ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Tickets for the inaugural Blue Ridge Volleyball Classic, presented by Ingles Markets, in conjunction with Explore Asheville, the Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission, and Lightstrike Hard Refresher, are on sale online through BlueRidgeVolleyballClassic.com or Ticketmaster.com and at the iHeart Media Asheville Box Office located at the venue.
 
Home of the 2025 Southern Conference Volleyball Championship, Asheville and the Harrah's Cherokee Center – Asheville will host this inaugural event Sept. 5-6, 2025. The lineup of games includes women's volleyball teams from Western Carolina, Bradley University, the College of Charleston, and Charlotte, each playing three matches over two days.
 
"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 & CEO 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 (TPDF) 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." 

This is the first collegiate volleyball event to be held at the Harrah's Cherokee Center – Asheville, formerly known as the Asheville Civic Center, in the venue's history. It will serve as the first collegiate event preceding the 2025 Ingles SoCon Volleyball Championship in November 2025. 

"Western North Carolina has become a hotbed for quality high school volleyball. With Brevard, Polk County, and West Henderson each claiming recent state championships and the storied tradition at Hendersonville High (state record of 12 championships), there's little doubt that our region can compete with the best that the state has to offer. The Blue Ridge Volleyball Classic will show those student-athletes and area fans firsthand what it takes to compete at the college level," said Chris Smith, President, Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission. "This event will serve as a great precursor to the Ingles' Southern Conference Volleyball Tournament at the same venue in November."
 
Tickets for the tournament are on sale now for all-day at $10 and half-day at $5, with discounts available for youth, groups, and City of Asheville employees. Get your tickets and learn more at BlueRidgeVolleyballClassic.com today. Hotels for the tournament can be found at https://www.exploreasheville.com/places-to-stay.

"Asheville, much like the rest of the country, is a volleyball community. Following the 2024 Ingles Southern Conference Volleyball Championship relocation due to Hurricane Helene's damage in Western North Carolina, our venue partnered with AVL Hoppers, a local volleyball non-profit, to raise over $15,000 for local groups affected by the storm," Christopher Corl, General Manager of Harrah's Cherokee Center - Asheville, said. "Xcel Volleyball continues to be the recognized leader in Western North Carolina's elite club scene, and multiple local and regional high schools continue to win state championships. This tournament will continue to grow because of our community's commitment to this sport and our commitment to bringing high-level volleyball events like this to our community."
 
Western Carolina volleyball opens practice for its 2025 season on Thursday, July 31, in the Ramsey Center. The Catamounts host UNC Pembroke in an exhibition match on Friday, Aug. 22, in Cullowhee, before opening with a trio of matches in Boca Raton, Fla., Aug. 29-30, before the Blue Ridge Volleyball Classic. Combined, 12 of WCU's first 13 matches on the year will be played away from Cullowhee, though the tournament's three will be held in nearby Asheville.
 
Western Carolina returns nine letterwinners from the 2024 squad, including two of its top defensive threats from a season ago: senior Janelle Blue (111 blocks, 156 kills) and classmate Samantha Jo Mikosky (73 blocks).
 
Keep track of everything related to Catamount volleyball and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@wcu_catamounts, @catamountvb), and Twitter (@catamounts, @catamountvb). 
 

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 ABOUT ASHEVILLE BUNCOMBE REGIONAL SPORTS COMMISSION
The Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission was formed in the fall of 2010 by a handful of civic-minded leaders with a vision to impact the local economy by bringing more sporting events to the region. The Sports Commission attracts sports events and related meetings to enhance the health, wellness, and quality of life for area residents and sports enthusiasts and will generate a positive economic impact by promoting our region as a recognized sporting destination.
 
ABOUT EXPLORE ASHEVILLE AND THE BUNCOMBE COUNTY TOURISM DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
Explore Asheville is the official destination marketing and management organization for one of the most vibrant destinations in the southeast. Explore Asheville is powered by the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority, a public authority that has been investing in and building community since 1983. The authority has committed $96 million to more than 50 community capital projects including many sports venues.

ABOUT HARRAH'S CHEROKEE CENTER - ASHEVILLE
Harrah's Cherokee Center – Asheville (HCCA), which features the ExploreAsheville.com Arena and Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, annually hosts a diverse variety of events that reflect the creativity, uniqueness, and artistry that Asheville, N.C., and Western North Carolina are known for. In recent years, the facility has hosted world-class sporting events such as NBA Preseason Games, two Billie Jean King Cups Ties, the Ingles Southern Conference Basketball & Volleyball Championships, Blue Ridge Volleyball Championship, Asheville Championship, and the Camping World Maui Invitational as well as music and performances by Bob Dylan, The Lumineers, Dave Chappelle, John Prine, Old Dominion, Sturgill Simpson, Kacey Musgraves, Widespread Panic, Billy Strings, Warren Haynes' Christmas Jam, and more. For more information, visit HarrahsCherokeeCenterAsheville.com.