LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Southland Park filled up with nets and players for the Bluegrass Battle, an annual volleyball tournament.
The Bluegrass Battle tournament began in 2021, started by local players Fernando Zarate, Matt Burgess, and Shane Green.
“All three of us kind of came together,” Zarate said, to “bring the volleyball community in [for] one weekend.”
“Volleyball and football are the best team sports in my opinion,” said Green. “You really need each other to be successful.”
The trio had experience playing in tournaments around the country. They came up with the idea for the Bluegrass Battle to fill the volleyball gap in central Kentucky.
“There was several years where I traveled and played,” Burgess said. “I went all over the U.S. to play, played in about 45 tournaments one year. Just kind of got tired of traveling, so we felt the need to have something here in Lexington.”
This event attracts both the Lexington volleyball community and other volleyballers from around the country.
“I’ve met a lot of people and continue to meet a lot of people from all across the country,” Zarate said. “It’s really cool being able to travel and go play and seeing those same people playing there and then they come and travel and play in your tournament.”
“I just love playing because it’s family,” Green added. “I mean I come in here and there’s about 120 people here today, and I’ll probably get about 100 hugs.”
Bringing players and teams from around the country to Lexington allows local players to shine a spotlight on the city.
Burgess talked about sharing the city with new players: “When they come to town, if they’re not from here or not close to being local, it's good to show them little spots here and there that are fun to go to that are kind of off the beaten path.”
Zarate added, “We try to tell them, ‘Hey, after the tournament on Saturday, if you guys want to hang out,’ or go do that or some of the other areas like the Distillery District, or other cool places around town that they can visit while they’re here.”
While this tournament attracts the most out-of-state attention, there will be other volleyball tournament events throughout the summer.
