Florida Volleyball To Host 2011 NCAA Regional
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 | Volleyball
The University of Florida has been selected to host an NCAA Volleyball Regional for the 11th time in school history, as the Gators were named one of four regional host sites for the 2011 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championships, the NCAA announced from its offices in Indianapolis.
The 2011 season will mark the fourth time in six years that Florida will play host to NCAA regional action, as the Gators hosted regional events in 2006, 2007 and, most recently, in 2009. In 2007, UF became the first school to be awarded a regional in back-to-back years since the formation of pre-determined sites prior to the 2003 campaign.
“We are honored to be chosen once again to host the NCAA regional in 2011,” Florida head coach Mary Wise said. “We have, in the O'Connell Center, a venue that is one of the best places to watch and play volleyball. Our fan base has created an atmosphere where a home match is an event. It says a lot about the support we receive from our fans and the first-class job that the UAA staff provides in putting on championships.”
Two Southeastern Conference schools will play host to NCAA regionals in 2011, as the four predetermined regional sites, all of which will take place Dec. 9-10, 2011, are the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville, Fla., Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Ky., the Stan Sherriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, and the Sports Pavilion in Minneapolis, Minn.
“The committee is excited to offer these opportunities to the institutions that bid on the regional championships,” said Terry Gawlick, chair of the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Committee and associate athletics director at the University of Wisconsin. “It's great to see institutions not only willing and able to host, but also providing an avenue to expose and grow the volleyball championship across the country.”
The finals site for the 2011 Division I Women's Volleyball Championship is the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
The event will mark the 11th time in school history that Florida will host an NCAA volleyball regional (1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2009). The Gators reached the Final Four in five of the previous 10 seasons when hosting a regional (1992, 1996, 1998, 2002, 2003). Florida could also be selected host first and second round action in the 2011 championship with those sites to be determined when the field of 64 is announced.
Florida has ranked in the nation's top 10 in attendance in 19 of the last 20 years.
For more information about the NCAA Volleyball Championship, please log on to http://www.ncaa.com/volleyball.
2011 NCAA Volleyball Regional Sites (Dec. 9-10)
Gainesville, Fla. – Stephen C. O'Connell Center (Florida)
Lexington, Ky. – Memorial Coliseum (Kentucky)
Honolulu, Hawaii – Stan Sherriff Center (Hawaii)
Minneapolis, Minn. – Sports Pavilion (Minnesota)
2011 NCAA Volleyball Championship Site – San Antonio, Texas (Alamodome)
