Earlier this month, the City of Louisville held its first ever volleyball tournament at the Ivy Park activity building. This tournament is the culmination of planning that began early in 2023, and it’s a part of a partnership between the city and Level Elite Sports. At least thirty local girls are involved in the Level Elite Sports team in Louisville.
City officials hope that this first tournament is just the beginning of many more, and that the revenue brought in can help to bring improvements to the current park activity building. The mayor pointed out that the building needs roof repairs as well as the addition of heating and air conditioning.
While locals might not have heard much about Level Elite, the program is under the direction of former Miss. State Head Volleyball Coach Tina Seals. Seals is also a Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame inductee and has directed volleyball clubs for more than three decades. The local team is under the purview of Site Director Bailey Lehmann.
Prior to the partnership with the city, Level Elite directed 38 teams in four locations. They have over a decade of experience in planning and hosting tournaments as well.
Seals says that the goal of the organization is to “grow the sport of volleyball thus helping to strengthen local school programs through increasing the volleyball skills of local youth.” At the same time, the organization provides so much more. Level Elite offers a college scholarship fund on its own, but it also works with college-level coaches to help participants play on the college level. Finally, Level Elite provides the majority of necessary equipment, while often helping to grow the revenue of the recreational departments that participate.
Volleyball has become a popular competitive sport in Winston County. Earlier this year, the Noxapater Girls’ team worked their way to a State Runner-up spot in the 1A division. Other schools in the county are seeing more girls interested in the sport.
When Mayor Will Hill was contacted by Level Elite, he saw not only an opportunity for the community to benefit due to increased revenue, but also individuals benefitting as well.
“We are excited about the addition of volleyball to the city’s opportunities in recreation and are thankful for the partnership we have established with Level Elite Sports. Just this past year, we had 3 schools competing for their respective state titles in volleyball. We (the City and its recreation department) believe this is an opportunity, not only to expand our offerings, but to make a difference in the development of future volleyball programs in our area. This is just one example of how we hope to expand our offerings and enhance the city’s recreational department,” said Hill.
The mayor added that one of the goals of the city has been to make “significant progress with facility improvements, upgrades, and additions to the city park’s facilities. The goal is to enhance the quality of life for our citizens, provide development outlets for our youth, encourage health and wellness through activity, and generate tourism.”
Furthermore, Hill pointed out the efforts of Park Director Todd McCullough and his staff: “I would like to publicly thank Mr. McCullough and all his staff for the hard work, determination, and vision of making the dream of a functional and diverse indoor activity space a reality.”
Overall, city officials want to expand on this initial tournament and see the activity building become a true asset for everyone in Louisville. Hill noted, “Remember, the keyword in the phrase ‘pardon our progress’ is progress.”
More tournaments are coming in the new year.
