116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
NAIA men’s volleyball is a sport seeking growth and exposure
National tournament is in Cedar Rapids this week, but will Iowa boys’ volleyball ever move beyond a small club sport?
CEDAR RAPIDS — The energy and passion seen from the Saint Xavier and Westcliff benches was another sign men’s volleyball may deserve more attention as the sport continues to grow.
“I think the culture of men’s volleyball airs more toward kind of how we are,” Saint Xavier head coach Tom Ryan said.
In match one on Day 2 of the NAIA men’s volleyball national tournament at Alliant Energy PowerHouse, the Cougars of Saint Xavier defeated the Westcliff Warriors, 3-1.
“We battled through adversity and had a couple rough starts, but we were able to manage our emotions toward the end” Ryan said.
“It’s always been a fun, goofy group, that’s part of our personality. Toeing the line between really competitive and having fun,” Ryan said.
Saint Xavier, located in Chicago, has the advantage of being in the second-biggest high school boys’ volleyball market in the country, behind California. Many schools struggle to recruit local talent. NAIA men’s volleyball contains a lot of international players, with around 50 alone participating in this week’s national tournament.
“We’ve always tried to do really well in our backyard and provide Chicago area kids the opportunity to play, but we also have California guys, Las Vegas guys, and international players as well,” Ryan said.
The question remains, can men’s volleyball grow in less populous states, such as Iowa?
As past president of the NAIA men’s volleyball executive committee, Ryan is very passionate on continuing to grow the game.
“I just wanted to play a role in advancing the sport and pushing NAIA men’s volleyball forward,” he said. “We’ve made some great steps throughout the years.”
Continuing to add more teams and programs will be a crucial step for the NAIA moving forward.
“I think the biggest part is just exposure, we still struggle with that,” Ryan said. “Every fan that sees it for the first time has really good reviews of it.”
Rule changes may also help the product. Ryan mentioned how the rules need to be adjusted on serve errors because they happen far too often in the men’s game.
“We’ve seen baseball make changes over the past couple years and trying to serve a new demographic,” he said. “Volleyball needs to be aggressive as well.”
Boys’ volleyball in Iowa is only at the club level. This could be a pivotal step in getting more exposure within the state, but the question remains if the participation numbers would be there to support it.
“I think it always takes those pioneers to provide those opportunities, and I know some people in Iowa are trying,” Ryan said. “There’s great talent here and we’ve recruited several Midwest players throughout the years.”
The excitement from the players and coaches in the sport is there. Men’s volleyball is slowly gaining exposure and popularity. Growth is the next step.
Comments: ben.lamparek@thegazette.com
Daily Newsletters