(IGHSAU news release)
The Board of Directors of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union approved Xtream Arena in Coralville as the new home of the Iowa Girls State Volleyball Tournament beginning in 2022.
“We are excited to bring the State Volleyball Tournament to Xtream Arena and Coralville,” said IGHSAU Executive Director Jean Berger. “Xtream Arena is the premier volleyball venue in Iowa. We look forward to our partnership with the staffs at the Arena and Think Iowa City.”
Xtream Arena opened in September of 2020. The arena has a capacity of 5,100 spectators plus additional floor seating and is connected to the five court 53,000-square foot GreenState Family Fieldhouse that is accessible from the event level. The facility has two high-definition video boards, a 360 degree ribbon board, LED lighting along with 12 suites and a 180 person club suite. The arena is home to the University of Iowa volleyball team as well as the Iowa Heartlanders ECHL hockey team.
“We are incredibly honored by the opportunity to host the IGHSAU Girls State Volleyball Championships,” said Josh Schamberger, President of Think Iowa City + Iowa City Area Sports Commission. “We know that we have very big shoes to fill with the standard that has been set for the past 31 years by Cedar Rapids. We are excited by that challenge and deeply appreciative of the confidence Director Berger and her board have placed in us.”
Xtream Arena is only the second venue the Iowa State Volleyball Tournament will call home since the sport was sanctioned by the IGHSAU in 1973. The Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids has hosted the state tournament since 1991. Prior to that, the tournament was hosted by various high schools across the state.