25-02-2025
Penn State, the defending national champs, to play in AVCA First Serve Showcase
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Big news from the volleyball court Monday evening. The 2025 AVCA First Serve Showcase will feature a star-studded lineup of 10 Division I women's volleyball teams.
They will play in a series of matches at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska and at the Sanford Pentagon.
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'This is a massive event in terms of volleyball in terms of any event for this region,' said Jesse Smith.
Jesse Smith is the vice president of Sanford Sports.
He says the field for this year's AVCA First Serve Showcase includes five teams that made the elite eight last year, including last year's national champion, Penn State.
'Very very excited to have Penn State be a part of the field it's going to be unlike anything we've ever hosted at the Pentagon,' Smith said.
Minnesota will play Texas A&M and Penn State will face Kansas to round out the opening weekend of the volleyball season.
'This is huge, we've never hosted anything like this at the Sanford Pentagon, but in Sioux Falls as well, this is a very huge event for the region,' Sanford Pentagon Events Manager Kiah Damme-Krieger said.
The biggest reason the Pentagon is able to host the showcase is because of what it did last year with the Division Two Championship game.
'Our team worked really hard with the AVCA to attract this event developed a relationship with the Division Two national championship, they administer that and our team got familiar with the AVCA we've been trying to recruit a division one high level division one game for many many years and this is the pathway that worked out,' Smith said.
Having two regional teams playing in the showcase, both Minnesota and Kansas, means Heritage Court is likely going to be packed.
'I would not wait to get tickets we assume we are going to sell out very quickly, so if you want to be a part of it buy them fast,' Damme-Krieger said.
Ticket presales open Thursday for the matches in Lincoln and on March 6th for the matches in Sioux Falls. All tickets will be available to purchase through Ticketmaster.
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