Southeast Missouri State University student publication

Volleyball’s Houck “Filled” House gets Fortnite theme

Tuesday, September 4, 2018
The promotional item to be given out at the Sept. 4 home volleyball game is a "Fortnite" themed t-shirt.
Submitted photo

The Southeast volleyball team will attempt to break the single-game attendance record at Houck Field House Sept. 4 against Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, with Fortnite themed giveaways being this year’s promotional target.

This is a continuation of the annual Houck “Filled” House event. Since 2013, the athletic department has promoted a game toward the beginning of the season in hopes of filling the venue.

“The idea [for Houck “Filled” House] was dreamt up essentially by our associate athletic director, Nate Severino, who wanted to provide volleyball [a promotion] of their own” coordinator of marketing and promotions Phillip Lady said. “He said ‘Hey, we haven’t broken the attendance record in many years, let’s make a run at it.’”

The theme this year is based on Fortnite, an online video game developed in 2017 by Epic Games. The popular game mode “Battle Royale,” which is free to play, is where up to 100 players fight in increasingly smaller spaces to be the last person standing.

There will be free T-shirts available to the first 800 fans in attendance. There will be free Jimmy John’s sandwiches given out during the match, as well as the T-shirts.

The attendance record is 1,206, established at the 2014 Houck “Filled” House.

“Our intent is to make it an overall event, not just a game,” Lady said. “Once we broke the attendance record [in 2014], it was something that we wanted to keep doing. Attendance record or not, we wanted to keep [the event] going, because it started to gain some publicity and attention. We just kept going, and that’s kind of how it’s evolved today.”

Through their first five matches, the Redhawks did not lose a single set in building a 5-0 record, their best start since 1986. Their record is now 5-2.

“Everybody wants to be part of a winner,” Lady said. “They’re playing at a really high level right now, and we wanted to capitalize the best that we could and early in the season. So not only do you get a Fortnite themed free shirt, but you’re watching a really good team compete. It’s an opportunity for you early in the season to come check them out and see them against a regional rival.”

When it comes to planning Houck “Filled” House, Lady does not follow any particular guidelines. Every year, it can be against a different opponent at any point in the season or on any day of the week.

“[This year] it’s a Tuesday night, and we feel that Tuesday has a better draw with students than a lot of times Friday and Saturday days can provide,” Lady said.

Although the event itself has been a mainstay for a few years now, there has not always been a push to break the attendance record.

“It gets a little repetitive, and people kind of hear the same message,” Lady said. “It’s been about four years since we broke that record, and now it’s at 1,206. So, we need 1,207 [this year], and our intent is to break the attendance record again at Houck Field House for a volleyball match.”

There will be multiple opportunities to participate in Fornite themed activities throughout the night, Lady said.

“We have some supply drops we’re going to be doing,” Lady said. “There’s going to be opportunities to win some gear and play [our challenges] with a little bit of a Fortnite twist to it.”

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