Check out the latest issue of THE BIC, the official mens volleyball newsletter of the AVCA.
September 28, 2023
The BIC
The BIC is the official AVCA newsletter for men and boys volleyball. If there is a specific topic or news you would like shared in a future issue, please contact Brad Wilson at bradley.wilson@avca.org.
Gold Medal Squared Tip
Ball Setter Ball Hitter Variations
In this weeks video presented by Gold Medal Squared, we discuss one of our favorite drills, BSBH. You can work on just about anything with this activity using constraints. As an example, you can semi-block where your setters set the ball to eliminate randomness and make blocking easier for beginners. For a full drill description, including video examples, check out our GMS+ drill library.
According the latest NFHS participation data, boys high school volleyball grew by 10,800 participants in 2022-23. The total number of participants is 77,287. This is up from 66,487 in 2021-22 and increase of 16.24%. This is the largest jump in boys volleyball participation numbers on a year-over-year comparison since the NFHS began publishing participation numbers!
Catawba College [NCAA DII] will add Men’s Volleyball as its 24th varsity intercollegiate sport, with its first season of competition set to start in January 2025. Catawba will begin competition as an independent, joining other independent regional institutions such as Limestone, Lincoln Memorial, Queens and Tusculum. The team will also regularly compete with schools in Conference Carolinas, which sanctions an eight-team conference for Men’s Volleyball. The program will takes the 2023-24 academic year to recruit before preparing for its inaugural season of competition in 2024-25. Read the full press release.
St. Thomas University Adds Men’s Volleyball
St. Thomas University (STU) Athletics announced the addition of Men’s Volleyball as the departments 31st varsity sport, and named the program’s inaugural head coach: STU alum and Women’s Assistant Coach, Breno Ertty. The program will now begin recruiting for their inaugural season in Spring 2025.
St. Thomas is the first official South Florida collegiate department to add it to their roster at a varsity level. The Bobcats are the fourth team overall in Florida, joining Sun Conference opponents Webber International and Warner and NCAA DII Edward Waters. At the NAIA level, there are currently just over 60 teams that sponsor the championship sport. Read the full press release.
Collegiate Program Listings and Map
The AVCA is constantly updating its NCAA, NAIA, and Two-Year College program lists as new programs get announced:
Did we miss one? Contact bradley.wilson@avca.org and let us know. Programs are also visible on the AVCA’s map:
Boys Volleyball News
AVCA Thirty Under 30 High School and New AVCA Thirty OVER 30 Award – Nominations Open Soon
Thirty Under 30 High School Award: nominees must be active AVCA members and be 30 years old OR younger before December 31, 2023.
New Thirty OVER 30 Award:
Award winners must be active AVCA members. You do not need to be an active AVCA to submit a nomination.
Award winners must be able to document at least 30 or more years as an active volleyball coach at any level and/or discipline of the sport.
And/or:
Nominees/Award winners must be 30+ year members of the AVCA. Member since at least 1993.
Other factors such as community service, demonstrated engagement in the sport of volleyball, with AVCA, etc. may be considered for selection.
Nominations for both Awards open Monday, October 2nd and will end on Tuesday, October 31st.
First Point Volleyball Foundation recently published an extremely helpful database that shows the most important leadership members in that state’s high school sports legislature and the person(s) most involved with growing boys volleyball. The list proudly features contacts from all 50 states.
2023 USA Volleyball Men’s Beach Collegiate Challenge – Recap
The USA Volleyball Men’s Beach Collegiate Challenge returned to Stevenson University on September 15-17. Congratulations to the #1 pair from Webber of Carson Barnes and Ayden Keeter on winning the 2023 USAV Beach Men’s Collegiate Challenge! The Lincoln Memorial pair of Matthew Gentry and John Leurs finished 2nd and Penn St’s Ryan Merk and Michael Valenzi took 3rd. Full results here.
AVCA Fall Collegiate Beach Championships
The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) is proud to announce that Huntsville, Alabama, will be the site of the Second Annual AVCA Fall Collegiate Beach Championships. The championships will feature a women’s pairs national championship and a men’s team national championship. The men’s event will bring four schools to Huntsville to compete for the first men’s collegiate beach team national championship. Read more here.
AVCA Men’s Volleyball Alliance
To join the Men’s Collegiate Beach Volleyball Alliance an active member coach of the AVCA must complete the registration information. The nominating coach serves as the official representative for all men’s collegiate beach activities at the college.
If you are interested in starting men’s collegiate beach volleyball at your college and need support please email Becca Just. We are happy to help!
AVCA News
Register for AVCA Convention – Tampa!
Register today for AVCA Convention in TAMPA, December 13-17. The AVCA Annual Convention is the most comprehensive learning & networking event of the year for volleyball coaches and this year we’re adding sunshine and waterfront views to the mix. Discounted hotels and NCAA match tickets are selling quickly!
AVCA Coaches 4 Coaches: Scholarship Applications Due Oct. 2
Coaches 4 Coaches provides scholarships, through contributions from AVCA members, to young coaches and recent college graduates who are interested in pursuing a career in volleyball coaching & attending their first AVCA Convention.
Scholarships will cover convention registration and hotel for the 2023 AVCA Annual Convention in TAMPA, December 13-17. Applications are due by 5:00 pm ET on Monday, October 2
Volleyball Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament – Road to Paris 2024
The Men’s Road to Paris Volleyball Qualifiers are Sept. 30 September to Oct. 8 with Olympic quotas at stake. Only twelve teams will compete for gold at Paris 2024, including Tokyo 2020 Olympic champions France, who are are automatic qualifiers as hosts. The top teams of each of the three groups will gain qualification berths for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. More here.
U.S. Men’s Head Coach John Speraw: “The NORCECA Championship was a great opportunity for us to learn about what we needed to do going into Tokyo. Our guys are well prepared. It will have a familiar format, like the World Cup, where we have done well. We’re a little bit older, so it’s going to take a team effort. But I think the team is ready.”
The demise of the Pac-12 over the summer doesn’t just portend an earthquake in a rapidly evolving college sports landscape. To Olympic leaders, it represents anything from a challenge to an outright threat to the United States’ success in the Games. Roughly 75% of the U.S. team in Tokyo in 2021 competed collegiately. So did nearly 85% of medalists in Rio five years prior. Because the developmental pipeline runs through them, it leaves the U.S. team’s success, to some degree, in the hands of athletic directors and university presidents juggling other interests. Add to realignment a continued shift in collegiate sports that could include revenue sharing for athletes and the collegiate model is headed for more change. That means the Olympic movement is, too. Read more from Sports Business Journal.
Job Changes and Openings
New Hires
University of Saint Katherine has named Sherry Clouetas head men’s volleyball coach.
Stanford Men’s Volleyball welcomes two new coaches: 1st Assistant/Recruiting Coordinator Taylor Hammond and 2nd Assistant Spencer Wickens.
Dominican University has named Doug Burchett the new men’s volleyball head coach effective immediately.
Eastern Nazarene College has announced the hiring of Andy Mather as head men’s volleyball coach.
St. Thomas University announced the addition of Men’s Volleyball for Spring 2025, and the program’s inaugural head coach, Breno Ertty.
