As for girls volleyball in Reno, this is nothing new. I once played competitively in college and on the beach. Later, I refereed and coached for over 20 years.
In 2004, the Volleyball Festival moved from Sacramento-Davis area to Reno for a 5 year contract. I know they played at least 3 years in Reno, and at the time of the move, the Volleyball Festival was the largest sporting event in the world for girls, featuring over 800 teams in all age groups and over 10,000 athletes. Reno has also has some pretty strong club programs over the years.
The volleyball festival moved out of the Reno area due to the negative reactions of some clubs and parents of the event being hosted in Reno. It was, in fact, a safe venue. However, many parents did not like the idea of their teenage daughters staying in Reno. Although most of the city is pretty nice, those who stayed in the Virginia Street/downtown area felt uneasy with some of the seedy crowds that can gather.
The event now being hosted is, as noted, the Western Regional Championship. It is a smaller, but still strong event. In the OLD days, Reno also hosted another tournament of its own called the "High Rollers Volleyball Tournament." Volleyball has been around in Reno for quite some time
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]