May 26, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Volleyball enthusiasts in the central Florida area are in for an amazing treat as the UCF Arena will serve as the host site for the NORCECA's FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship Pool G qualification tournament set for July 6-8.
"This is a terrific honor for UCF to be selected as the playing site for the 2009 FIVB World Championship Qualifier," UCF volleyball head coach Todd Dagenais said. "This is a fantastic opportunity for sports fans in Florida to see international volleyball up close and personal. I know that Orlando will show its volleyball spirit to the international volleyball world and that this event will lead to central Florida's hosting of other major international volleyball events."
Pool G is a four-team, round-robin event played over three-consecutive days. The U.S. Women's National Team, Costa Rica and two teams yet to advance will comprise the four-team pool, with the pool winner advancing to the 2010 FIVB World Championship next fall.
The U.S. Women's National Team is currently ranked second in the world by FIVB and captured the silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Although the Team USA roster has not been determined at this time for the qualifier event, a handful of 2008 Olympians are likely to compete.
"It will be a lot of fun for fans to see members of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team as well as catch a glimpse of U.S. National Team coach Hugh McCutcheon, fresh off winning a gold medal in Beijing with the U.S. Men's National Team," Dagenais said. "We are also especially excited that volleyball legend Karch Kiraly has recently joined the U.S. National Team as an assistant coach and also plans to be in attendance."
Match times will be at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., with the United States playing the second match each day of the event. In addition to the matches, Team USA and UCF volleyball coaching staffs will hold a pre-match clinic involving chalk talk and skills demonstration.
Besides assisting in clinics at the event, Dagenais has also been selected to assist in the coordination of the event at the UCF Arena in July.
Ticket prices are $12 for a general admission day pass or $16 for a general admission day pass along with pre-match clinic. A general admission tournament pass for all six matches plus the pre-match clinics can be purchased for $43. Premium seating, including reserved center court club seats, pre-match clinic, access to Black and Gold Club, dinner buffet and post-event meet-and-greet with Team USA, costs $40 for a day pass and $100 for the tournament pass of all six matches.
Match tickets can be purchased through the UCF Arena Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, charge-by-phone at (407) 839-3900 or online at www.ucfarena.com. Discounted team and group packages are available by contacting Stan Macko at (407) 823-6062 or at smacko@mail.ucf.edu.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to www.UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit www.UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
-UCF-