Fresno State Athletics
The North Gymnasium
7/12/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
With a seating capacity for 1,551 fans, the North Gymnasium is the home court of the Fresno State women's volleyball team.
Five years ago the North Gym underwent a $2 million facelift that saw significant improvements, including the expansion of the athletic training facility in the summer of 1997.
The changes included the installation of 364 chairback seats, air conditioning in the gymnasium, two electronic digital scoreboards, and the construction of the North Gym Annex. Located on the north side of the gym, the annex was completed in 1995 and boasts women's locker rooms for volleyball, softball, basketball, tennis, and track and field. It also includes a coaches locker room and a multi-purpose/conference room.
The North Gym is also home to the women's basketball team, the wrestling team, as well as serving as a practice facility for men's basketball and women's swimming. It also serves as offices for athletic and kinesiology personnel, classrooms, an athletic training department with a rehabilitation and treatment center, equipment storage, and men's locker rooms.
An extensive 1987 summer renovation project costing approximately $200,000 made the change in home courts possible, moving the Bulldog women's teams from the 800 capacity South Gym where success resulted in standing-room-only crowds and numerous facility attendance records.
The project included: 1) the replacement of floor-level bleachers with motorized, roll out bleachers, 2) installation of a new lighting system featuring 65 metal halide lights at 400 watts each, 3) a white color repainting of the gym, 4) new acoustical tiles over the existing windows, 5) sanding and repainting the floor, and 6) the creation of additional press row seating and services.
The North Gym, originally known as the Fresno State College Gym, saw its first official competition on Jan. 16, 1953, when the Bulldog men's basketball team hosted Pepperdine, a game won by the Waves, 85-71. The $1 million facility was not officially occupied until the fall semester of that same year. It was the first gymnasium in the history of Fresno State and served as the home court for men's basketball until the 1967-68 season when the Bulldogs moved downtown to Selland Arena.
The attendance record for women's volleyball in the North Gym was established in 1996 against third-ranked Hawai'i. Fresno State, which set its home attendance record three different times that season, drew 1,982 in the home finale to the 1996 NCAA national runner-ups.
NORTH GYM VOLLEYBALL RECORDS
Individual Records - Match
Kills: 52, Angelica Jackson, San Diego State (11-2-87)
Assists: 86, Melissa Stokes, San Diego State (11-2-87)
Block Solos: 6, Jennifer Craw, Fresno State (9-3-93)
Block Assists: 11, Mary Magyar, Fresno State (11-2-88), Amy Steele, BYU (10-6-95)
Service Aces: 9, Andrea Radmilovich, Fresno State (10-9-92), Annette Gonzalez, Minnesota (9-3-88)
Digs: 37, Jackie Mendez, San Diego State (9-16-88)
Team Records - Match
Kills: 111, Fresno State vs. Sacramento State (9-13-96)
Assists: 105, Cal Poly vs. Fresno State (10-14-88)
Block Solos: 8, Fresno State vs. New Mexico (9-27-96), vs. Cal State Fullerton (10-16-87)
Block Assists: 40, Fresno State vs. San Diego State (11-2-87)
Service Aces: 21, Minnesota vs. Fresno State (9-3-88)
Digs: 134, New Mexico vs. Fresno State (9-27-96)
Team Records - Season
Highest Attendance: 1,982, vs. Hawai'i (11-23-96)
Highest Attendance (season): 12,958, 13 dates (1996)
Highest Attendance (average): 997, 13 dates (1996)
Most Home Wins: 11 (1995)
