The University of Texas has one of the richest athletics departments in the country, and more than just the high-profile football team benefits from that. The school’s competition and practice facilities are state-of-the-art, including those provided to the 2016 NCAA runner-up women’s volleyball team.
In the video below, Texas sophomore middle blocker Orie Agbaji gives a tour through the 26,749 square foot facility, which includes a secret access door, a lounge, spa-like shower facilities, a study lounge, their own dedicated practice courts, and even a special shoe-and-knee-pad compartment that is designed to keep foul odors out.
The $8 million facility was completed in the spring of 2015 and is tucked away, 30 feet underground, beneath the north end zone of DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium. In May of 2016, the Heery Design Team that developed the interior space was given an ASID Georgia Chapter Design Excellence Silver award for their work.
The team plays its home games in the 4,000 seat Gregory Gym, which has undergone several renovations since it was built in 1930. The Longhorns will open their season on the road at the VERT Challenge in Gainesville, Florida, where they play the host Gators and the Oregon Ducks, on August 25th. Their first home game will be almost two weeks later against Texas A&M Corpus Christi and Denver before a September 8th showdown will fellow national superpower Minnesota.
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