Over 600 athletes gathered in Hammond on Friday for the 2021 Midwest Region Crossover Tournament, the largest collegiate volleyball tournament in the nation.
Hosted in the Hammond Sportsplex & Community Center, the tournament features 38 NCAA Division II teams from the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC), the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC), and the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). The conferences chose Hammond over competing bids from a number of cities, including Indianapolis. The pick was largely inspired by the observations of GLIAC Commissioner Kris Dunbar when she saw the Sportsplex while their basketball teams used it for practice during a tournament last year.
“When we walked in, we realized that this was an exceptional venue,” Dunbar said. “We’re fortunate to have a local school in Purdue University Northwest to see it first-hand and meet the people behind the facility, see what they do, and how great they are to work with.”
The Sportsplex opened in 2018 and regularly hosts events of all kinds, but the Crossover Tournament is the first major collegiate event of its kind to make use of the facility.
“It’s amazing. When Mayor McDermott and his administration envisioned this facility, this is what they saw,” said Kym Roberts, general manager of the Sportsplex. “This is what it was built for, to attract people to come to Hammond, to show that we’re on the map. This is something that was needed in our community; we’re only in year three and we’re pulling in big events like this.”
The GLVC and G-MAC are not new to the area, though, since they hosted America’s Crossroads Bowl in Hobart back in 2019, and they are set to repeat the event this December.
“It’s about more than location; it’s about the support we’ve received previously from our friends at the South Shore Convention & Visitors Authority,” said Tom Daeger, G-MAC commissioner. “They’ve done a tremendous job with the previous events we’ve had out here, and the opportunity to bring a large event like this back was certainly enticing. On top of that, to have such a nice, new facility like the Hammond Sportsplex that allows for ten courts to be played on at the same time is really unique.”
The teams visited the facility on Thursday, many donning different costumes such as Dalmatians, Adam Sandler characters, dinosaurs, and more for a photo contest. Matches started on Friday morning and will continue until a winner is crowned on Saturday.
Roberts said that the atmosphere in the gym, as ten different matches are played out at a time, was something special.
“There’s so much energy; there’s cheering after every point scored,” Roberts said. “It’s not a quiet game, it’s intense, and they’re fighting for every point.”
Fans were welcomed into the stands, an experience that some athletes had not experienced since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is probably the best environment these student athletes have played in for a year and a half,” said Jim Naumovich, GLVC commissioner. “When the clock went off and the first serve went up, this place erupted. For me, it was like, ‘This is awesome.’ It’s a unique event for the students because teams that have been competing against each other all season are now rooting for each other since it’s conference versus conference.”
The 2021 Midwest Region Crossover Tournament is open to the public, with matches resuming at 9:30 a.m.on Saturday morning. To learn more, visit www.alongthesouthshore.com/mrvc.
