UT Austin Selected as NCAA Regional Volleyball Site for 2008

By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA (March 7, 2008) The NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Committee announced today that The University of Texas at Austin will be one of the four regional sites for the 2008 Division I Women’s Volleyball Championships.

The tournament will be held in historic Gergory Gymnasium on the UT campus. Gerogry Gym has a notable history as a sporting facility.

Gregory Gymnasium, built in 1930 at an approximate cost of $500,000, was at its onset one of the pioneering projects for the advancement of The University of Texas campus. The proposal for a new modern gymnasium came about in 1907 by Thomas Watt Gregory, the first ex-student appointed to the Board of Regents. Called upon to raise $50,000 by University President David Franklin Houston, Gregory waged a one-man fund-raising campaign with a goal of raising $75,000. In one year alone, he collected an estimated $29,000. Gregory continued his efforts until 1914, when he was appointed Attorney General of the United States under President Woodrow Wilson. In the interim, two individuals – H. Y. Benedict and John A. Lomax, Secretary of the Ex-Students' Association - took over and invested the funds raised thus far. By the time Gregory returned to Texas, the sum had grown to $75,000.

The three other 2008 regional sites include: Moby Arena on the campus of Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado; Rec Hall at Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pennsylvania; and Bank of America Arena at the University of Washington in Seattle. All competition will be played December 12-13.

In 2009, the four regional sites will be the Stephen C. O’Connell Center at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida; Sports Pavilion at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities in Minneapolis; Qwest Center Omaha with the University of Nebraska, Lincoln serving as host; and Maples Pavilion at Stanford University in Stanford, California. All competition will be played December 11-12.

“When we were selecting these sites we really wanted to focus on attendance history and attendance potential,” said Marie Robbins, the chair of the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Committee. “We believe these sites provide a regional balance that can also draw great crowds. They have proven to be great hosts in the past, and we know they will step up to the plate in hosting these regionals so we can continue to grow this championship.”

Previously announced, the finals site for the Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship in 2008 is the Qwest Center Omaha on December 18 and 20, and in 2009 the competition will be held at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Fla. on December 17 and 19.