The Utah volleyball team had better pack its bags, grab its luggage and bring the U-Haul because it’s on the move. Starting in the 2013 season, the Utes will be officially relocating from Crimson Court in the HPER complex to the Huntsman Center.
“The Huntsman Center is really nice. It will give us access to the video board, and we are just going to be able to do more things that our program deserves than we were able to do in Crimson Court,” said head coach Beth Launiere.
The Utah volleyball team will be joining both the men’s and women’s basketball teams, as well as the gymnastics team, in calling the historic stadium their home.
Last year, Utah played Stanford at home in the Huntsman Center for the first time in a decade. Before then, the Utes had played every home game at the Crimson Court dating back to 1994, where they recorded a .750 win percentage at 189-63.
“[Athletic director] Chris Hill, myself and my staff have been talking about it for a number of years. So that’s why we played the Stanford match there last year, to get a feel for it. And we feel that volleyball is an exciting enough sport, and we can get an environment in [the Huntsman Center] that is really great for us,” Launiere said.
Built in 1969, the Huntsman Center is one of the most iconic buildings on campus with room for 15,000 fans.
Next year, Pac-12 teams will once again face uncharted territory when they hit the road to play the Utes.
“As much as [the players] loved Crimson Court, they want to play at the best venue … and they deserve it. So I think they are really excited about it,” Launiere said.
Players are also excited about the move.
“Playing at the HPER court was a great place, but not a lot of people knew where the HPER is. When you hear basketball is in the Huntsman, and gymnastics is in the Huntsman, and everyone knows where that is and wants to go there because it’s such a great venue,” sophomore Bailey Bateman said. “So I think when we play there, we will get more fans because people will know where to go.”
Pac-12 volleyball garners a great deal of support, and Utah is hoping to begin drawing a fan base similar to its opponents.’
“I want to grow our attendance. I want to grow our fan base. I don’t think the general person understood where Crimson Court was — it was in a basement. But I think once people understand we play in the Huntsman Center now, it will really help with attendance,” Launiere said.