USA Volleyball Selects Dallas to Host 2018 Open National Championships

USA Volleyball announced that Dallas will host the 2018 USA Volleyball Open National Championships.

The USA Volleyball Open National Championships returns to Dallas with competition May 25-30 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. The USA Volleyball Annual Meetings will also take place in Dallas the week leading up to the Open.

The Open, formed in 1928 and run annually except two years due to World War II, will be in its 89^th edition when it returns to Dallas. The Open typically draws 500 teams with 6,000-plus players converging on the host city. Players range in age from 18 to 80-plus with the oldest age division being the Men’s 79-and-Over bracket.

 “The City of Dallas and the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center have become like a second home to USA Volleyball events,” USA Volleyball Senior Director Tom Pingel said. “From great flight options into Dallas, ample hotels and restaurants within easy walking distance to the convention center and the great Texas hospitality, Dallas is always a great host for our event participants.”

The Open features three other championships running concurrently with the main event. In addition, championships for Special Olympics and Sitting Volleyball will be contested inside the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.

Dallas has served a tremendous host city partner of many past USA Volleyball events. The Open Nationals been held in Dallas four previous times (1960, 1996, 2002 and 2011). The GJNC have been held in Dallas in 1998 and 2008, while the GJNC18 was held at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center this past April. The BJNC was also staged in Dallas in 1998 and 2016. Dallas has hosted two weekends of the FIVB World League as the U.S. Men’s National Team hosted Italy, France and Korea in 2012 followed by Russia, Australia and Bulgaria in 2016.

“Dallas is honored to serve as the host of the USA Volleyball Open National Championships in 2018,” Dallas Sports Commission Executive Director Monica Paul said. “We consider volleyball a strong part of our sports DNA here in Dallas and look forward to welcoming all of the USA Volleyball family, players, coaches, officials and fans in 2018.”

The Dallas Sports Commission estimates that the Open will have a $13.5 million economic impact on the city.

Sport Court is the official athletic flooring for all four events.

About USA Volleyball: Founded in 1928, USA Volleyball is a Colorado incorporated non-profit organization recognized by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the Federation International de Volleyball (FIVB) as the National Governing Body for the disciplines of beach volleyball, indoor volleyball and sitting volleyball in the United States. USA Volleyball has over 325,000 registered members, 12,000 teams and 5,300 clubs nationwide. With an annual budget in excess of $31 million dollars, USA Volleyball supports the USA men's and women's senior national team programs for beach, indoor and sitting volleyball; youth and junior national teams, national championship events, coaching education, certification programs and grassroots development across all disciplines. USA Volleyball has a rich tradition of success as evidenced by winning an Olympic medal in every Olympic Games since 1984, four Paralympic medals since 2004 and capturing numerous World Cup, World Championship and Continental Championship titles. USA Volleyball is committed to and works toward opportunity for all to participate. It is an advocate for all Americans endeavoring to assure universal access to opportunities at all levels of the game. For more information on USA Volleyball, visit www.usavolleyball.org.