Humidity Ends VB Tournament

TJ Thompson | Sports Editor

For 14 of the last 18 years, the University of Dayton has hosted a home volleyball tournament over Labor Day weekend. Schools travel from all across the country to compete in this tournament. Ohio State, Florida International (FIU), and the University of Northern Illinois (UNI) competed this year, but the tournament came to an untimely finish. 

The UD vs. OSU game was slated to be played on Aug. 31, but after the first two sets were split, it was called a no-contest due to the condition of the playing surface. 

The floors became slippery and unsafe, and humidity was to blame. It was a hot day in Dayton, and a record-breaking 4,196 fans packed into the Frericks Center. Scott DeBolt, the Senior Associate Director of Athletics, said, “We have never experienced those combinations of factors.” 

The reason the humidity was able to take over the arena is because there is no air conditioning. The Frericks Center gym, the old UD Fieldhouse, is 74 years old and has never had AC. The surrounding areas of the building like the offices and the gym have air conditioning, but not the volleyball court. 

The Frericks Center gym is the fourth largest volleyball-only facility in the country, and the team has been very good in recent years. This year they have been ranked top 25 nationally for most of the season. These results have encouraged more fans to come to the games. 

When DeBolt was asked if there is a plan to add AC to accommodate for the increase of fans in the arena, he just said, “No.” 

The Flyers volleyball team has nine more home games this season, and Dayton is hosting the A-10 tournament in November. 

DeBolt feels it is too early to tell if this will be a reoccurring problem. He said, “This is the first time we had the issue with the court. I think that will heighten awareness of the issue, but it’s too early to speculate.”