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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Sept. 16, 2024) – Six high school teams made history last month by competing in what is believed to be the first outdoor high school volleyball contest in Ohio. Deemed “Showdown at Sundown” the event was co-hosted by Newark Catholic High School and Newark High School on Aug. 8 at White Field in Newark.

The other schools participating in the early season scrimmages were Lakewood High School, Licking Valley High School, Heath High School, and Watkins Memorial High School.

With rising participation of both high school girls and boys and increased coverage of collegiate and international matches, volleyball’s popularity continues to surge. Outdoor matches have garnered great interest since Nebraska held an outdoor match on Aug. 30, 2023, that drew 92,003 fans, the largest crowd to watch a women’s sport event in history. The previous world record was 91,648 fans for a UEFA Champions League match in Barcelona, which broke the U.S. record of 90,1985 in the FIFA World Cup final on July 10, 1999, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

Replicating Nebraska on Local Level

Newark athletic director Jeff Quackenbush and Newark Catholic AD Rob Smith helped bring the event to fruition along with Newark head volleyball coach Dava Pinney and Newark Catholic coaches Mary Harrington and Katie Hill.

“After watching Nebraska play outside, we started working on the details of the event,” said Newark Catholic captain and setter Natalie Harrington. “There was a lot of preparation that began in February with the athletic directors from both schools, my mom (Mary Harrington) and Aaron Kaiser (Newark Catholic Athletic Organization vice president),” 

“Newark Catholic used to host a Licking County Preview for many years, and we wanted to bring that back but on a bigger scale,” explained Hill, who serves as Newark Catholic’s varsity assistant coach and volleyball program assistant.

Pinney hopes the 2024 event is the beginning of a successful tradition.

“It was just on a small scale this time, but the hype and the event were so big that other teams have already said they want to be a part of it. One day, we could even see two courts side-by-side,” she said.

More than 500 fans attended the event, including parents who brought folding chairs to sit next to the court and many youth players seeing high school volleyball athletes in a unique environment.

The Set-Up

The co-hosts agreed that the hardest part of the event was putting down the Sport Court that they secured from a local club that closed its Newark location. Pinney noted that even the challenge of setting up the court made for a great bonding experience for the co-hosts.

“The courts already had the lines on them, unlike when you buy court pieces to put together and then put the lines on them, so a combination of our (Newark) and Newark Catholic’s girls came to the football field on July 1 to put down this massive puzzle and then to see if it would stay in place once we put it together,” Pinney said. “It took a long time and it was a very hot day, but looking back, that was a turning moment in the whole process. Our two teams were working hard together.”

“We had a test run on July 1 to ensure the court positioning safety of the court at White’s Field. After that, it was all about the details, marketing and praying for good weather!” Natalie Harrington recalled.

Hill pointed out that doing a couple more test runs after that was critical to the success of the event.

“We would set up the court, practice on it, and tear it back down. We wanted to see how playing and moving around would impact the court. It also taught us that we needed brooms and a leaf blower on hand to keep the surface clean,” she said.

The Matches

As with any outdoor event, particularly one that was so new and promoted as much as this match was, weather was a concern for all those involved, especially when the forecast called for a pop-up storm.

“We were trying to figure out how many matches we could get in before the rain came if the forecast was correct, but it turned out to be a perfect evening,” Hill said.

The matches were set for 6:30, 7:30, and 8:30 p.m. so the peak sundown moment would occur early in the final match between Newark and Newark Catholic, which is exactly what happened.

With the rain holding off all evening, the sun set at 8:36 p.m. in the beginning moments of the final match as planned. Dusk was at 9:06 p.m., setting the stage for another series of special photographic backgrounds.

“The photos were super cool with the sun setting on one side and the clouds rolling in on the other side. There was even a nice breeze. It could not have been better,” Pinney said.

The Impact

One of the first things Hill believes the Newark Catholic players learned was how much work goes into setting up any match.

“I have coached in Ohio Valley Region (OVR) tournaments and a lot of our players have played in them. We have seen the crews who put in and break down the courts. Now we all know it is not as easy at it looks,” she said.

Pinney recalled how fast everything went once the matches started.

“It was all everyone was talking about. The event had such a build-up and there was even a drone flying around to add to the hype. With all that, it seemed that the hour we played flew by,” she said. “One of the best parts of the preview event was putting on our jerseys on the bus for the first time, especially after we were previously practicing in shorts and tank tops.”

“Playing with my high school friends in such an amazing atmosphere was just unbelievable. As a setter, every time I looked at the ball I got to see the beautiful sky above me. I think I am speaking for all of the teams that participated when I say we are all so grateful and blessed to make history and be a part of something so special that will continue to grow the sport of volleyball,” – Natalie Harrington.

When asked if she would be a part of an event like this again, Pinney quickly said, yes.

“We would do it for sure though I would be a ball of stress again,” she laughed. “My words wouldn’t do justice to our team, but I think it was a highlight of the year for many of our girls. It was so cool for the Licking community.”

“A lot of our girls thought, ‘What a moment. We are part of history.’ I think their mentality was that no matter how they played, they were really taking it all in and appreciative of the whole event,” Hill said.

Ohio Valley Region (OVR) Players on Co-Hosts Newark and Newark Catholic

Newark

Madilyn Johnson: Mintonette.81 National
Makayla Meister: Buckeye 17 Black National
Olivia Milton: Buckeye 18 Black National
Amelia Reagan: Train for Freedom American Elite
Peyton Sherman: Buckeye 17 Red National

Newark Catholic

Sophia Basham: Mintonette.51
Leah Caudill: Buckeye 17 Black
Leah Cox: Rogue 16 GO
Jillian Given: Buckeye 18 Red
Sydney Gummer: Buckeye 17 Black
Natalie Harrington: Mintonette.72
Layla Jones: Mintonette.51
Aris Lint: LBK 18 Regional
Ella McKinstry: Hot Shots 17 American
Christiana Scarsella: A2 17 Emerald