In what's quickly becoming a cool new trend in high school volleyball,
Walton (Marietta, Ga.) and
Pope (Marietta, Ga.) squared off over the weekend outdoors in the Greyhounds' football stadium.
The University of Nebraska mainstreamed the concept last year when 92,003 fans showed out for a match at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. It was the largest crowd to watch a women's sporting event.
And high schools have picked up the mantle with a handful of matches last year and even more planned for this season.
Pope and Walton kicked off the outdoor volleyball season with the "Backyard Brawl" on Saturday in front of roughly 1,500 at the Pope Multi-Sport Complex. The schools are roughly 10 minutes apart.
Nearly 1,500 fans sit in Pope's football stadium on Saturday to watch the Greyhounds and rival Walton battle on the volleyball court. In what's fast becoming a cool prep trend, the Marietta rivals were the first to take the indoor game outside this season. (PHOTO: Luke Hamilton)
The visiting Raiders downed the Greyhounds 23-25, 25-19, 25-16, 25-18 to improve to 2-0 while Pope, which finished just outside the MaxPreps Top 25 last season and won a Class AAAAA title, fell to 2-1.
"We just thought, ‘What a fun idea,'" Pope coach Erica Miller told the
Marietta Daily Journal. "We didn't know what all the variables might be. We had an idea of what they could be. The weather was beautiful and wasn't that bad. The moisture on the court was only minimal.
"We love our sport, and how do we get more people out and watch? We've got a great program. Walton has a great program. I think we picked two key schools, and it was a great crowd."
Ashlee Gomes paced Walton with 14 kills while
Simone Searles added seven and
Addison Contestabile chipped in six.
Gretchen Eichelzer led Pope with 11 kills and
Melissa Seixas chipped in seven.
Walton's Ashlee Gomes has one of her 16 digs in the Raiders' outdoor match Saturday against crosstown rival Pope. (PHOTO: Luke Hamilton)
Other planned outdoor matches include a three-match set on Aug. 26 in Wisconsin featuring
Mayville (Wis.) vs.
Waupun (Wis.),
Horicon (Wis.) vs. Waupun and Horicon vs. Mayville.
Bishop Fenwick (Franklin, Ohio) and
Lakota East (Liberty Township, Ohio) will square off on Sept. 13 in Ohio, while
Prattville Christian Academy (Prattville, Ala.) and
Trinity Presbyterian (Montgomery, Ala.) will meet on Sept. 29 in what's believed to be the first outdoor game in Alabama.
Frontier (Hamburg, N.Y.) and
Hamburg (N.Y.) will not only play outside, but both the boys and girls teams will do battle on Sept. 6.
And returning to the scene of the original outdoor match — Nebraska —
Millard South (Omaha, Neb.),
Millard North (Omaha, Neb.) and
Millard West (Omaha, Neb.) will all battle in an Aug. 21 jamboree under the lights called the Battle at Buell at Millard South's stadium.
Saturday Night Lights for the ladies as Pope and Walton squared off in Pope's football stadium in what's become a growing trend of outdoor games. (PHOTO: Luke Hamilton)
A Pope and Walton player battle at the net on Saturday. (PHOTO: Luke Hamilton)
Walton players cheer during their 3-1 victory over Pope on Saturday in what's thought to be the first outdoor high school volleyball match in Georgia history. (PHOTO: Luke Hamilton)
