USAV Boys’ Jr Nationals an Ace in Austin

Bill Kauffman
Manager, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: 719-228-6800
E-Mail: bill.kauffman@usav.org

AUSTIN, Texas (July 9, 2010) – The 2010 USA Volleyball Boys’ Junior National Championships came to a close Friday after Seaside 17-Mikasa’s Nathan Knuuttila served an ace to close out the 17 Open Division gold-medal match at the Austin Convention Center in Texas.

One could say Knuuttila’s ace for the final point of the tournament is an apt description of the entire event. Over the eight-day tournament that started July 2, the 361-team event produced many memorable moments on the 32 courts for the 4,500 players competing for one of the 12 national titles. A USAV Boys’ Junior National Championships record was even set for the largest finals crowd with an estimated 2,300 watching both the 18 Open and 18 Club Division titles.

“This year’s USA Volleyball Boys’ Junior National Championships event ran rather smoothly,” USA Volleyball Coordinator of Events Barbara Eisenbeis said. “We had very few issues, and the little problems that did come up were fixed very quickly.”

With the 2010 event in the books, Eisenbeis mentioned the USAV event staff will now discuss ways to make the event better.

“Every year we are adding new enhancements to make the event special,” Eisenbeis said. “This year we had an Olympian present medals on each day. For next year, I would like to stream all the championship matches on the Internet as one of our enhancements. We will continue to dress up the event to make this a special place for the boys to come to compete.”

For its part, Eisenbeis praised the Austin Convention Center set up that put the spotlight on the players.

“Not every venue has this type of setup such as grandstands creating a quality, positive atmosphere on championship court,” Eisenbeis said. “The players certainly enjoyed the experience of playing on championship court with the crowds that stopped by to watch.”

The USA Volleyball Boys’ Junior National Championships sold 5,500 tournament passes throughout the eight days, including 365 all-tournament passes.

The City of Austin has a recent history of hosting USA Volleyball national championship events. The USA Volleyball Boys’ Junior National Championships were previously held in Austin in 1994 and 2004, while the USA Volleyball Girls’ Junior National Championships were held in the city in 1994. Austin also hosted the 2007 USA Volleyball Open National Championships at the same Austin Convention Center. The National Collegiate Men’s Club Championships were held in Austin in 1987 and 1993.

The Austin Sports Commission, which served on the local host committee along with the Lone Star Volleyball Region, viewed the event as a success for the local economy.

“With the economy as it is, it is key time to have such a huge event like this here in Austin,” Austin Sports Commission Executive Director Matthew Payne said. “The presence of volleyball has definitely been felt in the hotels and restaurants in town.”

Prior to the event when Austin was announced as the host city in September of 2009, Payne estimated the event would create $11 million dollars in visitor spending. However, he would not have the final figures until all the numbers come in over the next few weeks.

According to Payne, the USA Volleyball Boys’ Volleyball Championships is proof-positive that volleyball is part of the culture in Austin.

“Events like this prove that volleyball is a good draw for Austin,” Payne said. “Without a doubt, the Austin Sports Commission wants to continue to work with USA Volleyball to bring future events to Austin.”

However, the three-person Austin Sports Commission staff will use this past week’s event as an attention-getter for bringing future business to Austin other than volleyball.

“We are going to feature this event through the Austin Sports Commission to attract new events to the city,” Payne said. “There is nothing better than this event to do that.”

To view teams competing in the event, schedules, brackets or results, click here.

For more information on the USA Volleyball Boys’ Junior National Championships, visit usavolleyball.org/events/2403.

2010 USA Volleyball Boys’ Junior National Championships Schedule
12 Club (July 2-4): Gold – Narajinto Envol (Puerto Rico); Silver – Vaqueros 12-1 (Puerto Rico); Bronze – Torrimar 12-2 (Puerto Rico)
13 Club: Cancelled due to limited team registrations
14 Club (July 5-8): Gold – Ultimate B14 Gold (Great Lakes); Silver – Gigantes Carolina 14 (Puerto Rico); Bronze – Front Range Volleyball Club B141 Clear (Rocky Mountain)
14 Open (July 5-8): Gold – Ka Ulukoa M14 Mizuno (Aloha); Silver – San Juan VBC 14 (Puerto Rico); Bronze – Borinquen Coqui 14-1M (Puerto Rico)
15 Club (July 4-7): Gold – Piterres 15 (Puerto Rico); Silver – Vaqueros 15-1 (Puerto Rico); Bronze – Santa Monica Beach Club 15-Black
15 Open (July 4-7): Gold – SCVC 15 Quiksilver (Southern California); Silver – 949 15 Black (Southern California); Bronze – Halcones de Torimar (Puerto Rico)
16 Club (July 3-6): Gold – Vaqueros 16-1 (Puerto Rico); Silver – San Gabriel 16 Black (Southern California); Bronze – Gigantes Carolina (Puerto Rico)
16 Open (July 3-6): Gold – West Allis Lighting B16 (Badger); Silver – Ultimate B16 Gold (Great Lakes); Bronze – Balboa Bay 16 Quiksilver (Southern California)
17 Club (July 6-9): Gold – NAVC Green Bears U17 (Canada); Silver – Rise Above VBC (Canada); Bronze – Piterres 17 (Puerto Rico)
17 Open (July 6-9): Gold – Seaside 17-Mikasa (Southern California); Silver – Manhattan Beach Surf 17s (Southern California); Bronze – Piterres 17 (Puerto Rico)
18 Club (July 2-5): Gold – High Line Volleyball Club 2009-2010 18B (Southern California); Silver – Seaside 18-Mikasa (Southern California); Bronze – Spectrum 18s (Southern California)
18 Open (July 2-5): Gold – Manhattan Beach Surf 18s (Southern California); Silver – Outrigger 18 (Aloha); Bronze – Orange County Volleyball Club 18-1 (Southern California)

Tags: USA Volleyball Boys' Junior National Championships