Kansas Volleyball to Host Midweek Match in Allen Fieldhouse

Nov. 17, 2012

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas volleyball will return to its roots for Wednesday night’s non-conference match against Saint Louis University. The Jayhawks will host the match in their first home, Allen Fieldhouse, at 6:30 p.m.

Kansas Athletics announced the change in venue on Saturday night, following the Jayhawks victory at TCU. Allen Fieldhouse served as the home for KU volleyball from 1975-1998 prior to the Horejsi Family Athletics Center opening in the fall of 1999.

“In the event that Kansas is selected to play and to host in the NCAA Tournament, we would host the matches in Allen Fieldhouse,” Jim Marchiony, Kansas Associate Athletics Director of Public Affairs, said.

The Horejsi Family Athletics Center holds 1,300 fans and the NCAA now requires a capacity of 2,000 seats. KU volleyball’s previous home, Allen Fieldhouse, holds 16,300.

“We haven’t played a match in Allen Fieldhouse for quite some time,” Marchiony said. “We would like to regain familiarity with the facility in the event we are selected to play and selected to host.”

The end of the 1998 season concluded the Jayhawks’ official stay in the Fieldhouse. Although KU has played a handful of times since, it has been more than a decade since the Jayhawks hosted a match in AFH. The 1998 season marked the first for Kansas head coach Ray Bechard, who is happy to hear of his team’s return to its original home.

“There has been a couple of times (since moving to the HFAC) that we’ve played in there before Late Night in the Phog and it was a great experience for our girls back then,” Bechard said. “Now, even with these new set of circumstances, it’s still a great experience for our team to play in historic Allen Fieldhouse, not only in a regular-season match but possibly during a postseason, as well.”

Doors will open at 5 p.m. for the 6:30 p.m. match.