About the Grow the Game Challenge

It all started with a simple question of how can NCAA men’s volleyball get to Nashville.

The Music City is known for many things, but one of them is not college men’s volleyball. The closest NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball team is about a four-hour drive from Nashville, and city has never held a NCAA men’s volleyball event until now.

NCAA men’s volleyball and Nashville, though, are the perfect combination. Both are fast pace, filled with excitement and provide high quality entertainment for fans.

For the last nine months, Off the Block founder and editor Vinnie Lopes has spearheaded the effort to bring this sport to the city. Lopes, who lives in Nashville with his wife and daughter, launched the website Off the Block in 2011 and it has grown into one of the nation’s top college men’s volleyball news websites.

When the initial inquiry was sent to college programs last spring asking if they would be interested in traveling to Nashville for a non-conference event the response was an overwhelming yes.

The entire men’s volleyball community is committed to growing the game. That is way there was so much interest from teams throughout the nation to travel to a region of the country that has never been exposed to the sport

With help of Lipscomb University to provide the facilities and the tournament sponsors, this Grow the Game Challenge went from a possibility to a reality.

Now the time has come for Nashville to get ready for NCAA men’s volleyball and attend the Grow the Game Challenge on Jan. 12-14 at Lipscomb University’s Allen Arena.