WTAMU Fieldhouse, aka “The Box”
Home of Lady Buff Volleyball
With the opening of the First United Bank Center in 2002, the WTAMU Fieldhouse was renovated to become one of a select few "volleyball-only" arenas in NCAA Division II. Seating just over 1,800, "The Box" provides fans an opportunity to virtually sit on the court and cheer on the perennial championship-contending Lady Buff volleyball team.
The Box has a long and rich history at WTAMU. Built in 1950, the Fieldhouse was the home of championship Buff & Lady Buff basketball for half a century. It has also seen its fair share of concerts and other entertainment, as performers such George Strait, Willie Nelson, John Denver, Ike & Tina Turner and comedian Steve Martin have played the Fieldhouse. President Gerald Ford delivered an address in The Box in 1976.
The West Texas A&M University volleyball team is accustomed to excellence in the WTAMU Fieldhouse, better known in the Texas Panhandle as "The Box." The Box is a facility Buffalo athletes and fans love. In stark contrast, opponents fear stepping into the home of the Lady Buffs. Built in 1951, The Box is home to the WTAMU volleyball team and formerly the men's and women's basketball teams. It has been the scene of many exciting moments and has seen a role in winning streaks for all three athletic programs. Success stems partially from the fans who crowd The Box and fill it to its 2,557 seat capacity.
Until a hard-fought, five-game loss to Angelo State University on Nov. 6, 1993, the WTAMU volleyball team had a 49-match winning streak in the Box dating back to Sept. 23, 1989. Counting four contests at the Amarillo Civic Center and two at the Tascosa Activity Center, WTAMU had won a then-record NCAA Division II record of 55 home matches in a row, which now ranks fourth-best in all collegiate volleyball levels. That streak was later bested by a 57-match winning streak, occurring from 1996 to 1999. WTAMU had a 40-match home streak snapped in 2003.
"The Box is a great place to play," former WTAMU assistant coach and player Carrie Burke Slechta said, who participated in each contest of the 55-match winning streak. "The Box has a certain aura about it that pushes us to another level at home. Brad Stark (WTAMU's public address announcer) gets us going with his pre-game introductions and our crowd support keeps us going throughout the match."
"Our crowd speaks for itself," Lisa Thomason said moments after the Lady Buffs won the 1997 NCAA Division II South Central Regional Volleyball Tournament.
