Qwest Center Omaha to Host Runza/AVCA Showcase

Omaha, Neb. -- College volleyball’s premier regular-season event returns to Omaha, as Qwest Center Omaha will host the 2008 Runza/AVCA Showcase on Friday and Sunday, Aug. 29-31.

Tickets for the event will go on sale to the public this Saturday, May 31, at Noon exclusively at Ticketmaster outlets around the state and at Ticketmaster.com. In Nebraska, fans can call TicketMaster in Lincoln at (402) 475-1212 or in Omaha at (402) 422-1212

In 2008, for the first time in its history, the Showcase will be played in a Conference Challenge format. The Conference Challenge will feature four of the elite teams in the country in a showdown of schools from two of the top conferences in the NCAA, the Big 12 and Pac-10. Under the Conference Challenge format, each school will play the two teams from the other conference, and not play the other school from its own league.

Representing the Big 12 are Nebraska and Texas, winners of 11 of the last 12 conference championships. With four national championships and a combined .728 winning percentage in the NCAA Tournament, these two schools are among the elite volleyball programs in the nation.

Representing the Pac-10 is Stanford and the University of Southern California. Pac-10 schools have won 13 of 27 national championships since the NCAA began sanctioning women’s volleyball in 1981; Stanford and USC own nine of those 13, or exactly one-third of all NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championships. Those same two schools have either tied for or won 11 of the last 12 Pac-10 championships.

All four teams finished in the top 10 in last season’s final CBS College Sports Network/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll. Nine returning AVCA All-Americans with a total of 13 All-America honors highlight the team rosters.

The Huskers are making their seventh AVCA Showcase appearance and have won the event in 2001, 2005 and 2007. Nebraska, which finished 30-2 in 2007, returns three starters from its Big 12 championship team, including two-time All-American outside hitter Jordan Larson, and welcomes a recruiting class that is among the nation’s best.

Tickets for the AVCA Showcase at the Qwest Center are not included in the 2008 Nebraska volleyball season ticket package. The University of Nebraska will receive a team allotment of 150 tickets plus a minimal number of tickets for institutional and sponsorship obligations. Public tickets will go on sale this Saturday, May 30, at Noon. All-session ticket prices are $39 and $32.

Qwest Center Omaha first served as host to the Showcase in 2005, when the University of Nebraska defeated Stanford University in three games in the championship. The venue, which has played host to the five highest-attended NCAA women’s volleyball matches in the sport’s history, has also hosted the four highest-attended Showcase sessions in the 13 years the event has been played.

"There is no better place to start the volleyball season than in Omaha, today's epicenter of volleyball fandom," said AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer. "Not only do Nebraska fans appreciate excellence in their own team, their high volleyball I.Q. means they will understand that the Showcase brings them the best of the best."

There are several ways to purchase tickets for the AVCA Showcase. Fans can purchase tickets at the Qwest Center Box Office and Ticketmaster locations across the state. Fans may also call Ticketmaster at (402) 475-1212 in Lincoln or (402) 422-1212 in Omaha or visit www.Ticketmaster.com.

2008 Runza/AVCA Showcase (Qwest Center Omaha)

Friday, Aug. 29

7 p.m Nebraska vs. Stanford

9:30 p.m. Texas vs. USC

Sunday, Aug. 31

12:30 p.m. Texas vs. Stanford

3 p.m. Nebraska vs. USC

 

Runza/AVCA Showcase Returns toOmaha, Unveils New Format and Title Sponsor

Tickets to the general public will go on sale this Saturday, May 31 at noon CDT.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 29, 2008) - Runza? Restaurants has signed an agreement to become the title sponsor of the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s College Volleyball Showcase, AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer announced today. In addition, DeBoer and Tom O’Gorman, Qwest Center Omaha Vice President of Corporate Sales and Marketing, announced that the event will return to Qwest Center Omaha in 2008, for the first of a new three-year contract through 2010.

Tickets to the event will go on sale to the general public this Saturday, May 31 at noon CDT, exclusively through Qwest Center Omaha and Ticketmaster. All-session ticket prices are $39 and $32.

"Runza's investment in this event is special," said AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer. "The similarity between their customers and the volleyball audience is unmistakable. We are thrilled with their involvement."

Founded in 1949, Runza? is a Nebraska tradition. The quick-service chain operates and franchises 79 restaurants in Nebraska (75), Colorado (2), Iowa (1) and Kansas (1).

"We are proud to be the title sponsor of the Runza/AVCA College Volleyball Showcase this year," said Becky Perrett, Runza? Director of Marketing. "Nebraskans love volleyball as much as they love Runza? and the two paired together are a great match."

Qwest Center Omaha first served as host to the Showcase in 2005, when the University of Nebraska defeated Stanford University in three games in the championship. The venue, which has played host to the five highest-attended NCAA women’s volleyball matches in the sport’s history, has also hosted the four highest-attended Showcase sessions in the 13 years the event has been played.

"There is no better place to start the volleyball season than in Omaha, today's epicenter of volleyball fandom," said DeBoer. "Not only do Nebraska fans appreciate excellence in their own team, their high volleyball I.Q. means they will understand that the Showcase brings them the best of the best."

In 2008, for the first time in its history, the Showcase will be played in a Conference Challenge format. The Conference Challenge will feature four of the elite teams in the country, in a showdown of schools from two of the top conferences in the NCAA, the Big 12 and Pac-10. Under the Conference Challenge format, each school will play the two teams from the other conference, and not play the other school from its own league.

Representing the Big 12 are Nebraska and the University of Texas, combined winners of 11 of the last 12 conference championships. With four national championships and a combined .728 winning percentage in the NCAA Tournament, these two schools are regularly among the elite volleyball programs in the nation.

Representing the Pac-10 are Stanford and the University of Southern California (USC). Pac-10 schools have won 13 of 27 national championships since the NCAA began sanctioning women’s volleyball in 1981; Stanford and USC own nine of those 13, or exactly one-third of all NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championships. Those same two schools have either tied for or won 11 of the last 12 Pac-10 championships.

All four teams finished ranked in the top 10 in last season’s final CBS College Sports Network/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll. Nine returning AVCA All-Americans with a total of 13 All-America honors highlight the team rosters.

The 2008 Runza/AVCA College Volleyball Showcase will begin on Friday, August 29 with Nebraska going up against Stanford at 7:00 p.m. CDT, and Texas squaring off against USC at 9:30. On Sunday, August 31, Texas will tangle with Stanford at 12:30 p.m. CDT , and Nebraska will face off with USC at 3:00 . Tickets for the 2008 Runza/AVCA College Volleyball Showcase will go on sale to the general public this Saturday, May 31 at noon CDT, exclusively through Qwest Center Omaha and Ticketmaster. All four matches will be shown live on CBS College Sports Network.

Contact Qwest Center Omaha by telephone at (402) 341-1500, or on the Web at www.qwestcenteromaha.com. To order tickets through Ticketmaster, go to www.ticketmaster.com.

About Nebraska Cornhuskers

Host institution Nebraska is fresh off a 30-2 campaign, including a perfect 19-1 mark in the Big 12. Two-time AVCA National Coach of the Year John Cook’s Huskers will return three starters and seven letterwinners from a team that shared the Big 12 title with Texas in 2007, including two-time AVCA All-American outside hitter Jordan Larson. Other returning starters include middle blocker Kori Cooper and libero Kayla Banwarth and defensive specialist Rachel Schwartz.

Larson, an AVCA Third-Team All-American last season will anchor the Nebraska squad, which is looking to replace four All-Americans from a year ago. Larson, a senior, averaged 3.45 kills and 3.18 digs and 0.51 aces per game in 2007, while Cooper, a junior, contributed 2.31 kills per game and was big at the net with 1.02 blocks per game, a mark that ranked second on the team. Banwarth and Schwartz were both assets for the Huskers’ defensive unit, with Schwartz registering 3.66 digs per game and Banwarth notching 2.75 digs per game.

About USC Trojans

USC is no stranger to postseason action, as taskmaster Mick Haley’s Trojans have captured six NCAA titles in the program’s storied history, and have made 17 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, including last year’s 29-5, national semifinal campaign. Despite graduating five seniors, including AVCA First-Team All-America selection Asia Kaczor, USC returns seven letterwinners to the 2008 squad. The Women of Troy will also see a new face on the sideline, as Tim Nollan will serve as the team’s new assistant coach.

Southern Cal will welcome back junior AVCA Second-Team All-American setter Taylor Carico to guide the squad, as she averaged 12.67 assists and 2.01 digs per game a year ago, while assisting the Trojan attackers to a .266 kill percentage. Joining Carico will be red-shirt senior, outside hitter Jessica Gysin, who last season totaled 3.00 kills and 2.81 digs per game, while sophomore outside hitter Kimmee Roleder also returns after a solid campaign, chalking up 2.71 kills and 1.64 digs per game. The Women of Troy will also see sophomore Zoe Garrett back in her position from last season, as she averaged 1.02 blocks and 1.81 kills per game.

About Stanford Cardinal

After breezing through 2007 with a 32-3 record, its second consecutive PAC-10 Championship and its second straight NCAA title match appearance, Stanford won’t be shortchanged with depth or experience on its roster, as 10 letterwinners, along with six players with starting experience, return in hopes of earning their way back to the NCAA title bout.

The Cardinal and floor general John Dunning will rely heavily on its trio of All-American performers, with seniors Foluke Akinradewo and Cynthia Barboza as well as sophomore Alix Klineman back in the lineup. Akinradewo, the reigning AVCA National Player of the Year, will anchor the squad from the middle, as she totaled 4.11 kills and 1.21 blocks per game from the position a year ago. Barboza and Klineman return as Stanford’s dual outside hitter threat, as Klineman registered 4.12 kills and 2.69 digs per game and Barboza tallied 3.99 kills and 3.24 digs per game in 2007.

About Texas Longhorns

With 11 letterwinners returning after a 27-4 season that earned the team its fourth straight top-10 ranking, Texas will have a lot to look forward to in 2008. The Longhorns, guided by mentor Jerritt Elliott, return six players with starting experience, including four All-Americans to a squad that earned a share of the Big 12 Championship with Nebraska in 2007, and was a sparkling 15-0 on its home court in Austin.

Leading the quartet of returning All-Americans this season is the 2007 AVCA Freshman of the Year and First-Team All-American selection Juliann Faucette, who totaled 4.47 kills and 2.54 digs per game in her rookie campaign. Junior All-American Destinee Hooker returns to the other outside hitter position, a spot where she averaged 4.55 kills, 2.05 digs, and 1.02 blocks per game a year ago. Also packing a punch will be senior middle blocker Lauren Paolini, who led the squad in blocks last year with 1.28 per game while adding 2.90 kills per game, and junior right side Ashley Engle, an all-around player who produced 3.11 kills, 1.11 assists, 2.34 digs and nearly one block per game in 2007.

About AVCA

The AVCA, with its headquarters in Lexington, Ky., is managed by IMG Associations. The mission of the AVCA is to develop and grow the sport of volleyball; with a membership of over 4,500 and counting, the AVCA provides a professional network for those individuals and companies dedicated to enhancing and developing the sport. Members are comprised of national and international coaches, collegiate, high school, club, youth and Olympic coaches, as well as club directors. Other members include former players, officials, media members and other friends of volleyball. As a group, the AVCA is committed to the development, growth, advancement and publicity of volleyball throughout the world. Further information is available at www.avca.org.