LA JOLLA, Calif.—The UC San Diego men's and women's volleyball programs will introduce a new Taraflex® court for the 2026-27 seasons in LionTree Arena. The Tritons' new court surface will make its debut for the women's volleyball home opener on Friday at 6 p.m. against Cal State Fullerton. 
 
"Bringing Taraflex into LionTree Arena is a statement about where we're headed with our women's and men's volleyball programs at UC San Diego. Our scholar-athletes are focused on the work it takes to compete for championships, and now they've got a floor that matches that effort," said UC San Diego Athletics Director Andy Fee. "We are on a continued journey to create an elite volleyball culture here at UC San Diego. This new surface puts LionTree Arena in the conversation as one of the premier collegiate volleyball venues on the West Coast."
 
The new volleyball-specific court features a wave texture surrounding the center court with "Tritons" logo on both endlines and UC San Diego's trident logo in the center. 
 
The Taraflex court is an FIVB-certified playing surface utilized at the Olympics and as the Official Championship Court for NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball. The playing surface is designed to optimize player performance and minimize the risk of injury with enhanced shock absorption and lasting durability. 
 
"Getting a Taraflex court is a massive step for this program," said UC San Diego women's volleyball head coach Spencer McLachlin. "It shows the commitment from the university that they believe UC San Diego can be a volleyball school. If you look around the country, all of the top teams have Taraflex, and it is our goal to be among those top teams. We love the design of the ocean, and we look forward to competing under the sea." 
 
"The installation of our new Taraflex court is another significant step forward for UC San Diego volleyball," said UC San Diego men's volleyball head coach Brad Rostratter. "It creates a dedicated volleyball environment that showcases our program, prioritizes the scholar-athlete experience and provides a world-class playing surface that supports athlete health and performance. Just as importantly, it elevates the experience for our fans, alumni, recruits and the entire volleyball community that fills LionTree Arena. As a university and region with a rich volleyball tradition, this investment reflects both how far we've come and where we aspire to go as a program competing on the national stage."
 
UC San Diego becomes the third school in the Big West to utilize a Taraflex floor.



About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.