The Volleyball Academy (TVA) is hosting its first annual grass volleyball tournament Saturday, August 17th and Sunday, August 18th, to benefit Side-Out! Jordan Larson, Olympic silver medalist and local volleyball hero, is excited to take part in all the action. The Omaha Side-Out Challenge will be the first event she attends as an official Side-Out supporter.
Deb Grafentin, event director and director of The Volleyball Academy, is looking forward to making the tournament a yearly event in Omaha. “TVA is excited to begin hosting Omaha’s newest corporate and family event in conjunction with the Side-Out Foundation. We believe this event will just continue to grow in our community from year to year.”
Jordan Larson, former Husker and Olympic silver medalist, will be making a special appearance on Sunday, August 18th. Jordan, a native of Hooper, NE, is not only a respected and well-known volleyball player; she also lost her mom to breast cancer. Supporting education and further research for the disease is a very personal and important mission for her.
Executive director of The Side-Out Foundation, Rick Dunetz, is thrilled to have both Jordan and The Volleyball Academy support Side-Out for this inaugural event. “Nebraska is a volleyball state and it is such an honor to be working with coaches and athletes who care so deeply about the sport. Even more important though, Nebraskans value the concept of community and they truly understand the power they have to help their friends and neighbors. We look forward to making this a yearly event, and we are grateful for the support and encouragement of all those who made the Omaha Side-Out Challenge possible.”
The event is open to all skill levels. Teams of 6’s will play on Saturday, August 17th and 3’s and 4’s on Sunday, August 18th at the Papillion Soccer Complex. For more information and to register, visit omahasideoutchallenge.com.
About The Side-Out Foundation
The Side-Out Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that was established in 2004. Inspired by one mom and embraced by the entire sport of volleyball, the mission of The Side-Out Foundation is to educate young athletes and their communities about breast cancer, both with respect to prevention and treatment, and to fund cutting edge breast cancer research. Side-Out is focused on changing the way breast cancer is treated forever.
The term side-out refers to a situation in volleyball when one team wins a point while its opponent is serving, thereby regaining serve or control of play. It is hoped that Side-Out will do the same for breast cancer patients, providing them with the support, education and best available treatments to regain control of their lives.
