Latest news with #Damme-Krieger
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sanford Fieldhouse transforms into volleyball venue
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The Sanford Sports Complex in Sioux Falls is preparing to host a sizeable club volleyball tournament. It's moving day at the Sanford Fieldhouse. The venue has over 62,000 square feet of field turf, but a majority of that space will soon be covered in portable volleyball courts. State, defense both rest in Lonna Carroll theft trial 'There'll be twelve courts here in the Fieldhouse, then there'll be eleven courts, our regular courts, at the Pentagon,' Sanford Volleyball Academy Director Mark McCloskey said. The plastic courts set the stage for the Sanford Pentagon AAU Grand Prix. Mark McCloskey is the director of the Sanford Volleyball Academy and says the tournament has more than quadrupled in size over the past decade. 'We've been building our event since we started and we wanted to give our kids locally an opportunity to bring a higher level of competition to town,' McCloskey said. This year's event will feature 172 teams from seven states, stretching from Wisconsin to Washington. 'There's going to be some good volleyball. This really showcases the high level of volleyball that there is around, not just in South Dakota, but around the region,' Tournament Director Kiah Damme-Krieger said. Damme-Krieger says her staff doubles for this tourney, and so does the work, starting with the courts. 'It takes a village to get all this done and so it's a lot of help from all our staff and people on campus that take time out of their normal day to come help us lay twelve courts,' Damme-Krieger said. Sanford rents the courts for the weekend. The plastic tiles arrived from Illinois by truck this morning, and once the tournament wraps up in Sioux Falls, they'll be on their way to Kentucky. 'A full showcase of what we can do here and a nice spotlight on what all we have,' Damme-Krieger said. And as soon as the tournament ends, prep for next year begins. 'It's kind of a year-round thing. It's not constant, but there's always something to do,' McCloskey said. The tournament, featuring kids ranging in age from 12-18, starts Saturday morning at the Sanford Pentagon and Fieldhouse, and runs through Sunday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
First Serve Showcase will bring in some of the best volleyball players in the country
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Get ready volleyball fans, Friday the Sanford Pentagon 'served' up a major announcement surrounding Division 1 volleyball. The Pentagon says the American Volleyball Coaches Association has selected Sioux Falls to be one of two sites for the first ever AVAC First Serve Showcase with a doubleheader featuring four teams ranked in the top 15 of Division One. 'This is going to be an elite-level event,' Mark McCloskey of Sanford Sports Volleyball said. Volleyball fans are in for a treat when the AVAC First Serve Showcase comes to the Sanford Pentagon this August. 'We have a vibrant volleyball community and this is going to set it on fire,' McClosky said. Four of the top teams in Division One will square off at Heritage Court showcasing some of the best players in the country and their athletic skills. 'This is very huge for Sioux Falls this is definitely the first of its kind,' Kiah Damme-Krieger of Sanford Sports. A challenge to find shelter for rural homeless people They're not saying which four teams will be coming; that'll come Monday, but they promise fans won't be disappointed. This announcement couldn't come at a better time, because the popularity of volleyball is really beginning to take off. 'It's exploding everywhere in the country, but I don't think anywhere more than in South Dakota,' McCloskey said. 'The amount of girls playing volleyball and people watching has just grown exponentially the last few years,' Damme-Krieger said. And the First Serve Showcase will only add to that fan excitement. 'It's going to be four top teams and it's going to be a great event and a good night of volleyball,' Damme-Krieger said. The other city chosen to host the First Serve Showcase is Lincoln, Nebraska. Sioux Falls' doubleheader will be Monday night August 25th. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
