Increased attendance and Carver-specific characteristics give Iowa a unique arena.

By Kyle Mann
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Four games into the Big Ten season, the Iowa volleyball team sits at 0-4, with all four losses at the hands of ranked opponents, three on the road. The players will be eager to stay home for pair of matches in the coming week.

The Hawkeyes will host No. 23 Michigan on Wednesday and Michigan State on Saturday in Carver-Hawkeye, an arena that once appeared to be cavernous for volleyball matches but recently has begun re-creating a genuine home-court advantage.

When a program becomes as stagnant as Iowa volleyball did in the past decade, it’s understandable that attendance would wane. With the arrival of Bond Shymansky and the subsequent revival of the program, things have began to swing upwards.

“It’s been problematic for volleyball in the past, because we haven’t had good crowds, but that’s changing,” Shymansky said. “The Iowa State crowd was awesome, the crowd against Nebraska was huge, and when you have people in the building who support our team, that place gets rocking.”

Just as Shymansky is confident that the program has turned a corner, he believes is reflected in the stands.

“Whatever it was before, it’s changed now,” he said. “We don’t really worry about other people’s perception; I know that we have a great home-court advantage. And I love the fact that people don’t like playing here.”

The Hawkeyes saw an increase in average attendance from 1,109 in 2013 to 1,375 in 2014, and they will likely see a similar uptick at the end of 2015. Around 2,480 fans were in attendance for the Sept. 11 match against Iowa State, followed by 2,447 on Sept. 23 versus Nebraska.

Iowa has used a variety of promotions this season to get fans to games, and it has seemed to work. With that said, Carver is a fairly large venue, which can sometimes give it an empty feeling.

“It’s a really big gym; I think that other teams have a lot of trouble with that because the ball floats so differently,” setter Loxley Keala said. “Sure, Nebraska has 8,000 people in there, but we have big crowds with a lot of energy. It’s very inspiring, motivating for us as a team.”

Even with increasing attendance numbers in Iowa City, 2,400 people in a 15,500-seat facility still appears relatively empty. With other Big Ten arenas fuller, the echoes and spacious backdrop in cavernous Carver-Hawkeye certainly provides a unique experience.

Keeping in mind that those who are in attendance are becoming increasingly more passionate and boisterous, the Hawkeyes enjoy a unique home-court experience.

“Other gyms are definitely fuller and louder,” Jess Janota said. “I think it’s difficult for other teams to play here, but we don’t find it difficult at all because we’re used to it. It’s our home court.”

Follow @KyleFMann for Iowa volleyball news, updates, and analysis.