When Loyola Marymount University's women’s volleyball team begins its 2019 season Aug. 17, the team won’t be all that figures to shine brightly.
Gersten Pavilion, the home floor for LMU volleyball and basketball, has been given a facelift (or court-lift) with new paint, new graphics and newly improved lighting, part of a comprehensive branding initiative. Collectively, “the enhancements to Gersten Pavilion will make a tremendous impact this season,” said Craig Pintens, LMU athletic director.
Brighter and more vivid shades of crimson and blue with the LMU Athletics logo at center court are enhanced by palm tree images to evoke the spirit of LMU's coastal location in Los Angeles, and “remind everyone that we have one of the most beautiful campuses in the country,” said Pintens.
The LMU logo faces the student section where the television cameras are positioned for national and regional broadcasts. Primary colors of crimson and blue take focus before converging along the two sidelines, and the new West Coast Conference logo is displayed along each basketball key and volleyball service line.
Court lines for volleyball and basketball allow for an easy transition between sports, with the extended men's three-point line visible for the first time in NCAA history. (In early June, the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved moving the 3-point line to the international basketball distance of 22 feet, 1¾ inches in men's basketball.)
Overhead lighting has been improved throughout the arena, and the new system allows for creative programing during starting lineup introductions and breaks in the action.
The court concept was designed by Daake Design of Omaha, the implementation was completed by Pacific Floor Company of Chatsworth, and the lighting was by Musco Lighting of Oskaloosa, Iowa.
The first opportunity to see the new court is Aug. 17, when the women’s volleyball team opens its season with a free 11 a.m. exhibition match against Long Beach State.
Mike Nelson is the former editor of The Tidings (predecessor of Angelus News).
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