The Missouri State High School Activities Association has announced that it will be moving the girls state volleyball tournament to Kansas City, Missouri in November of 2008. The event has been held in University of Central Missouri Multipurpose Building for the past 20 years.
"Central Missouri has been a phenomenal host of this event for 20 seasons, and we’re very grateful for its role in helping the volleyball tournament grow and develop into what it is." said MSHSAA Executive Director Dr. Kerwin Urhahn in a release last month.
The event will move to Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City. MSHSAA feels it will be able to expand the activities around the championships with the move.
"The fans and students are going to love the convenience of the new venue and all the amenities of downtown Kansas City," said Urhahn. "They will be able to drive in, park once, and walk to the arena and restaurants directly from their hotel. When they enter Municipal Auditorium, they will experience a first class venue with the right combination of history and modern amenities. The arena itself will be used only for competition, so spectators can rightfully focus on the matches in progress while all the warm-ups will take place backstage."
"I was recently informed by Dr. Urhahn that the MSHSAA Board of Governors and staff believe the move to Municipal Auditorium allows for better expansion outside the contests," said Central Missouri Athletic Director Jerry Hughes. "We are obviously disappointed to see the event leave Warrensburg. Our staff enjoyed hosting this tournament because of its tremendous benefit to our community."
The tournament will be held in Kansas City for at least the next three years according to the terms of the new agreement.
