State volleyball tournaments coming to Bay Area

OSAA state championship volleyball at the 4A and 3A levels is a moving experience.

That’s especially true in 2024, as the OSAA / OnPoint Community Credit Union Girls Volleyball 4A/3A State Championships will be moving from Springfield High, where they have been held since 2022; to North Bend and Marshfield High Schools.

North Bend will host the 4A championships and Marshfield will be the 3A site. The tournaments, slated for Nov. 8-9, will run as single-court events, like basketball. Historically, the volleyball championships have played two matches side-by-side for all but the state finals.

OSAA Assistant Executive Director Missy Smith said that there were no college venues available for the tournament, as schools were reluctant to give up control of their gyms for two days during a part of the calendar when they are needed for the end of the collegiate volleyball season coupled with the start of men’s and women’s basketball. The 3A basketball tournament at Marshfield in Coos Bay and North Bend has been such a success as a destination experience, Smith said, that when Marshfield athletic director Greg Mulkey pitched Marshfield and North Bend for volleyball as well, the choice became clear.

OSAA will use this year to experiment with the site and format, but given the success of 3A basketball in the Bay Area, the volleyball championships in that part of the state could easily become a fixture.

“They want to make it a great event like they do basketball,” Smith explained. “We wanted to put a first class event where someone really wanted us also. We are excited about the opportunity.”

Unlike the state basketball tournament, which is a three-day event, volleyball will play out over two days, this year scheduled for Nov. 8-9.