“Showdown at Sundown” Grows In Year Two, Increasing Volleyball Fanfare
NEWARK, OH – We know that we are only going to have this sunny warm weather for so long, and even with the incredible heat outside, we still have to take full advantage of it!
You don’t have to tell girls volleyball athletes that, as they took the courts outdoors at White Field in Newark.
The “Showdown at Sundown” event somehow got even bigger in its second year. From eight teams in year one to 20 teams in year two. From one court to two courts, and now up to 1700 tickets sold for the outdoor volleyball spectacular. Of the 20 aforementioned teams in attendance, ten were local area teams: John Glenn, River View, Sheridan, and Tri-Valley from the MVL. The LCL represented by Granville, Heath, Lakewood, Licking Valley, and of course the co-hosts, Newark and Newark Catholic.
After initially serving as a Licking County volleyball preview, the tournament grew in year two to include teams from other leagues counties, and regions.
One of those teams, the Sheridan Lady Generals, were among the several teams to bare the warm weather for this outdoor phenomenon.
“I think just the heat. We were all just exhausted, and I felt like the ball control was off just with the wind and everything” says Sheridan junior libero Grace Stoltz. “But it’s been fun. I’ve never got to do anything like this before, so it was a good thing to try out. I felt like it was good for us.”
“We decided to bring it back last year, but we wanted to kind of bring it back bigger than ever” adds Newark Catholic head coach Katie Hill. “We took a little nod from Nebraska volleyball and brought it outdoors to make it what it is today.”
Also crediting the well-publicized Nebraska collegiate team, Newark head coach Dava Pinney says that “teams just wanted to be a part of it, because nothing has happened around Central Ohio like this before. It’s just growing the sport and people out to support women’s sports.”
With all the fanfare from this newfound annual event, this just might have to turn from a preseason tune-up to a regular season must-see, and must-attend.
