ESPN Events Announces Inaugural Shriners Children’s ‘Showdown at the Net Volleyball’ Tournament

ESPN Events announced the addition of a new owned-and-operated women’s volleyball tournament – the inaugural ‘Showdown at the Net’, set for Sept. 9-10.

The ‘Showdown at the net’ features 16 squads from both the ACC and SEC as they face off in cross-conference challenge via matchups across the nation. Action to be featured on ESPN2, SEC Network, ACC Network, SEC Network+ and ACCNX, with times for each match to be announced at a later time.

As part of the challenge series, the Shriners Children’s ‘Showdown at the Net’ will highlight a four-team showcase at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas on Sept. 10. Pitt, Kentucky, Louisville and Texas will face off in those two ACC/SEC clashes, with the Pitt Panthers slated to take on the Kentucky Wildcats at 6:30 p.m. ET, and the Louisville Cardinals and Texas Longhorns to follow at 9 p.m. Both matches will air on ESPN.

“We are thrilled to showcase these two conferences in the ‘Showdown at the Net’,” said Stephanie Grant, Director of ESPN Events. “The sport of volleyball is continuing to skyrocket and we are excited for the opportunity to stage this event not only in Fort Worth, but in SEC/ACC matchups across the country.”

Action begins Tuesday, Sept. 9 with four linear matchups at campus sites: Stanford at Missouri (ESPN), Texas A&M at SMU (ESPN2), Georgia Tech at Tennessee (SECN) and Florida at North Carolina (ACCN). Tuesday also highlights four matches on digital – Georgia at Clemson (ACCNX), Virginia at Auburn (SECN+), LSU at Notre Dame (ACCNX) and Boston College at Arkansas (SECN+).

Wednesday continues the momentum with FSU at Oklahoma (SECN), South Carolina at NC State (ACCN), Ole Miss at Miami (ACCNX), Vanderbilt at Cal (ACCNX), Wake Forest at Alabama (SECN+) and Duke at Mississippi State (SECN+).

“We are excited to have the Southeastern Conference participate in the first edition of ‘Showdown at the Net’,” said Misty Brown, SEC Assistant Commissioner. “We look forward to seeing some high-caliber volleyball as the storied programs from the SEC prepare to build upon their recent successes during the 2025 season.”

“The ACC is proud to collaborate with ESPN and the SEC on a volleyball challenge that will showcase both conferences, including two neutral-site games as part of the inaugural ‘Showdown at the Net’,” added Jared Romance, ACC Assistant Director of Championships. “We look forward to competing in this premier event and watching our student-athletes and programs be nationally showcased as part of this exciting initiative.”

Tickets for the Fort Worth event are set to go on-sale early this summer, but fans are encouraged to sign up for pre-sale alerts via www.showdownatthenet.com.

Shriners Children’s Hospital serves as the title sponsor of the event at Dickies Arena, adding to their portfolio of ESPN Events, including the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational. Shriners signed on as a two-year sponsor for the neutral site event.

“The Shriners Children’s Showdown at the Net is another way for our healthcare system to showcase the life-changing efforts that we perform for children across the nation and worldwide,” said Bob Roller, Shriners Children’s Vice President for Sports.  “We are extremely pleased to join these universities to highlight an NCAA women’s sport that is growing at an incredible pace.”

 

Earlier this year, ESPN Events also announced the “Broadway Block Party”, a volleyball event on Aug. 31 hosted by the Nashville Sports Council featuring three matchups between Big 10 and SEC schools.

ESPN Events

ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In the 2024-25 academic year, the 34-event schedule includes four early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events, the premiere regular season college softball and gymnastics events, as well as the Band of the Year National Championship. Collectively, these events account for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.

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About Shriners Children’s:
Shriners Children’s is a leader in providing care for orthopedic conditions, burn injuries, spinal cord injuries and other spine disorders, rehabilitation, sports injuries and craniofacial conditions. We also offer specialized services, including orthotics and prosthetics and motion analysis. We strive to provide the care and support our patients need to reach their goals and discover their full potential. In addition, our healthcare system conducts research to improve our patients’ quality of life and offers outstanding educational programs for medical professionals. All care and services are provided regardless of the families’ ability to pay or insurance status.

Shriners Children’s is a nonprofit organization and relies on the generosity of donors. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law. For more information, including the full range of care disciplines, please visit shrinerschildrens.org.

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Media Contact: Katie Callahan at 607-226-1438; [email protected] and @CallahanKatie1