Volleyball Tournaments to Attact Thousands to Oregon

Two weekend-long volleyball tournaments will bring numerous USA Volleyball Junior Girls Club Teams to the Eugene – Springfield area to compete, with thousands of players and spectators expected. The 2015 Matt Hartner Memorial Classic will take place January 17 - 19, 2015, while the Columbia Empire Volleyball Association (CEVA) President’s Day Tournament will run February 14 - 16, 2015.

In its sixth year, the Matt Hartner Memorial Classic is bigger than ever, with 16- 14U teams, 96- 16U teams, and 84- 18U teams from around the western United States competing, and drawing the attention of college recruiters. The Moshofsky Center at the University of Oregon will house 16 courts, with 11 additional courts in use at the Willamalane Center for Sports and Recreation in Springfield.

The Matt Hartner Memorial Classic, formerly the Oregon MLK Team Classic, officially changed its name in memory of Matt Hartner who passed away in August 2014. Matt and his father, Jim Hartner, shared the vision of creating the tournament and hosting it on the UO campus where Matt graduated and was also on the staff of the UO Volleyball program. Jim now continues the work as Tournament Director, along with the support and partnership of the UO Women’s Volleyball staff, coaches and players.

The CEVA President’s Day Tournament returns for its third year, with close to 100 14U and 16U teams from the Pacific Northwest competing. Willamalane Center for Sports and Recreation in Springfield will host 11 courts, with another four being used at Springfield High School.

The estimated economic impact (EEI) of these tournaments is significant, as the majority of participants and spectators are from out of the area. Nearly 3,000 hotel rooms are booked for the weekend of the Matt Hartner Memorial Classic, occupying roughly 75% of rooms in the Eugene – Springfield area, with an EEI of almost $975,000. The CEVA President’s Day Tournament is expected to make a large impact as well, with an EEI of $700,000.

"These events show the popularity of girls club volleyball and the work of great groups like UO Women’s Volleyball and CEVA supporting and growing the game right here in our local area. These are positive youth sporting events that we can be proud of playing host to. The economic impact for our community is significant, but the overall experience for the student-athletes is even greater. It means positive outcomes all around," said Mike Gaffaney, Director of Sports Sales and Development with the Eugene, Cascades & Coast Sports Commission.

Travel Lane County markets and promotes the Eugene, Cascades and Coast region as a destination for travel, conventions, meetings and events. It serves as a private, nonprofit association dedicated to economic development through visitor spending, which pumped more than $555 million into Lane County, Oregon's economy in 2012.

Eugene, Cascades & Coast Sports Commission, under the corporate umbrella of Travel Lane County, markets and promotes the region as a destination for sports, while providing resources designed to help events and planners succeed. For more information, go to www.EugeneCascadesCoastSports.org.