Women's college volleyball; Fiserv Forum to host showcase event

Fiserv Forum

Wisconsin, Minnesota, Stanford and Texas will meet for a televised women’s volleyball early season showcase event on Labor Day weekend in 2024.

The inaugural showcase will be televised on FOX and FS1 and will be staged at Fiserv Forum on Sept. 1 and 2, 2024. The event is in partnership with FOX and Intersport.

The event will consist of Wisconsin facing Texas and Stanford taking on Minnesota on Sept. 1. Matchups the following day will feature Wisconsin-Stanford and Texas-Minnesota. Two of the four matches will be broadcast on FOX while the remaining two will air on FS1.

The 2024 event was made possible with the support of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).

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"There is an obvious growing appetite for the sport of volleyball, evidenced by roaring attendance numbers and record-breaking television ratings. It will be an incredible sight to help further amplify the sport with an elite early season showcase on network television," said Mark Starsiak, vice president at Intersport. "We’re fortunate to have a great partner in FOX Sports, four immensely talented programs with passionate fan bases, a world-class host venue in Fiserv Forum and the support of the American Volleyball Coaches Association to carve an incredible foundation for this event that we envision as a staple on the college volleyball calendar for years to come."

These programs have established themselves as the class of women’s volleyball over the years, combining for 13 national championships and 48 Final Four appearances. The teams have combined to win four of the last five national championships and at least one of the four programs has appeared in the Final Four annually since 2012.

Wisconsin, Stanford and Texas were three of the final eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament this season. The Longhorns defeated the Cardinal to set up a national semifinal matchup against the Badgers on Thursday, where the winner will compete for the NCAA Championship Sunday afternoon, Dec. 17.

Earlier this year, FOX Sports aired a regular season women’s college volleyball game on network television for the first time in the sport’s history.

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"FOX Sports is dedicated to the elevation of women’s athletics and is thrilled to expand our collegiate volleyball slate alongside our partners at the Big Ten and other NCAA member institutions," said Jordan Bazant, Executive Vice President, FOX Sports. "We are committed to exceptional game production, top-notch announcers and premier timeslots for these highly anticipated women’s matchups across the FOX family of networks."

"The AVCA is excited to assist Intersport and FOX Sports establish a marquee event for volleyball," said Dr. Jaime Gordon, CEO of the AVCA. "These organizations recognize the value the sport has to offer and are dedicated to producing a first-class event next fall and for years to come. Our coaches are committed to the vision of what this event will become and remain devoted to the growth and integrity of our sport."

This season, Wisconsin faced Marquette at Fiserv Forum in front of an indoor volleyball record of 17,037 fans on Sept. 13. The previous record was held by Wisconsin when 16,833 fans watched the Badgers host Wisconsin at the Kohl Center on Sept. 16, 2022.

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"Women’s volleyball is soaring in popularity, and we’re excited to host such a major event at Fiserv Forum," said Kate Dordick, Senior Vice President of Booking of Fiserv Forum. "We are continually working to bring a wide variety of events to Milwaukee, and are thrilled volleyball is returning to Fiserv Forum."

Fans interested in receiving emails on the upcoming event can register here.

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