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Post by Boom! on Nov 7, 2021 5:59:28 GMT -5
I need to research the history of The Pyramid, because who thought about building the arena as a pyramid. The building wasn't originally a pyramid. It was a regular box-shaped gym/arena that was a mix of private and public funding, a first for the state-funded campus. When the recession hit at the beginning of the 1990's, the funding dried up and they had to figure out how to finish it. The campus architect named Ed Killingsworth, came up with the idea of using interlocking triangles that met at the tip to form the roof of the structure, forming a pyramid. This greatly reduced the expense of constructing the outer roof and particularly, reduced the cost of the ventilation system, which is now simply exposed in the interior. The final "triangle" at the point of the pyramid was the most difficult to place because all the sides had to align perfectly. Some interesting features of the building are that the seats on each side or end of the court are mounted on a single block, which are raised and lowered by a hydraulic system in order to expose additional court area underneath. This process takes about 30 minutes. With the seats up, there are about 8 full-sized courts available, and this was necessary because the justification for the funding was based on the fact that courses in the PE department would take place in the building. Because the interior is completely open, there are great sight lines from just about any point inside the building, making it ideal to watch a basketball or volleyball match. Some teams complain that it's disorienting, but obviously an advantage for the home team that practices there daily. The court level is actually underground. To enter the Pyramid, you climb a set of exterior stairs, and enter the building on the 2nd floor, or concourse level, and then climb down stairs to the seats. Since the actual foundation of the building is underground (the blue pyramid roof starts a few feet above ground), it is one of the safest indoor places to be in the event of an earthquake. Although the official opening date was November 30, 1994, there was a soft opening earlier in the year featuring a women's volleyball team match as the defending National Champions. The campus architect was the same person throughout most of the University's history, so there was a lot of consistency in the architectural style and look of most of the campus, although the buildings don't necessarily look alike. Killingsworth was a well known architect in his own right who designed in a mid-century modern and internationalist style. It's a beautiful campus, with lots of trees, landscaped parking lots and a spectacular japanese garden.
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Post by jonnyb on Nov 7, 2021 11:05:52 GMT -5
An interesting match. Long Beach is what we thought. They have some challenges, but Kash Williams is such as amazingly gifted athlete. If she gets hot, she can really cause problems for other teams. And the team has some very physical players. I can understand the Beach fans frustrations as the talent is definitely there, but something is not clicking. I think Lovett has a great game and I am hoping she stays for the next 3 years of her eligibility. I want to see how she develops as a player. Hawaii was on a roll for the first 2 sets. Not much to complain about. As mentioned in the prior match, my guess is that Westerberg was plugged in at the right for blocking. She put up a really nice block against Williams. It seemed like Long Beach did better in the 3rd set when they started to push the ball to the right a little more. I didn't really notice much on the passing in the first 2 sets, given how Hawaii dominated. Passing in the last 2 were shaky but it is surprising that the middles got so few attempts and Wagoner and BVS took so many. But credit the middles for getting kills and taking advantage of the opportunity when they got set. Every time I watch LBSU, I can’t help but think if Kash Williams transferred somewhere else with stronger coaching, she’d be an absolute machine. There is just so much inconsistency and streakiness in her game…
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Post by raian13 on Nov 7, 2021 12:20:52 GMT -5
An interesting match. Long Beach is what we thought. They have some challenges, but Kash Williams is such as amazingly gifted athlete. If she gets hot, she can really cause problems for other teams. And the team has some very physical players. I can understand the Beach fans frustrations as the talent is definitely there, but something is not clicking. I think Lovett has a great game and I am hoping she stays for the next 3 years of her eligibility. I want to see how she develops as a player. Hawaii was on a roll for the first 2 sets. Not much to complain about. As mentioned in the prior match, my guess is that Westerberg was plugged in at the right for blocking. She put up a really nice block against Williams. It seemed like Long Beach did better in the 3rd set when they started to push the ball to the right a little more. I didn't really notice much on the passing in the first 2 sets, given how Hawaii dominated. Passing in the last 2 were shaky but it is surprising that the middles got so few attempts and Wagoner and BVS took so many. But credit the middles for getting kills and taking advantage of the opportunity when they got set. Every time I watch LBSU, I can’t help but think if Kash Williams transferred somewhere else with stronger coaching, she’d be an absolute machine. There is just so much inconsistency and streakiness in her game… She was a transfer from Nebraska.
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Post by babybacksets on Nov 7, 2021 12:41:15 GMT -5
Every time I watch LBSU, I can’t help but think if Kash Williams transferred somewhere else with stronger coaching, she’d be an absolute machine. There is just so much inconsistency and streakiness in her game… She was a transfer from Nebraska. Yea and surprisingly wasn’t able to beat out Jazz Sweet, although Freshman Jazz was much better than the remainder of her career at Nebraska
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Post by raian13 on Nov 7, 2021 16:47:35 GMT -5
Any relay of this match on youtube?
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Post by toonscivb on Nov 7, 2021 18:05:20 GMT -5
Any relay of this match on youtube? Yes, there is one
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Post by raian13 on Nov 7, 2021 18:07:24 GMT -5
Any relay of this match on youtube? Yes, there is one Thank you
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Post by raian13 on Nov 7, 2021 18:08:49 GMT -5
Long Beach has got to have one of the best looking arenas in the country.
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Post by ACE on Nov 7, 2021 19:26:04 GMT -5
Long Beach has got to have one of the best looking arenas in the country. Not sure about the arena as a whole, but their court is awesome!
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Post by brooselee on Nov 8, 2021 0:40:21 GMT -5
Long Beach has got to have one of the best looking arenas in the country. I don’t know about in the country. It is very unique and unusual. Been in there before and it really didn’t “wow” me. But yeah…the court is stunning. Been to many arenas across the west coast for NCAA basketball regionals and UFCs and there are many arenas that are better. Matthew Knight Arena Eugene is big time.
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Post by 2left on Nov 8, 2021 0:53:28 GMT -5
I need to research the history of The Pyramid, because who thought about building the arena as a pyramid. The building wasn't originally a pyramid. It was a regular box-shaped gym/arena that was a mix of private and public funding, a first for the state-funded campus. When the recession hit at the beginning of the 1990's, the funding dried up and they had to figure out how to finish it. The campus architect named Ed Killingsworth, came up with the idea of using interlocking triangles that met at the tip to form the roof of the structure, forming a pyramid. This greatly reduced the expense of constructing the outer roof and particularly, reduced the cost of the ventilation system, which is now simply exposed in the interior. The final "triangle" at the point of the pyramid was the most difficult to place because all the sides had to align perfectly. The pyramid roof was a great architectural solution. UH should put a thatched roof over Ching Stadium to keep out the rain, and call it "the Shack".
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Post by volleyaudience on Nov 10, 2021 13:44:08 GMT -5
She was a transfer from Nebraska. Yea and surprisingly wasn’t able to beat out Jazz Sweet, although Freshman Jazz was much better than the remainder of her career at Nebraska Kash Williams, along with Coach Cook, were pretty good at assessing her fit with Nebraska. She enrolled spring 2018 and transferred from Nebraska before summer practice started. Having not played on either the 2017 or 2018 team, her move was smart enough that her stay at Nebraska did not cost her a year. Wishing her all the best.
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