Cactus Classic Invitational

Tournament Information

The 17th Annual Cactus Classic Invitational is a three-day volleyball tournament held in Tucson, Arizona on January 14-16, 2012. Approximately 100 volleyball teams are scheduled to compete under one roof at the at the Tucson Convention Center. The main objective of the Cactus Classic is to provide a high quality, competitive, and fun event - giving athletes the opportunity to play in a major three-day tournament.

The tournament was first introduced in 1994 by Club Cactus Juniors as an additional tournament on the same weekend as the Fiesta Classic, giving Arizona Region teams that did not participate in the Fiesta Classic an opportunity to play the same weekend. The format and proximity to Phoenix attracted teams from nearby regions and the Cactus Classic quickly grew to over 100 teams and continues to be a great early season tournament in the Arizona Region.

In 2010, tournament organizers partnered with Tucson Sports to host the Cactus Classic under one roof at the Tucson Convention Center - becoming Arizona's only club-run convention center tournament. The venue and low-entry fee (when compared to other events) continue to make the tournament an attractive event for teams and players that normally do not have the opportunity to play in a convention center. The Cactus Classic also provides a premier pre-season event for the 14-and-under and 12-and-under divisions.

In 2012, the Cactus Classic Invitational will become one of USA Volleyball's RANKING TOURNAMENTS for the new USAV Ranking System. Participating teams now have the opportunity to improve their national ranking for future USAV events including the USAV Junior National Championships. The Cactus Classic is the only ranking tournament on the MLK Weekend, making the event a perfect destination for competitive teams as well as those wanting to kick-start their club season!

Playing Venue:

The main venue will be the Tucson Convention Center - home of the 2011 USA Volleyball High Performance Championships. Additional courts may be used if needed at the University of Arizona, Pima College, as well as high school sites in Tucson, Arizona.

Competition Levels:

Girls Competition Divisions offered: 18U, 16U, 15U, 14U, 13U, and 12U. If interest, Boys Competition divisions will be offered for 18 Club and 16 Club.

Tournament Format:

The Cactus Classic will be a festival format. Each division is scheduled to play three days (exception for 12's) with three competition rounds. The first two rounds will be pool play on Saturday and Sunday, followed by modified double-elimination brackets on Monday. All teams will be scheduled to play at least eight matches. The 12-and-under division will compete in two days.

Final format will be based on number of teams participating in each division.

Start Times | Team Check-In:

The tournmaent starts at 8:00 AM on both Saturday and Sunday. Monday's start time will depend on bracket placement. Every attempt will be made to schedule final matches on Monday to begin no later than 4:00 PM.

Team Check-In will be from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM on Friday, January 13 at the Tucson Convention Center. If unable to check-in on Friday night, an additional check-in will be at the tournament desk on Saturday at 7:00 AM.

Hotel Infomation:

The Cactus Classic Host Hotel will be The RiverPark Inn, located across from the TCC campus and is walking distance to the convention center. Additional tournament hotels includes the Arizona Hotel and Excutive Inn & Suites on Tucson.

More information concerning host hotels and room rates will be posted under the Hotel Information page.

2012 Tournament Entry | Pre-Registration Entry Fees

Register early and reserve your team's spot in the tournament today! Pre-Registration ends December 31, 2011. After that, each team's registration fee will be $700.00 ($350 for 12's). The tournament historically reaches capacity and we anticipate that year's event will do the same with the convention center being the main playing venue. A waiting list will be established after the first 32 or 64 registered team in each competion division.

Pre-Registration Entry Fees: $650 per team (14, 16, 18); $275 per team (12)
Entry Fees(after December 31, 2011): $700 per team (14, 16, 18); $350 per team (12)