Photo by: Seth Seebaugh
Athletics Brings State-of-the-Art Videoboard to Varsity Arena Ahead of 2025 Volleyball Season
6/9/2025 11:56:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – In further efforts to enhance its World Class Student-Athlete Experience and the Best Fan Experience in North Carolina, Wake Forest Athletics is proud to unveil a new state-of-the-art videoboard inside Varsity Arena for the Demon Deacons volleyball program. The board will be installed prior to the 2025 season opener, adding to the exciting atmosphere that consistently gives the Deacs a strong homecourt advantage. In addition to the main video display, Varsity Arena will also feature a new balcony ribbon board and digital scorers tables.
This enhancement represents the most recent impact of Wake Forest Athletics' In Her Wake campaign, which aims to surpass $100 million by 2029 as the Deacon Club worked with a group of dedicated volleyball donors and supporters to help fund its development.
With that, Wake Forest partnered with Daktronics for this project, completing installation throughout the month of May.
Video Display Details
Measuring 15-feet high and 28-feet wide, the main video display will be centered on the baseline brick wall closest to the home team bench. The display features a 3.9-millimeter pixel spacing to deliver crisp, clear imagery to fans in every seat, including variable content zoning that allows it to show one large image or to be divided into multiple zones of content – live video, instant replays, up-to-the-minute statistics and game information, graphics and animations, and sponsorship messages. One of the largest volleyball-specific displays, it will feature more than 2.6 million pixels to deliver high-definition imagery and graphics.
The additional features of a balcony ribbon board and digital scorers tables will allow the in-game content and live scores to be presented in different areas within the venue. The ribbon display will be mounted to the balcony and measures more than 1.5 feet high by 18 feet wide. Each table will measure roughly 2.5 feet high by 10 feet wide, with the ability to be moved to any configuration to meet the needs of Wake Forest Athletics and the events it hosts. These displays also feature 3.9-millimeter pixel spacing and provide the opportunity to share additional game information, graphics and sponsorship messaging throughout events.
What They're Saying
Head Volleyball Coach Jeff Hulsmeyer:
Wake Forest recently announced its ACC schedule for the fall, competing in 20 matches against league opponents, including five against Big Four opponents and 10 home showings. The team will release the non-conference portion of its schedule at a later date.
For the second-straight year, fans will have the opportunity to purchase season tickets for courtside seating inside Varsity Arena. Wake Forest Athletics will once again feature 28 padded floor seats for spectator viewing at volleyball contests, placed opposite of the team benches and alongside the sidelines. Season tickets can be purchased for $150 apiece. In addition, courtside season tickets can be renewed by contacting the Wake Forest Ticket Office at (336) 758-3322 or tix@wfu.edu, as the priority renewal deadline is Friday, June 20.
About In Her Wake
In Her Wake is an ongoing philanthropic and awareness effort focused on enhancing the World Class Student-Athlete Experience at Wake Forest, including sharing the stories of Demon Deacon trailblazers in whose wake current student-athletes follow. Current student-athletes are inspired to establish their own marks to raise the standard of excellence for future student-athletes to aspire.
The In Her Wake initiative will further enhance scholarship support; create new opportunities in personal, leadership and career development; and provide strategic investments in areas that create a competitive advantage for individual sport programs.
Those interested in learning more about supporting In Her Wake can visit this page. Truist, who is the presenting partner of Wake Forest Women's Athletics, and other lead investors have already committed over $37 million to "In Her Wake"as Wake Forest Athletics aims to surpass $100 million by 2029.
Wake Forest Volleyball Overview
The Demon Deacons enter their 46th season in program history this fall, with eight players set to return. Four veteran members will pace the group – Emma Farrell, Paige Crawford, Rian Baker and Olivia Murphy. Olivia Fish and Elena Dragani come back into the fold as additional upperclassmen, entering their third seasons on the roster, while Becca Bellows and Dhru Lalaji enter their sophomore years.
Head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer enters his first season at the helm of the program, bringing over three decades worth of coaching experience at the collegiate volleyball level. His arrival to Winston-Salem came following 10 seasons at Florida State, where he served as associate head coach. In addition to his time in Tallahassee, Hulsmeyer previously was the offensive and recruiting coordinator of Kansas State volleyball for six years, following head coaching stints at both Georgetown College and Purdue. The late 1990s involved him being an assistant coach at Illinois, preceded by three years apiece as head coach of Arkansas State and Western Kentucky, where he began his coaching journey as a graduate assistant for the latter.
Last season, Wake Forest finished sixth in blocks as a team among league member schools, totaling a 2.45 per-set average. The team was the only ACC program to have multiple players rest in the top 10 in blocks among all conference individuals. The Deacs had one of their best all-time seasons in defending at the net, as their totals in assisted blocks (468) and total blocks (289.0) ranks second and fifth in program history, respectively. Within the current 25-point rally scoring era, those same totals stand first in a single season, up to date.
About Daktronics
Daktronics helps its customers to impact their audiences throughout the world with large-format LED video displays, message displays, scoreboards, digital billboards, audio systems and control systems in sport, business and transportation applications. Founded in 1968 as a USA-based manufacturing company, Daktronics has grown into the world leader in audiovisual systems and implementation with offices around the globe. Discover more at www.daktronics.com.
This enhancement represents the most recent impact of Wake Forest Athletics' In Her Wake campaign, which aims to surpass $100 million by 2029 as the Deacon Club worked with a group of dedicated volleyball donors and supporters to help fund its development.
With that, Wake Forest partnered with Daktronics for this project, completing installation throughout the month of May.
Video Display Details
Measuring 15-feet high and 28-feet wide, the main video display will be centered on the baseline brick wall closest to the home team bench. The display features a 3.9-millimeter pixel spacing to deliver crisp, clear imagery to fans in every seat, including variable content zoning that allows it to show one large image or to be divided into multiple zones of content – live video, instant replays, up-to-the-minute statistics and game information, graphics and animations, and sponsorship messages. One of the largest volleyball-specific displays, it will feature more than 2.6 million pixels to deliver high-definition imagery and graphics.
The additional features of a balcony ribbon board and digital scorers tables will allow the in-game content and live scores to be presented in different areas within the venue. The ribbon display will be mounted to the balcony and measures more than 1.5 feet high by 18 feet wide. Each table will measure roughly 2.5 feet high by 10 feet wide, with the ability to be moved to any configuration to meet the needs of Wake Forest Athletics and the events it hosts. These displays also feature 3.9-millimeter pixel spacing and provide the opportunity to share additional game information, graphics and sponsorship messaging throughout events.
What They're Saying
Head Volleyball Coach Jeff Hulsmeyer:
- "I am incredibly humbled and thrilled about the new videoboard and significant facility enhancements in Varsity Arena for our student-athletes and passionate fan base. I want to thank President Susan R. Wente, Vice President and Director of Athletics John Currie, the Deacon Club staff and all of the donors that make these advancements possible. Having been here only a short time, I can see firsthand the commitment to state-of-the-art facilities and creating the Best Fan Experience in North Carolina. The new videoboard will transform our gameday experience, allowing us to showcase the players and excitement of Wake Forest volleyball like never before."
- "Thanks to the generosity of dedicated Demon Deacon donors, we are proud to unveil this new state-of-the-art videoboard inside Varsity Arena — one of the largest volleyball-specific boards in the country. This project would not have been possible without their vision and investment in our volleyball program, and we are deeply grateful for their commitment. I also want to recognize our outstanding facilities team and our longtime partners at Daktronics, for bringing this project to life. This enhancement underscores our commitment to providing the Best Fan Experience in North Carolina and supporting Coach Jeff Hulsmeyer and our student-athletes as we enter an exciting new era for Wake Forest Volleyball."
- "We're proud to be helping our long time partners at Wake Forest with these great enhancements at Varsity Arena. The new main video display will be among the largest in a volleyball only venue and the addition of the tables and ribbon will add to an already great game day experience for Demon Deacon fans."
- "Thank you so much to everyone in Wake Forest Athletics and donors that made the videoboard possible in Varsity Arena. We are very grateful to be able to have this in our gym and can't wait to see it during the fall. As a senior, it is exciting to know we get to play our last season with the new videoboard in front of a packed gym. We know the fans are always loud, and I'm thrilled to see the energy the new videoboard brings to the atmosphere."
Wake Forest recently announced its ACC schedule for the fall, competing in 20 matches against league opponents, including five against Big Four opponents and 10 home showings. The team will release the non-conference portion of its schedule at a later date.
For the second-straight year, fans will have the opportunity to purchase season tickets for courtside seating inside Varsity Arena. Wake Forest Athletics will once again feature 28 padded floor seats for spectator viewing at volleyball contests, placed opposite of the team benches and alongside the sidelines. Season tickets can be purchased for $150 apiece. In addition, courtside season tickets can be renewed by contacting the Wake Forest Ticket Office at (336) 758-3322 or tix@wfu.edu, as the priority renewal deadline is Friday, June 20.
About In Her Wake
In Her Wake is an ongoing philanthropic and awareness effort focused on enhancing the World Class Student-Athlete Experience at Wake Forest, including sharing the stories of Demon Deacon trailblazers in whose wake current student-athletes follow. Current student-athletes are inspired to establish their own marks to raise the standard of excellence for future student-athletes to aspire.
The In Her Wake initiative will further enhance scholarship support; create new opportunities in personal, leadership and career development; and provide strategic investments in areas that create a competitive advantage for individual sport programs.
Those interested in learning more about supporting In Her Wake can visit this page. Truist, who is the presenting partner of Wake Forest Women's Athletics, and other lead investors have already committed over $37 million to "In Her Wake"as Wake Forest Athletics aims to surpass $100 million by 2029.
Wake Forest Volleyball Overview
The Demon Deacons enter their 46th season in program history this fall, with eight players set to return. Four veteran members will pace the group – Emma Farrell, Paige Crawford, Rian Baker and Olivia Murphy. Olivia Fish and Elena Dragani come back into the fold as additional upperclassmen, entering their third seasons on the roster, while Becca Bellows and Dhru Lalaji enter their sophomore years.
Head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer enters his first season at the helm of the program, bringing over three decades worth of coaching experience at the collegiate volleyball level. His arrival to Winston-Salem came following 10 seasons at Florida State, where he served as associate head coach. In addition to his time in Tallahassee, Hulsmeyer previously was the offensive and recruiting coordinator of Kansas State volleyball for six years, following head coaching stints at both Georgetown College and Purdue. The late 1990s involved him being an assistant coach at Illinois, preceded by three years apiece as head coach of Arkansas State and Western Kentucky, where he began his coaching journey as a graduate assistant for the latter.
Last season, Wake Forest finished sixth in blocks as a team among league member schools, totaling a 2.45 per-set average. The team was the only ACC program to have multiple players rest in the top 10 in blocks among all conference individuals. The Deacs had one of their best all-time seasons in defending at the net, as their totals in assisted blocks (468) and total blocks (289.0) ranks second and fifth in program history, respectively. Within the current 25-point rally scoring era, those same totals stand first in a single season, up to date.
About Daktronics
Daktronics helps its customers to impact their audiences throughout the world with large-format LED video displays, message displays, scoreboards, digital billboards, audio systems and control systems in sport, business and transportation applications. Founded in 1968 as a USA-based manufacturing company, Daktronics has grown into the world leader in audiovisual systems and implementation with offices around the globe. Discover more at www.daktronics.com.
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