HARTFORD, CONN. – January 16, 2014 – Volleyball will mean big business for the Capital Region later this week when the New England Region Volleyball Association (NERVA) hosts the “2014 Mizuno New England Winterfest Volleyball Tournament” for girls at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford.

Tournament organizers and the Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau (CTCSB) are looking forward to welcoming close to 6,000 visitors from New England and the Northeast U.S. during the long Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend. Attendees will stay in 26 hotels this Friday, January 17 through Monday, January 20, 2014. Approximately 2,000 players, 250 coaches, 100 officials and volunteer tournament staff, and 3,500 family members and fans are expected.

“The Mizuno New England Winterfest is the largest volleyball tournament – girls or boys – held in New England and is designed to showcase female high school volleyball players, ages 14-18, to college coaches and recruiters from throughout the Northeast,” explains Tournament Chair Alex Temkin, the Volleyball Coach at the University of Hartford. “The Northeast has one of the largest concentrations of Collegiate Division II and Division III schools in the country, and there are many Division I schools here as well. Having more than 800 matches in a single location encourages college recruitment decision-makers to come and scout as many players as possible.”

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