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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 28, 2018) – The USA Volleyball Boys’ Junior National Championships (BJNC) continues to grow and set participation records, and that will be no different when the 2018 event takes place at the Phoenix Convention Center July 2-9.
However, the 39th annual event is not just breaking records, but shattering them.
A total of 578 teams and nearly 6,000 athletes from Hawaii to New England to Puerto Rico and Canada are converging in Phoenix as 15 titles are being contested in age groups from 12 to 18. The 2017 BJNC had set the record with 510 teams competing, but now that record has been eclipsed by 68 teams – a 13.3 percent increase in one year.
Related: BJNC Home Page | Watch Live Stream | List of Qualified and Accepted Teams
“The continued growth and quality of our boys’ junior programs, including the USA Volleyball Boys’ Junior National Championships as the signature event, has opened pathways for our youth athletes to play after high school,” USA Volleyball CEO Jamie Davis said. “More and more colleges are adding men’s volleyball programs, which has created opportunities for additional athletes to play at the collegiate varsity level. Increased participation at the youth club and collegiate levels, in the end, improves the quality and depth of our U.S. Men’s National Team.”
The BJNC utilizes a staggered start and finish for divisions over the course of the eight-day tournament played on 47 courts inside the Phoenix Convention Center. All but the two youngest age divisions are four-day tournaments. This year is the inaugural year for the USA Division in the 16s, 17s and 18s age groups. Open and USA Division teams must qualify through USA Volleyball bid tournaments held across the country, or through at-large selections based on results at bid tournaments.
2018 BJNC Schedule
USA Volleyball estimates 18,000 family and friends will be staying in the Phoenix area. Presale tickets are available online through June 30 by going to https://phoenix.ticketforce.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=417. Tickets sales after June 30 will be at the Phoenix Convention Center.
Among the 578 teams competing in this year’s BJNC are 40 teams from the state of Arizona. AZ Fear 18 JB will be playing in the top division of the tournament, the 18 Open Division. AZ Fear 17 TD and Aspire 17 Blk will compete in the 17 Open Division, while AZ Fear 16 RW will play in the 16 Open Division.
Nearby regions of Southern California Volleyball Association and Northern California Volleyball Association have 155 and 69 teams participating, respectively. Several teams are traveling beyond the continental United States border with 22 squads from Aloha Region and two from Moku O Keawe Region representing Hawaii, 18 teams from Puerto Rico and one team from Canada.
The BJNC has previously been held in Phoenix in 2001 and 2003. More recently, Phoenix was the host city for the 2010 and 2014 USA Volleyball Open National Championships for adults.
Sport Court is the official athletic flooring for the USA Volleyball Boys’ Junior National Championships.
About USA Volleyball
Founded in 1928, USA Volleyball is a Colorado incorporated non-profit organization recognized by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the Federation International de Volleyball (FIVB) as the National Governing Body for the disciplines of beach volleyball, indoor volleyball and sitting volleyball in the United States. USA Volleyball has over 325,000 registered members, 12,000 teams and 5,300 clubs nationwide. With an annual budget in excess of $31 million dollars, USA Volleyball supports the USA men's and women's senior national team programs for beach, indoor and sitting volleyball; youth and junior national teams, national championship events, coaching education, certification programs and grassroots development across all disciplines. USA Volleyball has a rich tradition of success as evidenced by winning an Olympic medal in every Olympic Games since 1984, four Paralympic medals since 2004 and capturing numerous World Cup, World Championship and Continental Championship titles. USA Volleyball is committed to and works toward opportunity for all to participate. It is an advocate for all Americans endeavoring to assure universal access to opportunities at all levels of the game. For more information on USA Volleyball, visit www.usavolleyball.org.