The Newell-Grissom Building, with a colorful and varied history as a campus landmark that spans seven decades, has been the home for Mississippi State's Volleyball program since 1997.
Including nearly 600 maroon chair back seats installed in the arena’s east stands prior to the start of the 2006 campaign, the volleyball-exclusive facility, featuring 12,000 square feet of Taraflex flooring, has arena seating for more than 2,000.
The Griss has seen 11 crowds eclipse the 1,000-mark in the history of the building. MSU eclipsed the 1,000 mark twice in 2011, including a facility record 3,024 that packed the arena on August 26 for a season-opening match against Southern Illinois. MSU and Florida were the only SEC teams to eclipse the 3,000-attendance mark in 2011. The Bulldogs also brought in a crowd of 4,525 in a 3-0 victory against No. 25 Kentucky in an October 14 matchup at Humphrey Coliseum, setting the state of Mississippi's attendance record for a volleyball match.
In 2021, MSU had their second-highest attendance in building history against Auburn, where 2,293 fans Packed The Griss on November 26. In 2024, MSU posted three-top 10 crowds, with two of them eclipsing the 1,000 mark. 1,657 fans welcomed the Texas Longhorns on November 6 for the first matchup between the two programs, the third largest crowd in building history. A 3-1 victory over in-state rival Ole Miss saw 1,043 fans pack The Griss, the sixth-largest attended match.
Since 2004, the facility has seen the addition of an air conditioning system, chair back seating and a new sound system. The locker rooms and team areas have undergone numerous renovations, a concession facility has been added to service the needs of a growing fan base, and a new sound system and scoreboard have been installed to enhance the game experience.
In 2012, The Griss saw the installation of a new lighting system that improves the illumination of volleyball-exclusive markings on a resurfaced court and colorful decorative interior and exterior banners that have been installed to give the facility an added Mississippi State flavor.
Prior to the 2022 season, The Griss received a new playing surface that features state-of-the-art Taraflex Vinyl flooring, replacing the previous hardwood surface for a more player-friendly environment. The floor features Mississippi State branding on each side of the back lines, as well as the "Banner M" over an outline of the state of Mississippi.
To kick off the Julie Darty Dennis era, significant renovations were done to Newell-Grissom with the addition of a high-definition Daktronics video board, as well as DVSport replay capabilities. Other upgrades included new graphics inside the facility, which brought new feeling to the arena: new window banners on all windows, “StarkVegas” wall wraps in the main lobby, both ends of the court and locker room hallways. The hospitality room is now called the Family Room, which includes Hail State dimensional lettering and door wraps that will be used for pregame meals and other activities for the players. There has also been an addition of an officials’ locker room with ample room for officials.
Other upgrades were completed prior to year two of the Darty Dennis era. Those updates included the addition of the Maroon Room, a team study lounge, a film room and video station.
As its early nickname, “the cow barn,” indicates, the Newell-Grissom Building was designed primarily as a facility for rodeos, livestock shows and equestrian competitions. It eventually developed into the campus and regional center for concerts and other entertainment events. The building’s size and central location on campus also made it a natural for graduation ceremonies, class registration operations and other university functions.
In 1978, the arena was formally named in honor of two long-time leaders in MSU’s animal science department, Paul F. Newell (1910) and E.E. Grissom (1932). The structure went largely unused in the 1980s and early 1990s, and it gradually fell into disrepair.
Faced with an expensive “tear-it-down-or-fix-it-up” proposition, the university, partnered with the MSU Department of Athletics, embarked in early 1995 on a million-dollar renovation project. That initial project included reroofing, the installation of a hardwood floor and a lighting system, the construction of locker rooms and team meeting areas, and the addition of public restroom facilities. The renovated Newell-Grissom Building initially served as an auxiliary practice site for volleyball and both the men’s and women’s basketball teams at Mississippi State in 1996 while Humphrey Coliseum served as the primary on-campus competition site for all three teams.