USA South Fall Festival Commits Next 3 Years to Martinsville

For the fourth straight year, the Smith River Sports Complex (SRSC) will be hosting the NCAA Division III USA South Conference's Soccer Championships on November 2nd-3rd, 2012.

The SRSC is proud to announce that the USA South Conference Soccer Championships will be returning to the Martinsville-Henry County area for the next three years. Additionally, the USA South Volleyball Championship's new home is also the Martinsville-Henry County area, creating the new title of Fall Festival.

Men's and Women's Soccer will be played at the Smith River Sports Complex while Women's Volleyball will play at William F. Stone Hall at Patrick Henry Community College (PHCC).

There will be four Men's Soccer, four Women's Soccer, and eight Women's Volleyball teams coming to the area to play for the USA South Fall Festival Championships.

"We've held a Spring Sports Festival with one city hosting all six championships for the past seven years and it has been a hugely successful event for the Conference," said Rita Wiggs, Commissioner of the USA South Conference when asked why they decided to bring both championships to Martinsville. "It has been a goal to do the same type of event for our fall sports championships, but we needed to find a city with appropriate facilities, staffing and desire to host our soccer and volleyball championships."

The USA South Conference is primarily a southwest/central Virginia and North Carolina based conference featuring nine teams in those areas: Averett University, Christopher Newport University, Ferrum College, Greensboro College, Mary Baldwin College, Methodist University, Meredith College, N.C. Wesleyan College, and William Peace University. The Conference has added three institutions this summer, two from Georgia (Piedmont College and LaGrange College) and one from Tennessee (Maryville College), bringing the total number of full-time members to 12.

The teams will arrive Thursday, November 1st and will have the opportunity to practice. Later that night, the SRSC will host a banquet at the National Guard Armory in recognition of the 2012 USA South fall season.

The action will begin in the afternoon on Friday November 2nd. At SRSC, the Men's Soccer semifinals are set to start at 12 and 2:30 PM while the Women's Soccer semifinals will begin at 5 and 7:30 PM. Also on Friday, at PHCC, the Volleyball quarterfinal matches will be at 1, 3, 5, and 7 PM.

On Saturday, the Men's and Women's Soccer Championships will be played at 2 and 5 PM, respectively. Over at PHCC, Volleyball will play both the semifinal and championship rounds on Saturday. Semifinals will start at 12 and 2 PM with the championship starting at 6 PM.

Tickets for each day will be $6 dollars for adults and $3 dollars for children.

When asked why the USA South Conference enjoys returning to the SRSC and the Martinsville-Henry County area, Wiggs replied that "firstly, the excellent playing surface at the Complex and that is always a top priority for our coaches. Secondly, the reception that we have received from everyone we have dealt with in Martinsville, and at the Complex, has been warm and welcoming. We are very pleased with the friendships and relationships that have developed during the last 2-3 years."

For information on the event or purchasing tickets, please call the Complex at (276) 638-5200 or visit www.SouthernVirginiaSports.com.