Asheville to Host Collegiate Women’s Volleyball Event

The inaugural Blue Ridge Volleyball Classic is set to take place in Asheville, North Carolina, from September 5–6 at Harrah’s Cherokee Center in conjunction with Explore Asheville and the Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission.

The lineup includes women’s volleyball teams from Western Carolina, Bradley University, the College of Charleston and UNC Charlotte each playing three matches over two days. The Classic is the first collegiate volleyball event to be held in the venue’s history, preceding the Southern Conference Women’s Volleyball Championship in November 2025.

“Explore Asheville is thrilled to build upon Asheville’s collective and long-standing commitment to top-tier men’s and women’s sporting events such as the inaugural Blue Ridge Volleyball Classic and our relationship with Southern Conference championship events,” said Vic Isley, president and chief executive officer of Explore Asheville. “We help our community win through investing in capital projects and attracting new events. The Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority’s Tourism Product Development Fund investment in championship-quality, multi-sport courts for the ExploreAsheville.com Arena, in partnership with the City of Asheville, is enabling our community to recover the vitality of our economy, community and region following Hurricane Helene.”

Following the 2024 Southern Conference Volleyball Championship relocation due to Hurricane Helene’s damage in Western North Carolina, Harrah’s Cherokee Center partnered with AVL Hoppers, a local volleyball non-profit, to raise over $15,000 for local groups affected by the storm.

“Western North Carolina has become a hotbed for quality high school volleyball,” said Chris Smith, president, Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission. “The Blue Ridge Volleyball Classic will show those athletes and area fans firsthand what it takes to compete at the college level. This event will serve as a great precursor to the Ingle’s Southern Conference Volleyball Tournament at the same venue in November.”