Virginia volleyball will face Virginia Tech in John Paul Jones Arena Oct. 29th at 2 p.m. This Commonwealth Clash event will be the first volleyball contest held in the arena since its opening in 2006.
Virginia volleyball, who typically play in Memorial Gym, will now get the opportunity to compete in JPJ, a venue with 14,593 seats. Coach Shannon Wells noted her excitement in a press release by Virginia Athletics.
“Competing in JPJ is a dream come true for our student-athletes, our program and our sport,” Wells said. “This has been on our radar since I arrived in May of 2021 and I want to thank Carla Williams and our administration, the JPJ and U.Va. support staff, our alumnae and incredible donors who have greatly contributed to make this happen.”
This schedule development is especially apt as the Cavaliers have one of their stronger teams this year, beginning the season with a 4-1 record and hopes of cracking the top half of the ACC. In addition, NCAA women's sports — volleyball in particular — have seen increased opportunity to play in large arenas.
Most notably, Nebraska women's volleyball saw a turnout of 92,003 fans when they played in their own football stadium, Memorial Stadium — a global record for any women’s sporting event, professional or amateur. Nebraska Coach John Cook was proud of the opportunity his program got.
I don’t think anybody could have envisioned that when this whole thing started,” Cook said to Sports Illustrated following the match. “It feels like a great accomplishment for this sport called volleyball played by women.”
Tickets for the Oct. 29 game will go on sale at 9 a.m. on Thursday.