Key Takeaways
- More than 200 boys club volleyball teams competed at Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City over MLK weekend
- The event marked SoCal Cup’s Utah debut and second consecutive year of geographic expansion
- Winners in Open and Club divisions received direct bids to AAU Nationals plus travel reimbursement awards
- AIM Sports Group’s AIM+ platform provided AI-powered game capture, highlights, and player stats across the tournament
- LIV Volleyball Club captured titles in two divisions, earning overall tournament-winning club honors
Elite Boys Volleyball Expands to Utah
AIM Sports Group’s SoCal Cup hosted its first Utah event January 17-19, bringing The Open Championship to Salt Palace Convention Center. The three-day tournament featured teams in the 15U through 18U age groups competing for AAU Nationals bids and travel reimbursement prizes in both Open and Club divisions.
Now in its fifth year of national events, the SoCal Cup operates three flagship tournaments annually: The Open Championship, The Showcase in June, and The Winter Formal in December. The series also runs in-season league matches throughout the year.
Fan Experience and On-Site Activations
The Open Championship featured an expanded fan zone with sponsored booths, a dedicated recovery lounge, and pickleball courts. The SoCal Cup Gauntlet offered a timed multi-sport skills challenge incorporating football, baseball, basketball, cornhole, and volleyball for athletes and families between matches.
AIM Sports Group also deployed its AIM+ platform at the event. The AI-powered system provides touchless auto-capture of full games, generating highlights and stats-based rankings for every player and team. Athletes, families, coaches, and clubs could claim custom profiles and access their event content directly through the platform.
Division Winners
LIV Volleyball Club earned overall tournament-winning honors with titles in two divisions.
Open Division Winners: 18 Open: Apex 18U Elite | 17 Open: SBVC Boys 17 Molten | 16 Open: Salt City Boys 16 Salty JJ | 15 Open: BORINQUEN CONQUI
Club Division Winners: 18 Club: Bravo 18-X | 17 Club: LIV 17’s Royal | 16 Club: 118 16-Danny | 15 Club: LIV 15 Royal
What’s Next for SoCal Cup
The series continues March 7-8 with the SoCal Cup Equinox at AIM Sportsplex in Seal Beach, California.
via: AIM / SoCal Cup
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