WEST PLAINS, Mo. – Fans of the Grizzly Basketball and Volleyball teams at Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) will finally get to cheer on their favorite teams beginning in January, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they will need to follow several rules while attending the home games at the West Plains Civic Center.
“The time is almost here to see the Grizzlies in action once again!,” Grizzly Athletic Director and Volleyball Head Coach Paula Wiedemann said. “We’re excited to get things started! We have been working hard to make it possible for fans to join us this year, but we need to make them aware of the new protocols in place for the upcoming spring seasons.”
Ticketing for the games has been shifted to the West Plains Civic Center, where they can be obtained through contactless purchasing from the center’s exclusive ticketing vendor, Ticketmaster, Wiedemann said.
“Ticketmaster has social distancing protocols included in their ticket sales,” Wiedemann explained. “Their system automatically creates three seats between groups of tickets sold at the point of sale in real time. This helps us with following social distancing guidelines so fans can enjoy the games.”
Season ticket sales for both teams will begin at 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 21. They may be purchased by calling the civic center at 417-256-8087 or visiting the civic center box office at 110 St. Louis St.
Individual game tickets can be purchased beginning Jan. 8, 2021. They will be available at https://www.ticketmaster.com/west-plains-civic-center-tickets-west-plains/venue/50524; the Grizzly Athletics website, msuwpgrizzlies.com; direct through Ticketmaster; or by calling the civic center at 417-256-8087.
The Grizzly Basketball team’s 2021 season begins Jan. 20, 2021, at Coffeyville Community College in Coffeyville, Kansas. Their first home games will be Jan. 22 and 23 in the Grizzly Classic.
The volleyball Grizzlies will start their season Jan. 22-23 at the New Mexico Military Institute Invitational Tournament in Roswell. Their first home games will be Feb. 5-6 when they host the Grizzly Invitational Tournament.
Wiedemann noted the Grizzly Basketball and Volleyball teams have to follow COVID-19 guidelines established by MSU-WP, the NJCAA and Region 16 to compete this season. As a result, seating capacity limits in the civic center will be followed, and social distancing and masking will be required throughout the games, she said.
Anyone age 10 and above will be required to wear a mask. Children age 2 through 9 are highly recommended to wear a mask. Fans also will be expected to remain in their ticketed seats throughout the games, except when needing to visit the restrooms.
“These guidelines must be followed to ensure our ability to have fans in the stands during games,” she stressed. “University officials are committed to providing our fans the opportunity to come and support our volleyball and basketball teams in person this spring.”
Those planning to attend the Grizzly home games this season should have their masks on when they enter the civic center, Wiedemann said. Masks will need to remain on throughout the games, including while seated in the stands.
Ushers will be available to help with seating and to offer friendly reminders about the masking requirements, she said.
“Our ability to host fans at Grizzly Athletics events will be dependent upon the cooperation of all in attendance to follow our campus events policies, primarily social distancing and masking,” Wiedemann said. “Those who do not comply will be asked to leave the facility.”
Fans who are unable to attend or have concerns about attending in person can watch the home games live online through the Grizzly Athletics video streaming portal at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/msuwpgrizzlies/ or through Ozarks Radio News’ (ORN) Facebook page or YouTube channel.
Games livestreamed through the Grizzly Athletics portal will be archived in the “On Demand” tab of the Grizzly Athletics website for viewing later.
If you cannot watch the action live, you can view ORN’s livestream of the games on its Facebook page or YouTube channel.
For more information about the Grizzly Basketball and Volleyball programs, including their complete schedules, visit msuwpgrizzlies.com.
Missouri State University-West Plains empowers students to achieve personal success and to enrich their local and global communities by providing accessible, affordable and quality educational opportunities. Missouri State-West Plains offers associate degrees and credit and non-credit courses and serves as a delivery site for bachelor’s and master’s degrees offered by Missouri State University in Springfield.
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