Western New York (WNY) has been involved with the USA Volleyball (USAV) for many years. In the early 1970s, WNY was a part of Region 2, which consisted of New York and New Jersey. In 1978, Region 2 was renamed the Garden Empire Region (GEVA). In 1984, the Iroquois Empire Region (IREVA) was formed, splitting from GEVA. IREVA contained of all of New York State except for New York City and Long Island. In 1989, WEVA was formed, splitting from IREVA. WEVA consisted of the fifteen western-most counties of New York State (Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates counties). In three years, WEVA grew from an initial 500 members to over 1200 members. In the 2006-2007 season, there were 2,060 members.