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The attendance at the NCAA Tournament semifinals was not just sparse — it was at a historical low for the last 30 years.
The 1,685 people in attendance for the two semifinal matches Thursday at Stanford, California, was the lowest attendance for the men’s volleyball NCAA Tournament semifinals since 1985.
Along with being lowest attendance in 30 years, it was the fifth lowest NCAA Tournament semifinal attendance since the NCAA starting keeping the men’s volleyball attendance records in 1973.
This was the first NCAA Tournament semifinals in six years that featured no team located within 300 miles of the tournament site. That 2009 NCAA Tournament at BYU, though, had about 900 people in attendance for the semifinals than this year’s attendance.
Lewis and Loyola won the two semifinal matches and will play each other in the NCAA Tournament finals on Saturday.
Year-by-year NCAA Tournament semifinals attendance
2015 semifinals — 1,685
2014 semifinals — 4,435
2013 semifinals — 4,891
2012 semifinals — 4,375
2011 semifinals — 3,761
2010 semifinals — 3,865
2009 semifinals — 2,564
2008 semifinals — 4,472
2007 semifinals — 2,129
2006 semifinals — 3,463
2005 semifinals — 2,947
2004 semifinals — 3,707
2003 semifinals — 3,840
2002 semifinals — 5,257
2001 semifinals — 4,202
2000 semifinals — 2,293
1999 semifinals — 5,487
1998 semifinals — 9,079
1997 semifinals — 2,439
1996 semifinals — 3,708
1995 semifinals — 3,549
1994 semifinals — 7,587
1993 semifinals — 2,536
1992 semifinals — 5,711
1991 semifinals — 5,184
1990 semifinals — 2,836
1989 semifinals — 2,192
1988 semifinals — 6,600
1987 semifinals — 2,737
1986 semifinals — 3,315
1985 semifinals — 1,530
1984 semifinals — 3,089
1983 semifinals — 2,942
1982 semifinals — 1,835
1981 semifinals — 3,946
1980 semifinals — 2,242
1979 semifinals — 770
1978 semifinals — 2,659
1977 semifinals — 652
1976 semifinals — 1,374
1975 semifinals — 3,500
1974 semifinals — 1,842
1973 semifinals — 5,650