How much does not having their own facility hurting the volleyball program in recruiting? I could see how girls would not choose UH over other programs due to the makeshift facility they would be playing in. I would like to see UH expand the Athletics Alumni building outward in place of the alumni center part of the facility. Then you can build a volleyball pacific area in the building with locker rooms, courts and also concessions and restrooms for spectators. I believe doing this would help with recruiting. The alumni center can be moved over to the UH Student Center. They can remodel one of the newer built ballrooms into the alumni facility.
If you look at the tennis facilities at Baylor, SMU, Rice, and even Tulsa; they drastically out do the UH tennis facility even with the recent upgrades.s UH should tear down the student tennis courts. They can expand the spectator seating all the way down the competition courts. Behind the seating in the grassy area, UH should build 4 indoor practice courts, then with the remaining area, they could build a concession and restroom facility for spectators to be shared by track, soccer, and tennis programs. I actually made a small sketch and emailed this idea to a couple of people at UH including the Pezman and the head of facilities.
You have to understand, the athletic department has been adding facilities and upgrading others listed below. I think the next big project will be a new football operations center.
I believe after football moves completely out of AAC, there will be a lot of available office space for Olympic sports. I think smaller weight room could be built in other areas of AAC and the current gigantic football weight room could be converted into a volleyball arena with several courts if the ceiling is high enough.
I’m not sure what the administration’s plans are though.
New Basketball practice facility
New Baseball indoor practice facility
New Football indoor practice facility
New Softball indoor practice facility
Renovated Fertitta Center (basketball)
New dining hall in AAC
Renovated outdoor track
Renovated education center
I guess I had to much time on my hands one-day recently, so I did a sketch of my idea on the computer. I’m no architect but I think this actually would be a reasonable plan for the track and tennis facilities. Constructing one of those shell buildings as we have for the indoor football facility would be much smaller and less expensive to house 4 indoor tennis courts. I also would like to see a press box added to the track grandstand.
I think that just like with other sports, if you have a winning program, the recruits will come. We had a solid Volleyball team with almost no facilities. Prior to the recent improvements for football, didn’t they share the Alumni Center with volleyball, football, others? Now that football has it’s own place, can’t the Alumni Center be mostly volleyball?
I think they want to build a raised indoor track with banked corners inside the athletic center. If they add this it would not leave much room for volleyball in the current set up.
Football operations are still in the AAC. They only built the indoor practice facility which is a full football field and a half one indoors. The locker rooms, weight room, coaches offices, etc are still in the AAC. When they build the new football operations center attached to the stadium, room will be available for other sports in the AAC.
I like your tennis court layout but I think when football moves out of the AAC, the locker rooms can be built in the AAC. So in that area you would have more room to build an indoor tennis facility.
