NOTEBOOK
he 2015 FIVB World Grand Prix Finals is coming to the United States, and fans can purchase their tickets now for the event that will take place July 22-26 at the CenturyLink Center Omaha in Nebraska. The FIVB World Grand Prix is the premier annual women’s international volleyball tournament. Prior to the Finals, 12 teams from Group 1 compete in three preliminary round weekends across the globe. The top fi ve teams after the nine-match schedule will advance to the Finals, joining the U.S. Women’s National Team to complete the six-team fi eld. “The City of Omaha is excited and honored to be the
fi rst-ever North American city to host the FIVB World Grand Prix Finals,” said Harold Cliff, president of the Omaha Sports Commission. “We are expecting tickets to sell rapidly with six of the top teams in the world vying for the annual trophy. We welcome not only our very knowledge- able volleyball fan base located in the Omaha area, but also fans from across the United States and the globe to come watch top international vol- leyball and visit our great city.” Team USA has won the FIVB World Grand Prix fi ve times, including a
FIVB WORLD GRAND PRIX TICKETS Final Round tickets in Omaha: Lower Bowl: $150 all-session, $35 per day Mezzanine: $100 all-session, $25 per day Upper Bowl: $75 all-session, $20 per day All-Session Floor Seats: $175-$250 Daily session passes will go on sale at a later date.
FIVB World Grand Prix tickets
HOMELAND: U.S. Women’s National Team’s Foluke Akinradewo held the 2011 FIVB World Grand Prix Finals Trophy, but 2015 will be the fi rst played on U.S. soil.
string of three consecutive titles from 2010 to 2012. The squad also won the event in 1995 and 2001. Brazil, ranked fi rst in the world, won its second straight World Grand Prix title this year and its record 10th overall title. U.S. Women’s National Team Head Coach Karch Kiraly men- tioned that the 2015 FIVB World Grand Prix Finals will have special importance for all the teams which advance to Omaha. The event will take place about a month prior to the start of the fi rst 2016 Olympic Games qualifi cation event, the FIVB World Cup. “Playing on our home soil for World Grand Prix Finals Week will be huge, serving as our last preparation before stepping onto the actual road to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games,” Kiraly said. “At the same time, American volleyball fans will be treated to watching the best teams in
the world compete, with the Rio Olympics only a year away.” The Omaha area has a history of supporting volleyball. Ralston Arena hosted the 2013 Visit Omaha NORCECA Women’s Continen- tal Championship in which the U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team captured the gold medal. The CenturyLink Center Omaha hosted both the 2006 and 2008 NCAA Divisin I Women’s Volleyball Championships. The University of Nebraska in nearby Lincoln is a perennial NCAA championship contender playing in front of 200 consecutive sellout home crowds with crowds in excess of 8,200. In addition, both Creighton University and University of Nebraska- Omaha have competitive collegiate volleyball programs that have advanced into the NCAA tournament.
Volleyball advocate Tae Kim passes away
he volleyball community lost a dear friend and advo- cate for the sport with the passing of Molten USA’s Director of Sales Tae Kim on March 11. Kim’s deep love for the sport of volleyball grew as a collegiate club player at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, followed by over 15 years of coaching with several junior volleyball clubs. He was well known for his role as direc- tor of sales at Molten USA – a role where he would help Molten sign some of their largest partnerships including USA Volleyball and the NCAA over his 12-year career. “USA Volleyball and all of us personally are terribly saddened by the untimely passing of Tae Kim,” USA Vol- leyball CEO Doug Beal said. “Much of our long standing relationship with Molten has been based on a wonderful and deep person-to-person relationship. Tae was a special
T 10 | VOLLEYBALLUSA • Digital Issue at
usavolleyball.org/mag
and important part of that relationship. His warmth, upbeat personality and passion will be very much missed. Our deepest condolences to his family and the broader Molten and volleyball families.”
Not only did he develop partnerships with hundreds of volleyball clubs, dealers, collegiate conferences and programs across the nation, his kindness was extended through his willingness to help those around him with unwavering integrity. Kim’s passion for life, leadership and dedication played an instrumental role in the growth and develop- ment of the sport he loved. He will be greatly missed as an incredible husband, father, friend, coach and mentor, and continue to inspire the volleyball community that he worked so hard to support.
Omaha hosts 2015 FIVB World Grand Prix Finals T
Tae Kim left behind wife, Diane, daugh- ter, Charlotte and son, Elliot. (Photo: Courtesy Kim Family)
PHOTO: FIVB
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