University of the Pacific is bringing back men’s volleyball with the help of the USA Volleyball Foundation, becoming the 20th sport in the Tigers’ growing constellation of NCAA Division I programs.
Men’s volleyball will start competing at the Alex G. Spanos Center in spring 2027, 13 years after the sport was eliminated at Pacific following 21 years of competition.
“Pacific men’s volleyball has a proud legacy, and it’s fantastic and appropriate to see the program return,” said U.S. Men’s National Team Head Coach Karch Kiraly. “While Southern California was once the sport’s center of gravity, today talent can come from everywhere. Pacific is positioned to recruit nationally, and I’m confident the program can rise quickly.”
The Tigers will compete in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation with Stanford, UCLA, USC, Pepperdine, BYU, Concordia-Irvine, Menlo and Vanguard.
“While other universities are eliminating programs, Pacific Athletics is growing and expanding under the visionary leadership of Athletics Director Aadam Tscchuor,” said President Christopher Callahan. “We are thrilled to return our storied men’s volleyball program back to the Spanos Center.”
Callahan expressed gratitude to USA Volleyball Foundation, First Point Volleyball and East Coast Volleyball, which provided a generous $250,000 grant to support the new men’s volleyball program.
President and CEO of USA Volleyball John Speraw pledged the national governing body’s support of Pacific and other NCAA DI programs that might consider adding men’s volleyball.
“This is an exciting time for our sport. Bringing men’s volleyball back to Pacific marks a major milestone for Division I and for athletes striving to reach the highest levels of competition,” Speraw said. “Restoring this program has long been a priority for First Point and USA Volleyball. Congratulations to President Callahan, the Pacific community and the expanding boys’ volleyball ecosystem across Northern California and beyond. Thanks to our foundation’s donors, more young men will now have greater collegiate opportunities than ever before.”
In addition to the USA Volleyball Foundation grant, more than two dozen proud Pacific men’s volleyball alumni also have committed to annual pledges.
