Throughout the weekend, the Health and Sports Center underwent a nonstop cycle of change as UNK Athletics managed a packed schedule. The court underwent three transitions in about 48 hours, leaving no room for errors and relying on teamwork under pressure. Meanwhile, fans enjoyed the games without seeing the hours of work preparation happening behind the scenes.
The weekend preparations began Thursday night with a partial teardown of the volleyball court. Half of the TeraFlex floor was moved to the north side of the gym and the other half was placed on the south side to make room for the basketball court.
Friday was the busiest day, with back-to-back women’s basketball games running from late morning into the afternoon, followed by a 7 p.m. volleyball match. The second basketball game went into overtime, delaying the start of the volleyball floor setup, but the team was still able to get it ready in just over 100 minutes with all final touches.
The team is led by Sean Smith, manager of events and operations for UNK Athletics.
With 42 heavy pieces to align and tape underneath, the volleyball floor was the most time-consuming part of the transition. To keep things moving, Smith organized the crew into groups handling bleachers, chairs, and floor pieces in a fast-paced divide-and-conquer system.
“I have a group of people doing bleachers, I’ll have a group of people doing chairs and then I’ll have a group of people doing the floor with myself and Steve (Bracale),” Smith said.
The women’s basketball team stepped in to help Friday night. Senior Saniya Simmons is completing a volunteer practicum in a sports management course that is designed to be field experience for students with a major or a minor in Sports Management.
After her 11 a.m. game, Simmons assisted the staff through the rapid turnaround, balancing her 80 practicum hours with her responsibilities as a student-athlete.
“It was honestly a lot,” Simmons said. “I’ve been here since 8:15 this morning, but it’s for our other student-athletes and I want to see all of our sports succeed, so I’m OK with it.”
Simmons said that the operations staff plays a crucial but often invisible role in making game days possible.
“Do not take them for granted,” Simmons said. “It’s a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff, so just always appreciate them.”
Once the final volleyball match ended Friday night, staff completed a full pickup of the volleyball floor to prepare for Saturday’s basketball games. A full teardown requires rolling, wrapping, and storing each piece in containers downstairs, a process that can take more than three hours when done by a small crew.
The planning process began nearly two months in advance, with staff mapping out practice schedules, locker room assignments and travel team needs.
Despite long hours and tight turnarounds, both Smith and Simmons emphasized how rewarding the work can be. The cost of a transition averages around $1,000 for the special tape that is used to secure the volleyball floor, with all other major equipment already on hand.
“People don’t always realize the amount of behind-the-scenes work and meetings that go into a weekend like this,” Smith said. “This is one of the first times we’ve had to really transition this fast.”
