News

Nov 16, 2023

Chattanooga Volleyball Brings in 2023 Season with New Floor Installation in Maclellan Gymnasium

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- The Chattanooga indoor volleyball team's upcoming 2023 season will feature a brand-new floor in Maclellan Gymnasium courtesy of Praters Flooring, Director of Volleyball Julie

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- The Chattanooga indoor volleyball team's upcoming 2023 season will feature a brand-new floor in Maclellan Gymnasium courtesy of Praters Flooring, Director of Volleyball Julie Torbett announced on Tuesday."When I arrived at UTC, I assessed the volleyball program and spoke with Athletic Director Mark Wharton and SWA Laura Herron about what changes we needed to make for volleyball to be more successful in the Southern Conference moving forward," Torbett said. "The floor, which was original to Maclellan, was at the top of the list.""Not only was it worn out, but the floor was dark and discolored. Athletics partnered with Student Recreation and the campus to find a suitable new surface that would meet all our needs."Chattanooga Athletics would once again partner with Praters Flooring, who have helped in past UTC projects including McKenzie Arena's floor redesign in 2015. Praters Flooring has been on the cutting edge of court design for the past two decades.Praters has provided hundreds of floors, including the ones in this gallery. The Boston Celtics, Olympic Games, Charlotte Hornets, Brooklyn Nets and the NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments are just some of their past and current clients.This marks the first time since Maclellan Gymnasium's opening in 1961 that the floor has been replaced, with the original having been updated most recently in 2009 to feature new on court graphics."The new floor is lighter and will enhance our ability to recruit players to UTC," Torbett said. "It is more aesthetically pleasing for people watching in the gym, as well as for our video streaming audience. Several other schools in the Southern Conference have new floors or play in their arenas, and we felt it was critical to provide this to our student-athletes as well.""The old floor no longer had any bounce to it due to just how much use we had put into it, but the new floor is built over foam that gives it a flexible surface. Now our athletes, as well as students who use Maclellan Gym, will be able to play on a brand-new flex floor."Fans will be able to get their first taste of Maclellan's new look August 17 with the team's annual Blue-Gold Scrimmage, followed by an exhibition against Tennessee Tech on August 19. Both matches will be played at 6 p.m. ET and are open to the general public.The first regular season match that will take place on the new floor will be held September 6 against Austin Peay, with the match scheduled to start at 6 p.m. ET as well. Fans can also look forward to attending the annual Chattanooga Classic tournament later on in the month, with Eastern Michigan, Morehead State and Gardner-Webb all coming to town September 15-16."We can't wait to get in the gym to practice and bring teams and recruits onto our new court," Torbett said.The Mocs' full 2023 schedule, including all of the team's home matches this season, can be found here. To view a full gallery of images of the new floor in Maclellan Gymnasium, click here.FOLLOW CHATTANOOGA VOLLEYBALLFollow @GoMocsVB on Twitter and @GoMocsVolleyball on Instagram for the most up-to-date information and news regarding Chattanooga volleyball.Buy officially licensed gear in our online store. The Mocs can also be followed on their official Facebook page or on Twitter. Find out how to join the UTC Mocs Club and support more than 300 student-athletes by clicking here. Check out the Mocs on the Mic podcast here.

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