College Volleyball Is Taking Over Nontraditional Venues in 2026

Location: Louisville, Ky.
Capacity: 22,090

The No 7 Louisville Cardinals will take on multiple opponents at their basketball arena this year, including a non-conference matchup on Sept. 9 against the Missouri Tigers for the ACC-SEC Showdown at the Net.

Louisville will also host conference matchups against Georgia Tech on Nov. 1 and No. 11 SMU on Nov. 28.

The KFC Yum! Center was the site of the National Semifinals and Championships matches and the AVCA First Serve Showcase in 2024.

Mackey Arena

Location: West Lafayette, Ind.
Capacity: 14,876

The No. 9 Purdue Boilermakers will once again open their basketball arena for volleyball matches this year. They will host two matches for the Big Ten-SEC Challenge, including against the reigning National Champions, No. 8 Texas A&M Aggies on Sept. 1 and the Georgia Bulldogs on Sept. 2.

The No. 16 Indiana Hoosiers will also take on the Aggies and Bulldogs at Mackey Arena.

Moody Center

Location: Austin, Texas
Capacity: 10,763

The No. 2 Texas Longhorns will clash with the No. 3 Wisconsin Badgers this year on Sept. 13 at Texas’ larger basketball arena, expanding capacity for the game from approximately 4,000 at Gregory Gym, their home volleyball venue, to over 10,000.

The Palestra

Location: Philadelphia, Pa.
Capacity: 8,725

As part of its 100th anniversary celebration, the Palestra will see the No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions take on the No. 5 Stanford Cardinal. Nicknamed “The Cathedral of College Basketball,” it has hosted more games and NCAA tournaments than any other facility.

Pinnacle Bank Arena

Location: Lincoln, Neb.
Capacity: 15,500

The No. 1 Nebraska Cornhuskers welcome in-state rivals, No. 13 Creighton Bluejays, to Pinnacle Bank Arena on Sept.16.

PBA was one of the sites for the AVCA First Serve event in 2025.

Petersen Events Center

Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Capacity: 12,508

No. 4 Pittsburgh will host The Opening Spike Classic for the second year at its basketball arena. The two-day event will host four matchups on Aug. 28 and 30, including No. 15 Kansas, No. 3 Wisconsin, and No. 5 Stanford.

Professional Arenas

Fiserv Forum

Location: Milwaukee, Wis.
Capacity: 17,385

The AVCA First Serve Showcase opens the season on Aug. 21 at the home of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks.

Teams playing in this year’s showcase include No. 12 Arizona State, No. 3 Kentucky, No. 7 Louisville, Marquette, No. 4 Pitt, No. 11 SMU, No. 2 Texas, No. 8 Texas A&M, No. 6 Wisconsin, and Xavier.

Fiserv Forum has previously hosted the 2024 State Farm Volleyball Showcase and an in-state matchup between Marquette and Wisconsin in 2025.

Sanford Pentagon

Location: Sioux Falls, S.D.
Capacity: 3,250

The Sanford Pentagon will host two tournaments this season before the NBA’s G League Sioux Falls Skyforce take the court. The State Farm Showcase will feature No. 13 Creighton, No. 9 Purdue, No. 14 Minnesota, No. 12 Arizona State, and No. 20 USC August 28-30.

The South Dakota Lottery Volleyball Classic on September 18-19 will feature South Dakota, South Dakota State, Minnesota, and Washington.

The Sanford Pentagon has been a host site for the AVCA First Serve in 2025 and the NCAA DII Championships in 2024 and 2025.

AT&T Stadium

Location: Dallas, Texas
Capacity: 80,000

For the first time in history, college volleyball will be played in an NFL stadium.

The inaugural Spikes Under the Lights Showcase on Aug. 27 will feature No. 1 Nebraska, No. 17 Florida, No. 10 Penn State, and No. 11 SMU for the opportunity to win $1 million in prize money in the home of the Dallas Cowboys.

T-Mobile Arena

Location: Las Vegas, Nev.
Capacity: 17,500

Just a couple of days later, more history will be made as the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas hosts its first volleyball match in the inaugural Players Era Showcase on August 29-30.

The home of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights will see No. 2 Texas, No 18 TCU, No. 1 Nebraska, and UNLV compete, including a showdown between the Huskers and Longhorns on Aug. 30.

Bridgestone Arena

Location: Nashville, Tenn.
Capacity: 17,159

The Broadway Block Party returns for its second year at the home of the NHL’s Nashville Predators on Sept. 6.

This double-header battle features No. 7 Louisville, No. 2 Texas, No. 22 Tennessee, and No. 16 Indiana.

Wrigley Field

Location: Chicago, Ill.
Capacity: 41,649

The headline venue of the Big Ten-SEC Challenge is at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Sept. 6.

No. 1 Nebraska will play Missouri before No. 10 Penn State takes on No. 3 Kentucky at the home of the 2016 World Series Champions, the Chicago Cubs.

This is the first time volleyball will be played in an MLB stadium.

Other Locations

ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex – State Farm Field House

Location: Kissimmee, Fla.
Capacity: 5,000

No. 4 Pittsburgh, No. 22 Tennessee, No. 8 Texas A&M, and No. 5 Stanford are set to headline the 2026 Showcase at the Net at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex’s State Farm Field House on Sept. 9.

This is the first year NCAA volleyball will be played in the ESPNWWOS complex.

Baha Mar Resort

Location: Nassau, Bahamas
Capacity: 3,000

The first-ever Paradise Invitational at Baha Mar Resort on Sept.11-13 will feature No. 3 Kentucky, No. 9 Purdue, Houston, and No. 11 SMU.

Baha Mar has hosted NCAA men’s basketball tournaments since 2021, but this will be the first time they’ve held volleyball.