Volleyball To Make Move Back To Shelton In 2011
7/28/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
July 28, 2011
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Its been 12 seasons and 123 home matches played since the Ladyjack volleyball team has called Shelton Gym its home, but the 2011 season will mark a return to the beginning for the Ladyjacks as they will move back into the program's original home on a permanent basis.
SFA volleyball called Shelton Gym its home from the beginning of the program through the 1998 season when the team moved to William R. Johnson Coliseum, a venue that witnessed the latest glory years of one of the most successful Southland Conference programs in the league's history. The Ladyjacks added four more league titles and an NCAA Tournament appearance to their banner collection in that time span, but have aspirations for even more success in the arena they will once again call home.
"This has always felt like home for us," Ladyjack head coach Debbie Humphreys said while standing on the Shelton Gym floor. "We typically do most of our practices here and our primary locker room has always been here, so this was a move that just made sense and we couldn't be happier to be back."
With an official capacity of 600, Shelton is a far cry from Johnson Coliseum's 7,200 seats, but is equipped with acoustics which are much more conducive to making 600 screaming fans sound more like 7,200. A new paint job, new scoreboards, fresh lighting and a new, updated locker room that the Ladyjacks can call their own are just some of the changes that the 61-year old building is undergoing to get it ready for the upcoming season.
However, this year will not be the first time since 1998 that SFA has played competitive games in Shelton - going 4-1 there in 1999, and 2-0 in 2005 when it picked up wins over both Nicholls and Sam Houston State there when Johnson Coliseum was being used as refuge for victims of Hurricane Rita. Still, when Sept. 9 rolls around for the first home match of the season versus Texas A&M, Shelton will feel like a brand new venue. It will be the first time since 2001 that SFA has taken on the Aggies, and the first time since 1990 that Texas A&M will come to Nacogdoches, which, ironically enough, was also in Shelton Gym.
"It's a perfect place to play volleyball," Humphreys said. "With the way that the stands are set up, it really feels like everyone is right on top of you, and it gets really loud, really fast. We were able to make some great memories at Johnson Coliseum, but there are also a lot of great memories that still linger in the rafters here. As a team, we couldn't be more excited about making our own."
Fans will have plenty of chances to see the Ladyjacks in their new digs this season with 14 home matches and a pair of tournaments on the slate for 2011. Aside from the Aggies visit to rechristen Shelton Gym, SFA will also host perennially solid programs from Northern Illinois, Missouri State and Rice in non-conference play. Matches with Southland favorites Central Arkansas, UTSA and Texas State will also highlight the schedule.
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