ARLINGTON (CBSNewsTexas.com) — The best women’s volleyball players in the world are currently in North Texas for the Volleyball Nations League Finals.
“This is your chance to watch a lot of the players who will be stars at next year’s Paris Olympics,” said Karch Kiraly, the head coach of the USA Volleyball Women’s National Team.
The eight best teams in the world will compete at College Park Center in Arlington. Team USA is currently in second place, just one point behind Poland.
It is the first time the tournament finals have ever been held in America.
“And I think for myself and the other Texas girls, it’s even more special that we get to host in our own backyard,” said national team member Chiaka Ogbogu, who grew up in Coppell.
Her teammate Asjia O’Neal is from Southlake.
“Texas is a huge volleyball state, so I think this is a perfect place to have it,” O’Neal said. “There’s a lot of people who are really invested in the sport of volleyball here. I have a lot of family coming.”
They regularly play in front of sold-out arenas internationally and hope fans here will pack College Park Center this week.
“Having the VNL here will hopefully open people’s eyes and show them professional volleyball is extremely exciting and definitely something [they] want to see more of,” O’Neal said. “I really hope we can get to that level of all these other countries.”
Growing interest in the sport could also inspire a new generation of players.
“I hope for the young girls who come out, they can see a possibility of continuing to play the sport they love for a living,” Ogbogu said. “I definitely didn’t know this was possible when I was a young player, so I hope that’s what they take away from these games.”
Team USA will take on Japan at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday night.
“The women are spectacular athletes and they do things that most ordinary humans can’t,” Kiraly said. “Come to watch the world’s best.”
The semifinals will be held on July 15 and the finals on July 16. You can find tickets here.
