Long Beach State volleyball fans will get to experience the National Championship at the Walter Pyramid this May. With the location selected back in 2017, the reigning national champions will get to host the biggest event of the year in college volleyball May 2-4.
The Walter Pyramid has a capacity of 4,000 people, and additional seats will only be added if that number is reached with ticket sales. The matches between the final four are the most anticipated volleyball games of the year, so the tickets are expected to be a hot commodity.
“It’s the fear of missing out. I want it to be this thing where you have to be there,” Athletics Director Andy Fee said. “That’s what the feel of a really unique event is.”
If the Long Beach State men’s volleyball team qualifies for the championship, seats will be reserved specifically for students attending LBSU.
“We have to purchase tickets for students,” Fee said. “There are no free tickets at an NCAA event. Every single ticket has a cost to it.”
Set up for the event will begin on April 28th, where everything will be rebranded to represent the NCAA.
“Everything will have NCAA to make it a more neutral environment,” facilities manager Mike Habura said.
Long Beach State has hosted the NCAA Men’s Volleyball Championships twice before. The first time the Beach hosted was in 2001 when BYU knocked off UCLA in straight sets to win the National Championship. Two years later, Long Beach hosted the 2003 NCAA Championship which saw Lewis edge out BYU in five sets, before Lewis vacated its title due to infractions.
To prepare itself, Long Beach State has invested in making the venue ready for high-level play.
Thanks to donors, the Walter Pyramid will be receiving a new Taraflex floor that will be used specifically for volleyball games. According to Fee, the “volleyball only” floor cost around $72,000 and is expected to arrive later this week. The floor is being added for safety reasons and to provide the best quality equipment for the team.
“Were investing into the program, [the floor] is a substantial investment, little things like that matter,” Fee said.
National championship attendees can expect additional concession stands, including booths selling both Long Beach and NCAA merchandise. Fee explained that Long Beach State Athletics is focused on bringing together the campus and the community around the event. There will be additional artwork, banners and promotion that will go around the city.
“I want people to walk away from here going, ‘That is the best volleyball experience. That university embraces volleyball, that community embraces volleyball, that city embraces volleyball,’” Fee said.
Tickets prices have yet to be determined but will be available to purchase in the coming months.