COLUMBUS, Ohio (May 23, 2019) – The 90th USA Volleyball Open National Championships will bring 482 adult teams to the Greater Columbus Convention Center during the six-day event held May 24-29 in Columbus, Ohio.
Approximately 4,000 athletes are competing in the event, which has been held every year since 1928 minus two years during World War II. The Opens, which features over 1,600 matches on 45 courts, will crown 26 total championships with the Open Division as the top level in both genders. Other skill divisions are AA, A, BB and B Divisions. The age divisions start at 40-and-over for men’s and women’s divisions, and go up to 78-and-over for men and 60-and-over for women.
The U.S. Women’s and Men’s National Sitting Volleyball Teams will be hosting exhibition matches March 24-26 in conjunction with the Opens. The U.S. Women’s Sitting Team, ranked No. 1 in the world and defending Paralympic Games champions, hosts defending World ParaVolley world champions Russia. Both the U.S. Women and Russia have already qualified for the 2020 Paralympic Games. Meanwhile, the U.S. Men’s Sitting Team hosts Canada in a five-set series that will get both teams ready for the Parapan American Games later this summer as both squads try to qualify for the 2020 Paralympics.
Sitting Volleyball Exhibitions Schedule (Eastern Time)
- Friday Morning: U.S. Men vs. Canada at 9 a.m.; U.S. Women vs. Russia at 11 a.m.
- Friday Afternoon: U.S. Men vs. Canada at 3 p.m.; U.S. Women vs. Russia at 5 p.m.
- Saturday Morning: U.S. Women vs. Russia at 9 a.m.; U.S. Men vs. Canada at 11 a.m.
- Saturday Afternoon: U.S. Women vs. Russia at 3 p.m.; U.S. Men vs. Canada at 5 p.m.
- Sunday Morning: U.S. Men vs. Canada at 9 a.m.; U.S. Women vs. Russia at 11 a.m.
Further, divisions for sitting volleyball, combining both able-bodied and disabled athletes, and Special Olympics are being held during the event.
Notable Olympians playing in the Opens include Danielle Scott, Lloy Ball and Jon Stanley, while Olympian Kevin Barnett will compete in the sitting division tournament that starts on May 27.
This year’s Opens has teams representing 38 of USA Volleyball’s 40 regions having at least one team participating, in addition to 33 teams from outside the United States. The Garden Empire Region leads the pack with 45 teams entered, while the New England Region is represented by 42 teams. Host region Ohio Valley has 34 teams entered. Canada and Brazil have 15 and 10 teams, respectively, competing in the event with other representation from Peru (3), Bermuda (3), Puerto Rico (1) and Mexico (1).
Later this year the USA Volleyball Beach Open National Championships will take place Sept. 28-29 in Hermosa Beach, California.
According to Greater Columbus Sports Commission Executive Director Linda Shetina Logan, the city expects more than 7,700 hotel room nights being books in across the city. Past hosts have reported more than $7,000,000 in economic impact to their local areas over the 10-day period that includes the Opens and the USA Volleyball Annual Meetings held May 20-23.