The Newark Catholic High School (NCHS) and Newark High School (NHS) volleyball programs will host the “Showdown at Sundown” Licking County Volleyball Preview outdoors at White Field on Thursday, August 8, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The event will feature preview matches between the Lakewood Lancers and Licking Valley Panthers at 6:30 p.m., the Heath Bulldogs and Watkins Memorial Warriors at 7:30 p.m., and the Newark Catholic Green Wave and Newark Wildcats at 8:30 p.m.
“This idea for this event came to us after the University of Nebraska held the first outdoor women’s volleyball match last Fall and set a record for the largest crowd to watch a women’s sporting event in the world,” said NCHS Athletic Director Rob Smith. “We used to host a preview every year at NC and we wanted to bring that back to our county, so this seemed like the perfect marriage of old and new traditions. We are grateful that Newark High School wanted to partner on this first-of-its-kind event in the state of Ohio, and we hope to see a big crowd come out to support these athletes.”
A volleyball court will be set up in the center of the football field, with bleachers set up around the court for student cheering sections. Both home and visitor stands will also be open. Since the event is considered a preview, each match will consist of two sets to 21. Admission for the event will be $5.00 and children age five and under will be free. Full concessions will be available during the event, featuring steakburgers, brats, hot dogs, walking tacos, shredded chicken sandwiches, and more.
“Volleyball is so popular in Ohio and central Ohio specifically, and we have so many great programs in our county, that we wanted to try and replicate the Nebraska event on a smaller scale,” said NHS Athletic Director Jeff Quackenbush. “We hope that this event is just the first of an annual preview that we can continue to build with more teams and interest.”
In the event of a rainout on August 8, the event will be held on August 9. If it rains to the point that the event cannot be held on August 9, the venue will move to Newark Catholic High School.