SoCon Volleyball Championship set for Asheville

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference, in conjunction with Ingles, Explore Asheville, the Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission, and Harrah’s Cherokee Center, will host its 2024 Ingles SoCon Volleyball Championship in Asheville, North Carolina, at Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville on Nov. 21-24.

"The Southern Conference has an amazing partnership with Asheville, North Carolina and our mutual desire to host the SoCon Volleyball Championship at the Harrah's Cherokee Center further solidifies this strong relationship,” SoCon Commissioner Michael Cross said.

The 2024 volleyball championship marks the first time in the conference’s history that the tournament will be hosted exclusively at a neutral location for all teams.

Samford leads all current members in tournament titles with seven, the most recent victory coming in 2022. ETSU, Furman and Western Carolina each boast three tournament wins. The 2023 champion Wofford, who won the first women’s tournament title in school history last November, will be looking to repeat in Asheville this season and return to the NCAA Tournament.

“I’m thrilled that the Southern Conference has chosen to host the 2024 Volleyball Championship at a neutral site this November,” Chattanooga head coach Julie Torbett Thomas said. “Asheville is no stranger to hosting major events and I have no doubt that they will go above and beyond to deliver a first-class volleyball championship. Volleyball is the fastest-growing spectator sport in our country, and its an exciting time for everyone to get on board and see why women’s volleyball is skyrocketing in popularity.”

“When the Sports Commission first approached the Southern Conference about the prospects of bringing its volleyball championship to Asheville, we thought it would be a great fit. Now, we know it will be a success in Asheville,” Executive Director of the Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission Chris Smith said. “Having Ingles as the title sponsor brings instant credibility and partnering with Explore Asheville allows us the opportunity to roll out the red carpet to the SoCon student-athletes and fans. With such an amazing volleyball community already in place, this tournament has tremendous room for growth.”

The SoCon and the city of Asheville have been linked for many years. The conference was headquartered in Asheville from 1986-2002 and the last 13 SoCon Basketball Championships have been played inside Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville. The basketball tournament was also in Asheville from 1984-95. The volleyball championship will be hosted in Asheville through 2026.

“As the official destination marketing and management organization, Explore Asheville is thrilled to build on Asheville’s collective and long-standing partnership with the Southern Conference,” Vic Isley, President & CEO of Explore Asheville said. “Our recent investment in multi-sport courts for the ExploreAsheville.com arena, in partnership with the City, enabled our community to expand into women’s volleyball. This championship will add to the vitality of our economy, community, and region.”

“We are happy to do our part as the event promoter in securing another key sports championship event in partnership with the Southern Conference over four days on a historically slower weekend in Asheville,” Christopher Corl, General Manager of Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville said. “This event was brought to Asheville as a result of the hard work and commitments from our strategic community partners, local businesses, and volleyball community.”

“We look forward to bringing high-level college volleyball to the area and we're confident that the partners and volunteers who support the Ingles SoCon Basketball Championships will replicate that incredible experience for the conference's volleyball student-athletes and coaches,” Cross said. “It's All Here in The Southern Conference, and Asheville, and we can't wait until November!"

Tickets for the championship tournament are on sale now. Daily general admission and Courtside Lounge passes are available for $15 and $35, respectively. The Courtside Lounge packages include access to courtside seating and the Courtside Lounge with light complimentary fare from Ingles. Get your tickets and learn more at https://soconsports.com/wvb today. Hotels for the tournament can be found at https://www.exploreasheville.com/places-to-stay/.

ABOUT THE SOUTHERN CONFERENCE

The Southern Conference is headquartered in Spartanburg, South Carolina, consisting of 10 full member schools across six states in 20 sponsored sports. Nine other institutions serve as affiliate members in the SoCon-sponsored sports of wrestling and rifle. The SoCon is celebrating its 103rd anniversary in 2024. The fifth-oldest NCAA Division I college athletic association, the SoCon contested the first-ever collegiate conference basketball tournament in 1921, tackled freshman eligibility in 1922, became the first conference to adopt the 3-point field goal in basketball in 1980 and developed women’s championships in 1984.

ABOUT ASHEVILLE BUNCOMBE REGIONAL SPORTS COMMISSION

The Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission was formed in the fall of 2010 by a handful of civic-minded leaders who had a vision to impact the local economy by bringing more sporting events to the region. The Sports Commission attracts sports events and related meetings to enhance the health, wellness, and quality of life for area residents and sports enthusiasts and will generate a positive economic impact by promoting our region as a recognized sporting destination.

ABOUT HARRAH’S CHEROKEE CENTER - ASHEVILLE (HCCA)

Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville (HCCA), which features the ExploreAsheville.com Arena and Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, has hosted a diverse variety of events that reflect the creativity, uniqueness, and artistry that Asheville, N.C., and Western North Carolina is known for primarily. In recent years, the facility has hosted world-class sporting events such as NBA Preseason Games, three Billie Jean King Cups by BNP Paribas ties, the annual Ingles Southern Conference Basketball Championships, Asheville Championship, and the Camping World Maui Invitational as well as music and performances by Noah Kahan, Bob Dylan, The Lumineers, Dave Chappelle, John Prine, Old Dominion, Sturgill Simpson, Kacey Musgraves, Widespread Panic, Billy Strings, Warren Haynes’ Christmas Jam, and more.

ABOUT EXPLORE ASHEVILLE AND THE BUNCOMBE COUNTY TOURISM DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

Explore Asheville is the official destination marketing and management organization for one of the most vibrant destinations in the southeast. Explore Asheville is powered by the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority, a public authority that has been investing in and building community since 1983. The authority has committed $96 million to more than 50 community capital projects including many sports venues.