Louisville Downtown Arena Awarded the Women’s 2012 Volleyball Final Four

The NCAA has chosen the new Louisville Downtown Arena to host the 2012 division I women’s volleyball Final Four. The volleyball championships are slated to be held Dec. 13 to 15, 2012.

“The committee had several great bids to consider,” Marie Robbins, chairwoman of the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Committee, said in the release. “Our focus was on continuing the growth that the volleyball championship has experienced over the last four years. We felt Louisville demonstrated a level of commitment to this championship that will not only translate into a great student-athlete experience, but also a continuation of the championship’s recent growth.”

“We are honored that the Division I Women’s Volleyball Committee put this very important NCAA Championship in our hands in 2012,” U of L athletic director Tom Jurich said in the release. “It gives us an opportunity to showcase the city of Louisville and our intense love of this sport.”

Louisville Arena Authority Chairman Jim Host added that it also gives the university and the city the opportunity to show that they are capable of holding large-scale athletic tournaments, which could be a large economic boon to the community.

There are dozens of restaurants, bars and retail shops, and more than 4,300 hotel rooms within walking distance to the arena.

“The Division I National Women’s Volleyball Championship is exactly the type of sporting event this arena is being built to host,” Host said.