First, it was the University of Nebraska playing a volleyball match at Memorial Stadium in front of 92,003 people. Then, there were high schools around the country who tested out the idea of playing a volleyball game outside – on a football field.
On Tuesday, Wisconsin will have the “Battle of the Marsh: The Ultimate Showdown” on the football field at Mayville High School.
“What started the whole phenomenon was two years ago when the University of Nebraska built the big stage at their stadium. It was huge and started it big and so I think that’s what started the idea,” Mayville volleyball coach Alan Capps said. “Last year I saw that there a school in Iowa that did it. And that kind of got me thinking why not here.”
The three schools involved are Mayville, Waupun and Horicon. There will be three games played, with the first starting at 5:30 p.m., between Mayville and Waupun. The second game will be Waupun vs. Horicon and then the final game is scheduled to start at 7:45 p.m. and will be played between Mayville and Horicon under the lights.
There will be shirts for sale with a different color for each school in involved and the cost to get in is $12 for general admission and $6 for seniors and kids 10 and younger. VIP tickets are also available at the door for $30 until they’re gone.
The building of the court and support of it has already begun and will be put together and placed on the football field on Monday. Mayville will have a practice to get used to the sightlines, to see if they will need sunglasses and to get used to playing outside.
“All those two by four constructions, those are all part of the base and then 190 sheets of plywood will go over the top and then on top of that will be like a rubber membrane and then the sport court,” Capps said.
Capps’ first thought was that there may only be one game. Then as the planning continued, the thought was to make it a bigger event. And the schools involved? There’s a reason for that, too.
“What I’m trying to create is like a Friday night lights atmosphere,” Capps said. “If you’re in the suburbs, the Horicon Marsh is kind of a big deal. And so, this Horicon Marsh idea, Mayville is on the marsh, Horicon’s on the marsh and Waupun’s on the marsh on the other side. So that’s why that concept of battle of the marsh seemed to resonate.”
The games are just one part of a night celebrating a historic day in Wisconsin high school volleyball history. There will also be a celebration of the first girls high school volleyball teams from the school year of 1973-74 which came a year after Title IX was passed. Surviving players and coaches will be recognized with a ceremony on the court.
“What we want to do is make a statement that they may not have known that it was going to be as big of a deal as it was, but if somebody hadn’t started and been the first, we wouldn’t be here today,” Capps said.
Another part of the events taking place throughout the night will be three different 50-50 raffles. The first of the three is going to be a benefit to support a family that was hit by the tornados that came through Dodge County in May.
The last game of the day on Tuesday is set to be played at 7:45 p.m. and the sun is scheduled to set at 7:40 p.m. That means that it will be played under the lights.
“I’m just a big kid,” Capps said of his excitement for the night.
Event details
Date: Tuesday, Aug. 26
Place: Mayville High School, 500 N Clark St, Mayville, WI 53050
Cost: $30 for VIP (as long as they last), $12 for general admission, $6 for seniors/kids (10 and under)
Schedule
This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Mayville High School to host first outdoor volleyball games in WIAA history
Reporting by Ben Schultz, Oshkosh Northwestern / Oshkosh Northwestern
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
