Submitted by Pierce College
The Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) announced the 2014 Volleyball Championships will be hosted by Pierce College and the Western Region in conjunction with the Tacoma South Sound Sports Commission at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center.
The Raider Athletics Department will coordinate staff and support for the tournament from other regions, and will host the championship through 2016.
“With Pierce College bringing an NWAACC championship event to Tacoma, it’s a huge step not only for the conference, but also for the local community,” said Pierce College Director of Athletics Duncan Stevenson. “Hopefully this will lead to the possibility of bringing other championship events to the area.”
The NWAACC Volleyball Championship is a 16-team, double-elimination tournament held annually over four days in late November. The tournament itself generally draws a few thousand people from across the region.
“The NWAACC is excited about this partnership as we continue in our endeavors to provide our student-athletes with a first-class championship experience,” said Marco Azurdia, executive director for NWAACC. “Pierce College, the NWAACC West Region, the GTCTC and the Tacoma South Sound Sports Commission partnering together allows this to happen. It’s now about getting to work to run a first class event.”
The Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center is the second-largest meeting location in the Pacific Northwest, allowing the NWAACC to offer tournament games on two courts simultaneously.
“People look at our conference and don’t realize the level of competition that’s happening on the courts,” said Scott Archer, director of external operations at NWAACC. “We’re hoping this partnership will raise the profile of the sport overall because there is so much talent out there, and a lot of great stories. These students truly represent the communities they come from, and giving them an appropriate venue to celebrate their accomplishments is very exciting.”
