and a pretty good one at that, but she didn’t have a shot of overtaking Fuerbringer’s spot, so it made sense for her to transfer. She has since gone to TCU.

Maile Chan has transferred to Florida State with Aniya Warren going to Oklahoma

Chan, as well as Aniya Warren, was stuck on the depth chart behind a true freshman (last season), and Kristen Simon proved she was going to be the main libero for the future. That sent both Chan and Warren to the portal. Chan landed at Florida State while Warren became a Sooner.

Trinity Shadd-Ceres has transferred to Creighton

Shadd-Ceres proved she can be a powerful and effective outside hitter, but similar to Vajagic, there was nothing guaranteed on the Wisconsin roster. There are just too many elite and talented outside hitters. She is going to be a starter at Creighton.



Link

Continue Reading

Most Viewed Posts

Trending