University of North Carolina Athletics
Volleyball Reveals New State-of-the-Art Locker Room
November 17, 2015 | Volleyball
CHAPEL HILL – The North Carolina volleyball team moved into its new home last week, as the Ken and Cheryl Williams Volleyball Team Room opened its doors for the first time on Thursday afternoon. In a space more than twice the size of the previous locker room, the new space features a large gathering area with couches and tables perfect for team meetings, homework and resting, a private coaches room with its own bathroom, a kitchen, as well as a fully rebranded locker space and bathroom.
“We wanted to have a room that all the players could be comfortable and have enough space in,” said head coach Joe Sagula. “Our other space was too small. The ceilings were too low. The lockers were small. First, we wanted to make sure we could take care of our present players and make sure they had a comfortable space that they could be in every day before practice and competition that could meet all their needs.
“On top of that, we needed to expand what a locker room does these days, and that is to be a home away from home; a place where they can sit, study, lounge, rest, and mingle with their teammates in a comfortable environment, complete with academic areas and also a way to fuel themselves with proper nutrition. We have gotten all those elements included.”
The team room is outfitted with two large state-of-the-art Sharp Aquos Boards, which are fully-interactive touch screen displays with wifi capability, perfect for breaking down game film, getting pumped up pregame with highlight videos, gathering for a team movie night or even a round of Pictionary, which the team enjoyed on their first visit to the new space.
“It's been a really long time coming, so we're all really excited,” said junior setter Abigail Curry. “A lot of people got really emotional, just because of the atmosphere in here. We now have this opportunity to come together as a team and a place to call home. Everything's absolutely beautiful, very hi-tech, very fun to play with, and so we're all really eager to see how it all comes together.”
The décor blends a mix of new and old, featuring a large display case with ACC Championship trophies and team photos from past seasons as well as highlighting the achievements of the current team with new team and action photos.
“I like all the pictures up in the main room,” said Curry. “It's nice to see the memories and all the people that have come through here and helped us get to this point.”
“It's a place where we can spend time, and I think that our team is such a family,” said redshirt freshman Taylor Leath. “It's going to be nice to have this big area with big chairs where we can all spend time together and watch TV, a kitchen that keeps us fueled and has stuff for recovery…it's the little things, actually, that make us so excited to finally get in.”
A project that's been years in the making, it would not have been possible without the help of dozens of people throughout Carolina Athletics and the campus community.
“In a true team effort, we had 64 total donors contribute to this project,” said Grant Leiendecker, Assistant Director of Major Gifts for The Rams Club. “Of that group, we cannot thank Ken and Cheryl Williams enough, whose lead gift helped us generate the momentum we needed to achieve our goal. We are also grateful for the generous support of the Steven D. Bell Family, Donna L. Gutterman, Melissa and Matthew Toper, Robert D. Coleman, George and Kendra McLamb, and Randy and Rusty Myer. All of these families were instrumental in making this facility a reality.
“We were thrilled to be a part of making this happen for Coach Sagula and the volleyball program.”
The Rams Club put together a fundraising goal with an estimated timeline of two years to come up with the funds needed to make the project a reality, but thanks to the overwhelming support of the surrounding community, they were able to exceed that goal in less than one year.
“The Rams Club came through and said we're going to find a way to make this happen, and that was probably one of the best days of my life,” said Sagula. “We couldn't have done this without the support of The Rams Club and the donors. The donors have stepped up so amazingly to make this happen. From our alumni to our significant contributors who we've named this after…The fact that the enthusiasm and that it went so quickly just showed that they were excited to help us. They knew it was big and just stepped up. So many people out there in the university community said 'Yes, this is important for volleyball.'
“Now I feel really comfortable when we take recruits on campus. We have something impressive to add to all our UNC facilities; this is big for all our present and future student-athletes. This represents the history of the program and our future. The fact that this has all come about has definitely exceeded my expectations.”
While the total space is named after the Williams family, thanks to the generous contribution of Donna L. Gutterman, the locker area was named in honor of Dr. Beth Miller, who recently retired after 41 years of dedication to Carolina Athletics as both a volleyball coach and an administrator.
In order to expand from 700 to 1600 square feet, the space needed to come from somewhere, and it was campus rec and the exercise and sports science department that made it possible.
“We had to work with exercise and sport science a lot,” said Richie Grimsley, Assistant Director of Athletic Facility Planning and Management and the Project Manager. “The trade off was that we got some space from the men's general use locker room, and in exchange, we air conditioned the men's and women's general use locker rooms. It was a joint effort with campus and athletics.”
Thanks to the outstanding generosity of members of the community, the cooperation of UNC campus, and the hard work and dedication of people like Grimsley and Leiendecker, the handiwork of Bob Davenport, who hand-crafted all the lockers, the effort of Director of IT Services Tom Livers and his staff for setting up all the new hi-tech equipment, the oversight of Mike Bunting, Assistant AD of Facility Planning & Management, and so many other members of the campus community, this dream has finally become a reality.
“I know that this was a really long journey, and I want to thank you all so much,” said Curry. “We know that you've put a lot of time and effort into this, and we hope that you understand how much of an impact this actually has for us on the court as well. We're all very appreciative, so thank you so much.”
“It's been a long time coming, and it just feels great,” said Sagula. “Just to see the expression of all the players as well as all the people who helped make it happen. To see it all come together and finally get it this season…it's an amazing feeling for everyone. We've put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this, and we're just happy to see it happen. This program deserves to have it, these players deserve it, and I'm so excited for them.”
Carolina Volleyball would like to thank the following donors for their generous contributions:
| Susan and Jim Anderson |
| Steven D. Bell Family |
| W. Robert Bizzell |
| William T. Carson |
| John D. Clark |
| Robert D. Coleman |
| Joel Dobson |
| Neal F. Fowler |
| The Brian and Alisa Golson Family |
| Gail L. Gregson |
| Vernon and Carol Grizzard |
| Donna L. Gutterman |
| David L. Haire |
| Casey Hammontree |
| Dianne Gonzalez and Timothy Hensley |
| Mark and Patricia Hogan |
| Don and Jennifer Holzworth |
| Scott and Cindy McCauley Hummel |
| Nancy and Jim Johnson |
| Erin and Harold Lindsey |
| Nolan Lovins |
| Dr. and Mrs. Benjamin F. Lowe Jr. |
| Lisa and Cam Marston |
| George and Kendra McLamb |
| Donna E Meier |
| Dr. Beth Miller |
| Justin David Morgan |
| Randy and Rusty Myer |
| The Farren Family and the Ollila Family |
| David and Tuyet Prevette |
| Virgil and Sarah Reid |
| Rufus M. Riddick IV |
| Fritz and Kevin Russ |
| Dr. Mary D. Shearin |
| David Sneeden Jr. |
| Kathy N. Sparrow |
| The Norman V. Stockton III Family |
| Holly Strauss-O'Brien |
| Tommy B. Thompson |
| Melissa and Matthew Toper |
| Malaika Underwood #6 |
| Stuart Wall |
| Robert B. Whitmore |
| Ken and Cheryl Williams |
| Roy and Wanda Williams |
| Dr. Heber W. Windley III |
