After eight months of renovations to DePaul University’s Sullivan Athletic Center and McGrath-Phillips Arena, the Blue Demon volleyball team played the first home game of their 50th season on Thursday, Sep. 12, with a glimpse into the future.
Head coach Marie Zidek’s team is the only program to play regulation games in McGrath-Phillips Arena since women’s basketball moved to Wintrust Arena in 2021. The team was projected fourth in the Big East Conference preseason poll behind only Creighton, Marquette and St. John’s.
The team has not finished with a winning record since the 2021 season, but Zidek believes an improving roster and new facility will help the team live up to their growing expectations.
“There’s something to be chased here; we’re championship chasing,” Zidek said. “When you want to be big time, it requires big time effort.”
The Blue Demons had to bring their best effort right from the jump. The non-conference portion of the volleyball schedule varies in opponent talent, as opponents can come from any Division I conference regardless of school size and success. DePaul elected to open their 50th season with a serious challenge: the Colorado State Rams, ranked first in the Mountain West Conference preseason poll.
“I wanted to give the moment what it deserved,” Zidek said of why DePaul chose to schedule an opponent as dangerous as Colorado State. “It deserved a high quality opponent, and it deserved a really good volleyball match. … We don’t have sellouts yet, so we’re trying to bring teams in that are going to make volleyball attractive.”
DePaul fell to the Rams in four sets. After dropping the first by nine points, the Blue Demons won the second set by three points, but momentum fell back into Colorado State’s favor after securing a two-point edge in the third set. The Rams rolled through set four, notching 15 of the first 22 points on their way to a 3-1 victory.
(Photo by Jadyi Vasquez)
The renovation project involved replacing the northern bleachers of McGrath-Phillips arena with new features such as a second weight room, increased shared space for recovery, nutrition and team bonding, and locker rooms.
Vice President and Director of Athletics DeWayne Peevy cited DePaul’s lack of space in facilities as a critical reason for the school’s struggle to recruit more high-caliber talent.
“For one, (the renovation project) provided just having your own personal space,” Peevy said. “I’m sure when you were in high school, you had your own locker. It’s not just the locker rooms; our students didn’t even have their own personal locker to have some of those personal belongings there.”
With the $10 million renovation project complete, each DePaul team now has their own locker room. Beyond these, shared spaces were hard to come by before the project, with many student athletes having no choice but to dress in the hallways and go elsewhere to spend time with their teammates.
The arena itself now features a 29-foot by 50-foot video board and brighter LED lighting. DePaul graduate Rachel Krasowski is playing her fifth season as a DePaul libero and was celebrated before the match for breaking DePaul’s all-time digs record of 1,950, set on Sept. 6 during a road game against Tulane.
“The intro video was so dope,” Krasowski said, adding that she had never seen the video board in use before the match. “It’s just a good environment to be in, and without these renovations, honestly, that wouldn’t have happened.”
A possible downside for the program is the reduction of McGrath-Phillips Arena’s practice courts from three to two. The limited practice space will have to wait until the completion of the $60 million basketball practice facility, where two more full-length courts are planned to be added. All indoor sports currently practice on the arena’s two courts, something Peevy said limits individual practice time.
One of the proposed basketball practice facility’s main plans is to be more integrated with DePaul’s campus and more inviting for all students through the use of abundant windows and public benches outside of the main entrance. Peevy maintains connecting students with student athletes was a priority of the current renovations.
“Now that (students) have come in and they’ve seen (the renovated arena), and it gets a new energy with new lights and a new video board, new sound, new paint jobs across it, … you want to come back, and that’s the same thing we’re trying to create,” Peevy said. “I know (men’s basketball) coach (Chris) Holtmann wants to do some more student-only events in this space, where you get a chance to engage with us.”
Turnout at Thursday’s home opener may have been an indicator of this connection, as the new, intimate venue had a turnout of 612, compared to last year’s 378 despite possessing twice the seats.
“We used to have the crowd behind us on the bench,” Krasowski said. “I feel like just having the one side, it just feels so much more packed in here, and there’s just so much more energy … the crowd gets crazy, it bounces off all the walls.”
To continue their home stretch, DePaul will host the “Chicago Cup,” a round robin tournament with matches against neighboring opponents Milwaukee, UIC and Loyola, Sept. 19–21, at McGrath-Phillips Arena.
Related Stories:
- Proposed basketball practice facility raises questions of student displacement
- DePaul volleyball isn’t worried about the results, they’re looking for growth
- Basketball head Chris Holtmann embracing Lincoln Park, clean slate
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