2009 WAC volleyball tourney to be held in Las Vegas

DENVER – The Western Athletic Conference today announced that the 2009 WAC Volleyball Tournament will be held at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
 
“WAC volleyball has brought national attention to the WAC and this move will allow us to really showcase our premier women’s sport,” Commissioner Karl Benson said. “WAC fans have shown that they enjoy traveling to Las Vegas and I am certain the Orleans Arena will create a great tournament environment for them along with our student-athletes.”
 
The 2009 WAC Volleyball Tournament will be held Nov. 23-25 and will include the top six teams in the regular-season standings.
 
“The addition of the WAC Women’s Volleyball Championship will further solidify our venue as one of the premier neutral site facilities for college athletics on the west coast,” said Darren Davis, Orleans Arena Executive Director. “We are very proud of our partnership with the WAC and are excited to be hosting this event. We look forward to a very successful tournament.”
 
The 2009 WAC Volleyball Tournament will be the second conference tournament held at the Orleans Arena in the past year, as the West Coast Conference held its men’s and women’s basketball tournament there in March. The venue is also home to the Las Vegas Invitational and Las Vegas Classic annual collegiate basketball tournaments, and has hosted several other sporting events including AVP Volleyball, Las Vegas Wranglers hockey, Las Vegas Gladiators arena football and several boxing and mixed martial arts events.
 
“Having the tournament at the Orleans Arena is good for a couple of reasons,” Hawai‘i head coach Dave Shoji said. “One is that it is a neutral site, which is really important to the coaches who want a championship atmosphere that is as fair as possible to all schools competing. The second reason is that Las Vegas is a resort destination and is likely to attract WAC fans from all institutions. I remember when the WAC Tournament was in Las Vegas in the past, it seemed to attract more fans, and with the Orleans Arena venue, it will make for an exciting neutral stage.”
 
The WAC Tournament was played at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas from 1996-98 when UNLV was a member of the WAC.
 
“Having the WAC Tournament move to Las Vegas is a good thing for our conference,” Utah State head coach Grayson DuBose said. “By going to a neutral facility, it will have a true tournament feel. Las Vegas is a travel destination for many families and it is close for our fans and players families.”
 
Two different teams – Hawai‘i and Brigham Young – have claimed the WAC Tournament title in the event’s 11 years. The Rainbow Wahine own the most titles with nine, including the last eight in a row.
 
All-session tickets for the tournament are $45, while single session tickets are $20. Tickets go on sale Friday, May 8.
 
The WAC Volleyball Tournament is a single-elimination event with the top two seeds receiving first-round byes and the champion earning the conference’s automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. The full schedule can be found below.
 
2009 WAC VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
 
Monday, Nov. 23
No. 3 Seed vs. No. 6 Seed                    5 p.m.
No. 4 Seed vs. No. 5 Seed                    7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov 24
Winner Match 1 vs. No. 2 seed               5 p.m.
Winner Match 2 vs. No. 1 Seed              7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 25
Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4        TBD (based on television)

*times subject to change