Women of Troy cut the ribbon on Galen Center

[bigfan]

Women of Troy cut the ribbon on Galen Center
Alex Lebow
Debut. After years of playing its home games in the Lyon Center, the USC women's volleyball team will play the inaugural match in the school's $140-million on-campus arena, the Galen Center, against Stanford at 7 p.m.


The first-ever match in the Galen Center will be an electrifying event for USC, but for the No. 4 USC women's volleyball team (17-0, 6-0 Pacific-10 Conference), they will not be distracted by the facility's debut tonight against No. 6 Stanford (13-2, 4-1).

"It's a huge event for USC, and the fact that women's volleyball gets to open it is really exciting," senior setter and co-captain Kimi Freeburg said. "But it doesn't matter where we play Stanford. We're ready to go into the Galen Center and play a very good team."

"We're already really excited, but we're trying not to get like that until we're on the court against Stanford," said senior libero Debora Seilhamer.

The Cardinal, ranked third in the Pac-10, defeated No. 7 California last week to win its 26th straight home match against the Golden Bears.

"I am ecstatic. I was looking back through my recruiting letters, and they talked about the Galen Center," said junior middle blocker Katelyn Bishop. "To actually be finished and now to be going against a great team in there is amazing."

"With the new facility, we have to see if we can keep our focus," USC coach Mick Haley said. "We prepare for the new facility as if we were on the road. We have to expect anything."

Stanford was a preseason favorite to win the conference ahead of No. 3 UCLA and defending national champion No. 5 Washington.

For her contributions, including 13 kills, no attack errors and a .565 hitting percentage, Stanford senior outside hitter Kristin Richards earned Pac-10 player-of-the-week honors for Oct. 2-8. Sophomore outside hitter Cynthia Barboza, who sat out the final 11 matches of the 2005 season with a knee injury, leads the team with a 4.59 kill-per-game average and 2.65 dig-per-game average.

Stanford won both matches against USC last season but was upset by Santa Clara in the second round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament.

They won the national championship in 2004 under current coach John Dunning. The Cardinal are also second in the conference in hitting percentage and leads the Pac-10 in average blocks per game with 3.39.

"We beat Washington here at home, and our feeling is that Stanford is every bit as good as Washington even though they got drummed up there at home," Haley said. "You try to steal some games on the road, and they're going to try to do just that."

[roofed!]

As I have stated in an earlier thread, though the team is thrilled at playing in a new arena, there are several disadvantages that the team face, including making adjustment to larger sense of space, different flooring (not the usual volleyball court) etc that could nullify the sense of homecourt advantage. It's good that Haley and the team is approaching the match as an away game mentality as the team cannot afford to walk into Galen Center feeling like it is no different from Lyon Center, and be less focused.

[bigfan]

roofed said:

As I have stated in an earlier thread, though the team is thrilled at playing in a new arena, there are several disadvantages that the team face, including making adjustment to larger sense of space, different flooring (not the usual volleyball court) etc that could nullify the sense of homecourt advantage. It's good that Haley and the team is approaching the match as an away game mentality as the team cannot afford to walk into Galen Center feeling like it is no different from Lyon Center, and be less focused.

Between you and me ....I wish they were staying in the LYon Center. I much prefer to see UCLA play in the Wooden Center vs Pauley Pavilion. Intimacy is an important factor.

[Vball818]

Taking center stage

Long-awaited on-campus athletic facility opens at USC
BY MATTHEW KREDELL, Staff Writer

Article Last Updated:10/11/2006 10:00:24 PM PDT

One hundred and twenty-six years ago, the founding clergy of USC decided to build a new campus.

Third on the priority list was a sports and entertainment facility. The first two buildings were up before the turn of the 20th century.

Galen Center, USC's first university-owned arena, debuts tonight for a women's volleyball match between the Trojans and Stanford at 7 p.m.

"This is it," said senior associate athletic director Carol Dougherty, who was in charge of the arena's construction. "It took us 126 years to get it done."

The 10,258-seat facility mixes a classic-style brick exterior that matches the campus with a one-of-a-kind glass-wall view of the downtown skyline.

The arena, which was announced in 1999 and cost slightly more than $100 million to build, will host the men's and women's basketball and volleyball teams, as well as concerts, commencement ceremonies, community events and prominent high school games. It is directly across the street from the USC campus on the corner of Jefferson Boulevard and Figueroa Street.

For the men's basketball team, which opens its season at home Nov. 16 against South Carolina, there is hope that the new arena will help elevate the program to among the nation's elite, allowing the team to compete with crosstown UCLA on a regular basis.
"This is a new beginning for USC basketball, and we all get to be a part of it," said forward Nick Young, who has been looking forward to playing in the arena since he committed to the Trojans from Cleveland High in Reseda three years ago. "But it's also going to raise expectations for us, and we need to go out and show we're worthy of playing there."

Former men's basketball coach Bob Boyd said there was talk of building an arena before he started as a player at USC in 1950. Those teams played in the North Gym, where the team has practiced in recent years, on stage at the Shrine Auditorium, at the Olympic Auditorium and anywhere else it could find.

In 1959, USC began playing in the Sports Arena, within walking distance of the campus. But that was only for games. The team couldn't practice at the arena because it was used for other events.

In 1970, when Boyd coached the Trojans and the team was having success, he had talks with football coach John McKay and university president Norman Topping about building an arena where Heritage Hall now stands.

Boyd was convinced that something would get done and started selling the idea to recruits. Paul Westphal, who went on to play and coach in the NBA and coach at Pepperdine, was part of that 1970 class.

"It's a funny recruiting story that they were talking about it then like it was right around the corner," Westphal said. "... It just didn't happen."

Over the years, most programs at USC's level got their own arena. At the same time, the Sports Arena became more outdated. The Clippers, Lakers, Kings and even the UCLA men's basketball team once played home games at the Sports Arena. But they all left for better facilities, leaving the Trojans as the arena's only tenant.

"In my opinion, it gave a connotation, true or false, that the university didn't care about basketball," Boyd said. "There were brand new buildings all over campus, including new facilities for track and baseball. It's been holding down the program for a while."

Opposing teams used the Sports Arena as a negative recruiting tool to sway players away from the Trojans.

"It tips recruiting in their favor," Westphal said of the new facility. "I think they can realistically knock on the door of any recruit in the country and have as good a chance as most to land them."

The new practice facilities in the adjoining 45,000-square-foot athletic pavilion, which Dougherty said should be ready for use at the beginning of next month, will give USC nearly as big a boost as the arena itself. The pavilion cost nearly $40million.

No longer will four teams share a small gym upstairs in the aging physical education building, players for the women's basketball team waiting outside for the men's team to finish practicing, or vice versa. Each team will have its own practice court.

"The bigger thing for recruiting is not the arena but how we can adjust practices now because we have a great practice facility," said women's volleyball coach Mick Haley, who is looking forward to christening Galen Center. "We'll have a state-of-the-art film room for digitizing and cinematographic study of our athletes, our own weight room, biomechanics area, team room, locker room, coaches offices. We'll be able to do things right now."

Haley and his team won't see a completely finished product tonight. The facility was still very much a construction zone Wednesday when the media took a tour. Originally scheduled to be ready months ago, the arena faced delays in construction because of rain and a steelworkers' strike, among other problems. The arena won't be complete today, though all seats, bathrooms and concession stands will be operational.

By the men's basketball opener, Dougherty said the gift shop and Hall of Fame will be ready. The Hall of Fame will feature interactive kiosks to tell the history of different USC sports.

Only half of the planned 22luxury suites are finished, though all are constructed. The remaining 11 won't receive furnishing until next summer.

"I'm surprised this is actually going to happen," Boyd said. "It's none too soon."

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-if you care to see pictures of the Galen Center, go to www.dailynews.com, go to this article where there is a link to the Photo Gallery

[bigfan]

Tonight at 7 on FSN prime ticket

[FloridaPerson]

And FCS pacific

Can Holly McPeak leave any MORE of her blouse buttons undone? One more and i'd be able to see her navel.

[IdahoBoy]

floridaperson said:

And FCS pacific

Can Holly McPeak leave any MORE of her blouse buttons undone? One more and i'd be able to see her navel.

I've seen her navel already.

She does work in a bikini.