Volleyball will move to Devaney Center in 2013

[Husker Runner]

John Cook said this week that if all goes as planned, the Nebraska volleyball program will leave the NU Coliseum for the Devaney Sports Center after the 2012 season.

 

NU officials, working with an outside design team, are actively pursuing an estimated $27 million project to transform the current home of Nebraska basketball into the volleyball team's future digs.

 

Once renovations are complete, the Devaney arena will be a mix of new and old. Skyboxes will overlook a brilliantly colored court, lit much like the ring at a championship prizefight.

 

A false ceiling will hang at about row 12 of the current C Section, helping to recreate the intimacy that Nebraska volleyball has enjoyed at the Coliseum for some 35 years.

 

"It really comes down to this. We could stay here (at the Coliseum) and regret five years from now not doing something big for the program," Cook said. "If we don't do it now, it will never happen, because building costs are low and the money is there.

 

"I'm convinced 100 percent that it will be the nicest volleyball facility in the country."

 

The Devaney Center, home to Nebraska's basketball programs since the fall of 1976, became available when Lincoln voters in May approved a new downtown arena for the Huskers to play in. Completion of construction is set for 2013.

 

A day after the vote, athletic director Tom Osborne said NU still planned $20 million in improvements at Devaney, potentially with volleyball in mind. But it wasn't until recently that Cook, whose teams have won two national championships and eight Big 12 titles in 10 seasons, was sold on the move.

 

From an NU athletic department survey of volleyball fans, officials determined that the demand exists to sell out an arena with 7,000 seats. Of those, a significant number expressed an interest to upgrade to courtside seats, if available.

 

Currently, Nebraska offers around 50 courtside seats, priced from $2,000-$2,500 per season. There are no skyboxes at the Coliseum.

 

"I feel like we've got to take a shot to see if we can get more fans in and build our fan base," Cook said. "The survey numbers were pretty strong. People said they would buy right now."

 

The Coliseum, which seats around 4,000, has been sold out for 135 consecutive NU matches dating back to the 2001 season. The Huskers have consistently ranked No. 2 in attendance nationally, trailing only Hawaii.

 

And no arena in the country has been tougher on opposing teams. All-time, Nebraska is 481-32 at the Coliseum, including a 49-3 mark in NCAA Tournament play. The Huskers had an 82-match winning streak at the Coliseum snapped by Texas last year.

 

While recreating that success at a new venue will be difficult, plans are to make the Devaney Center extra special.

 

Some improvements have already begun, with new seats being installed. More work will happen over the next few years. But the real work will come once the basketball teams move out.

 

At that point, officials plan to remove the C Section seats on the arena's south side, replacing them with skyboxes for fans and offices for the volleyball program with views of the court below as well as Memorial Stadium and the state capital.

 

For matches, the floor-level A Section will be redesigned, bringing fans as close to the floor as they are now.

 

The floor would have three practice courts, and when they're not training, the players would have their own locker room and a lounge. The weight room and athletic medicine area would be just steps away.

 

For fans, improvements include more bathrooms and better concession options than the Coliseum, more parking, and for many, the chance to get tickets.

 

Capacity for volleyball likely will be set at 7,000, but behind the flared ceiling and curtains would be another 3,000 or so seats available for special events.

 

"They're confident they can do it first-class," Cook said. "They convinced me that they're going to do this right."

 

The venue could still be used for gymnastics and wrestling meets and for games during the state basketball tournaments. Money for the renovation project was set aside by the athletic department in the event that the arena vote failed.

 

LINK

 

Right now, Hawaii is the only revenue producing volleyball program in the country, and the only school that tops Nebraska in attendance. This move should help Nebraska surpass Hawaii in both categories. As far as I know, it will be the first volleyball venue in the country to have skyboxes. A reconfigured Devaney Center will also allow for more student tickets. Put the student section close to the action like Texas has at Gregory Gym, and you can still have an intimidating atmosphere for opponents.

 

It will be interesting to see what happens with season ticket demand when it's easier to get individual match tickets. Even Nebraska may be hard-pressed to sell out 7000 seats against lower-tier teams. However, this will give more fans the chance to get tickets, which is only a good thing for the program and for the sport in general. Never underestimate Husker fan support!

[knapplc]

Wow. This is exciting. I haven't been to a match in several years, mostly because it's so hard to get tickets. We gave up our season tickets several years ago when we moved out of state, then when we moved back, the place was sold out. We've been to several matches since then, but the demand for tickets and the lack of free time combined to keep us away. With this move, it'll be a lot easier to get back into matches.

 

It'll be weird leaving the Coliseum, though. So many great memories of the old place. I wonder what they'll do to bring some of the magic of the Coliseum into the Devaney Center.

[Jadler]

Lots of awesome changes for the basketball, volleyball, and wrestling teams. I'm guessing the Coliseum will just become a full time part of the Rec then?

[Drowning_in_the_Sea_of_Red]

Maybe we can have an awesome student section now? Even though I'm not a student.

 

Get crazy up in that place.

 

Not like Texas crazy where they're circling an opposing server... but, you know.

[huskersrule95]

Wow. This is exciting. I haven't been to a match in several years, mostly because it's so hard to get tickets. We gave up our season tickets several years ago when we moved out of state, then when we moved back, the place was sold out. We've been to several matches since then, but the demand for tickets and the lack of free time combined to keep us away. With this move, it'll be a lot easier to get back into matches.

 

It'll be weird leaving the Coliseum, though. So many great memories of the old place. I wonder what they'll do to bring some of the magic of the Coliseum into the Devaney Center.

 

 

Yea, I have had a really hard time getting tickets for games the last few years too. We usally are lucky to get a couple games have to be ready to order that first day and there is such a high demand that even if you are there right when they go on sale it is still almost impossible to get tickets. Only ones we can get are the devaney ones when they play there.

 

Maybe we can have an awesome student section now? Even though I'm not a student.

 

Get crazy up in that place.

 

Not like Texas crazy where they're circling an opposing server... but, you know.

 

 

I thought it was Oklahoma where that happened. I think some of them were their womens basketball players that were the ones that were surrounding the server too.

[knapplc]

I thought it was Oklahoma where that happened. I think some of them were their womens basketball players that were the ones that were surrounding the server too.

 

You are correct. It was at Oklahoma, and the good people expressing their team spirit were their women's basketball players.

 

As I recall, the officials in charge of that match got some time off from the Big 12 to reconsider their efforts at crowd control after that match.