Photos by Gregory Koch, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.86
ODU Volleyball Center
4500 Parker Avenue Norfolk, VA 23529
Year Opened: 2020 Capacity: 900
Monarch Volleyball
Located on the campus of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, the ODU Volleyball Center is home to the Monarchs' volleyball program, as you might expect from the name. The Volleyball Center is a modern venue opened in 2020, featuring 900 chairback seats, a spacious lobby, and practice facilities.
When creating the ODU volleyball program in 2020, the Monarchs elected to build a state-of-the-art new facility, renovating an old athletic administration building, rather than play in the basketball arena or an old practice gym as some other schools do. The move has definitely paid off for them, as this is a high-quality arena.
Food & Beverage 2
There is a small concession stand at a window in the lobby of the ODU Volleyball Complex. The menu is pretty simple. Hot dogs are $6, peanuts (in a large bag from Texas Roadhouse) are $5, nachos are $6, chips are $3, candy is $5, and popcorn is $5.50. To drink, bottled water and soda are $5 and Gatorade is $6. Alcohol is available at a cart outside the entrance to the building, but as the alcohol can only be consumed in this outdoor area, it is not very popular at all.
Atmosphere 5
Walking into the ODU Volleyball Center will put you in a spacious lobby with several displays honoring Monarchs volleyball. You will buy your tickets at a table located straight ahead, then walk through the doors on your right to enter the arena. All seats are chairbacks, almost all along the sidelines, with an excellent view of the action on the court. As the court was designed for volleyball rather than basketball, which has a much wider playing area, the sideline seats are quite close to the action.
A videoboard plays a hype video before the game, then functions as a scoreboard as well as graphic display. It seems to be capable of displaying player stats, but when Stadium Journey visited, it briefly displayed the player stats from the previous game before that functionality went away entirely for the remainder of the match.
Before the game, the lights go down as a spotlight shines on the court and the Monarchs are introduced. Then the hype video plays to get the crowd fired up. With the low ceilings, it can get quite loud throughout the game (more on that in the Fans section) and the atmosphere here can be quite spectacular.
Neighborhood 3
The ODU Volleyball Center is located in the middle of the Old Dominion campus, in a residential neighborhood, so there isn’t much in the immediate vicinity. However, if you head a few blocks east on 43rd Street to the vicinity of Chartway Arena, there are many options for visitors to enjoy. La Herradura is a popular Mexican restaurant, and Del Vecchios is known for its pizza. If you make the short drive into downtown Norfolk, you will find even more options.
Fans 5
The ODU Volleyball Center seats about 900 fans, and while it is not usually completely full, it does come close, drawing 600-700 fans a game, including many locals and students. This is far from a friends and family crowd that you see at some schools. The fans in attendance are quite loud, boosted by the low ceilings and tight walls. Then the Monarchs have a set point, they rise to their feet, cheer, and urge them to finish the task.
While ODU certainly doesn't have the largest volleyball crowds in the country, the fan support is just right for the size of the arena. You should still be able to get tickets, no need to worry about it selling out, but you will find an electric fan atmosphere here.
Access 4
The city of Norfolk is accessible via many highways, including I-64, I-564, I-264, and I-664. The ODU campus is easily accessible from all of them. However, if coming from points north and west of Norfolk, you will likely need to take one of the bridge-tunnels across either the harbor or the bay. These can have long backups at times, particularly later in the season as summer approaches and people start heading to the beach. Be sure to allow extra time to get across.
Once you are on campus, parking is available in Lot 43 as well as in the parking garage at Elkhorn Avenue and 43rd Street. In either location, parking is $2 per hour on weekdays, payable via your mobile phone. Follow the instructions on the posted signs, which will tell you how to pay. Be warned that the campus authorities do ticket cars who don't pay. On weekends, parking is free.
Restrooms are available in the lobby and are of a sufficient size for the crowds.
Return on Investment 4
Admission to all ODU regular season volleyball games is just $5. Military gets in for $4 with valid ID and ODU students get in for free. Tickets are purchased at the door when you arrive and can't be purchased in advance. This is a good value, but the cost to park brings this down a little. Try to go on a weekend to maximize your value.
Extras 4
Free programs are available as you come in.
Two stars here for the lion statue in the lobby - a reference to ODU's mascot - and the photos of ODU volleyball players on display. Monarchs volleyball has clearly made this place their home.
A fourth and final star for the pregame hype video and player introductions with the spotlight to get the crowd fired up.
Final Thoughts
The ODU Volleyball Center is a high-quality, modern facility that is just the right fit for the Monarchs volleyball program. It is just the right size for the fan support the Monarchs attract, and the athletic department puts a lot of effort into the fan experience here. It is good to see ODU build a modern volleyball arena for their program rather than simply put up a net in a basketball arena that would be far too large, or stick them in an old practice gym. Volleyball fans in this area of Virginia will definitely want to check out a game at ODU.
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