Volleyball facility planned for Ridgeland

Volleyball facility planned for Ridgeland

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An eight-court volleyball facility is set to make Ridgeland it's new home as early as March, owners said.

Jenny Hazelwood, owner and club director of Infinity Volleyball currently located in Flowood, said that they have begun construction on a new facility in Ridgeland off of Harbour Pointe Crossing behind Bulldog Burger.

“We are excited to move to be in Ridgeland,” Hazelwood said. “We have the perfect location. It really could not be any more ideal. I think it will benefit our athletes and their families so much.”

Most recently the facility was granted a conditional use permit by the Ridgeland Board of Aldermen to operate an indoor recreation facility used for training, practice and competitions at the property at their Sept. 7 meeting.

Infinity Volleyball offers girls ages 8 to 18 the opportunity to play on recreational and club volleyball teams. 

Since they started in 2016, Hazelwood said they have grown to about 235 girls involved in 17 club volleyball teams, meaning they are on competitive teams that travel to games and tournaments throughout the country and get views from college scouts. 

She said the Ridgeland facility could support as many as 19 club teams when they start. Recreational volleyball teams play each other at the infinity volleyball facility and Hazelwoods says it is a great way for girls to get involved in the sport.

“We have been growing steadily each year and volleyball is growing across the country,” Hazelwood said. “It is the most participated in sport for females.”

Hazelwood said the sport is particularly popular in Texas, the midwest and California. She said Infinity Volleyball is a good opportunity to catch the growing popularity of the sport and introduce girls in the state to the sport.

“We noticed we have some phenomenal athletes in Mississippi but volleyball was not a sport they were choosing,” Hazelwood said. “We have a lot of young kids whose parents bring them in who have never played volleyball but said, ‘I want to try that.’”

Infinity currently has girls from all over the Jackson Metro region and a handful that travel as far as Memphis to be on their teams. Hazelwood said the new location would hopefully open up their facilities to more interested young women in Madison County.

Specifically, Hazelwood said they had stopped their recreational volleyball operations during the COVID-19 pandemic but said the new facility would offer enough room to restart that service. At the time, she said they had about 100 girls signed up and expect to have as many as 200 when they get going again.

Hazelwood said current projections have construction completed and the doors open by March.

“We are just praying for good weather and that everything gets delivered on time and all that,” she said. “God has blessed us a lot in this. Our success has been a God thing.”

Before opening Infinity, Hazelwood was the Head Volleyball Coach at Mississippi State University for six years and has 13 years of experience coaching at the Division I level. She played for the Lady Bulldogs in college and has served as USA Volleyball Junior National Team Assistant Coach. She also works for ESPN and the SEC Network as an analyst.






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