Nashville hosting Broadway Block Party women's volleyball tournament in August
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nashville will host a trio of women's volleyball games in a new tournament Aug. 31 at the home of the NHL's Predators featuring five-time national champs Nebraska, Purdue, Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.
The Nashville Sports Council and ESPN Events announced the Broadway Block Party on Tuesday. It's the first women's collegiate volleyball tournament at Bridgestone Arena, and fans will be able to watch all three games for one ticket pitting teams from the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference.
'With the national growth and interest in collegiate volleyball and women's sports in general, we are confident we can create a great atmosphere for these matches,' said Scott Ramsey, the sports council's president and CEO. 'We appreciate the partnership of the SEC, Big Ten and ESPN in establishing this exciting new event for Nashville.'
Nebraska and Kentucky will play the first game with the Huskers' new coach Dani Busboom Kelly. The Wildcats are the defending SEC champions and added reigning Big Ten kill leader Eva Hudson through the transfer portal in a match set for ABC.
Purdue and Tennessee will be the second match pitting teams that have made four straight NCAA Tournaments. The Boilermakers reached the regional semifinals in 2024, while the Lady Vols got to the regional semis in 2023 for the first time since 2005. Their game will be on ESPN2. Illinois, coming off a 28th NCAA Tournament berth, wraps up the event playing Vanderbilt in its inaugural season on SEC Network.
'This event speaks to the incredible growth trajectory of the sport,' said Clint Overby, vice president of ESPN Events.
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