Sept. 23, 2016
By Robby Hamman
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The Purcell Pavilion floor will look different when the Irish welcome Louisville for the ACC opener at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 23, as Notre Dame will play its first match on the newly constructed Gerflor Taraflex┢ floor. Admission to the match is free.
“There were many reasons we wanted to go with this court,” said Notre Dame Head Coach Jim McLaughlin. “It’s better for the players in terms of extra cushioning for safety and longevity. It is the most elite floor in the world. It’s a custom green Irish floor, and it makes the arena a volleyball arena. Now it’s a better feel, and a new look and a new vibe. It will be great for our fans and our players.”
? What a beautiful sight! We can’t wait to open ACC play on our brand new @GerflorUSA Taraflex floor tomorrow at 7 PM vs. Louisville! pic.twitter.com/rce6X9WZWK
– Irish Volleyball (@NDvolleyball) September 22, 2016
The floor was designed by Notre Dame’s Senior Deputy Athletics Director Missy Conboy, who also serves as the sport administrator for the volleyball program.
The Irish will become the only program in the state of Indiana and one of just two ACC programs to play home matches on the state of the art Taraflex court, joining Clemson. Other notable programs that use the surface are Nebraska, Washington, Kentucky, Hawaii, Marquette and Iowa.
Taraflex┢ is the most widely specified sports surface in the world and has been used in 11 consecutive Olympic Games starting with Montreal in 1976 to Brazil in 2016 for indoor surfaces like volleyball, handball, badminton and table tennis.
Notre Dame is off to its best start in over a decade, posting a record of 9-3 in non-conference play.
GERFLOR TARAFLEX DETAILS
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Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) / International Federation of Volleyball certified
- Used in FIVB World League 2014 Men’s World Championships in Poland and 2014 Women’s World Championships in Italy
- Specified by women’s volleyball legend Caren Kemner – former Olympian and six-time recipient of the United States Olympic Committee Female Volleyball Athlete of the Year, five-time winner of USA Team MVP award
— ND —
Robby Hamman joined Fighting Irish Media as athletics communications assistant director in September 2016, coordinating efforts for the volleyball and men’s lacrosse program. Hamman is a 2010 graduate of Bethel College, where he earned bachelor’s degrees in sport management and business administration, and earned his master’s degree in business administration from Defiance College in 2013.