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.
UCLA Wins Back-to-Back NCAA National Collegiate Championships
The top-seeded UCLA men’s volleyball team won the 2024 Men’s National Collegiate Volleyball Championship in four sets on Saturday over No. 2 seed Long Beach State in Walter Pyramid. Scores of the match were 25-21, 25-20, 27-29, 25-21. The victory brought home NCAA men’s volleyball championship No. 21 for the program and produced the first back-to-back titles by the Bruins since the 1995 and 1996 seasons. Read more at uclabruins.com.Also check out the wrap up from NCAA.com.
NCAA Championship Coverage
Saturday’s NCAA Championship was the largest tv audience for the championship since 2011.
Congratulations to Fort Valley State for being the First HBCU to Compete in the NCAA Championship!
The Wildcats made history just taking the court as the first HBCU program to compete in the NCAA NC Championship. FVSU also more than doubled its previous two years combined win total for a 17-9 final record and SIAC championship with a 10-0 league regular season mark. Read more.
Cal Lutheran Captures First Ever NCAA DIII Championship
Cal Lutheran men’s volleyball is the 2024 NCAA Division III National Champion! The Kingsmen swept the Vassar College Brewers to claim the national championship 3-0 on Sunday afternoon. Scores of the match were 25-22, 25-23, 25-23. The Kingsmen followed a reverse sweep of Stevens with a sweep of Vassar. Michael Stahl was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. Read more at clusports.com.Read the match report from NCAA.com.
Watch a full recording of the match on YouTube:
NCAA Championship Coverage
Check out the coverage from FrogJumpVolleyball.com:
The 2024 NAIA Men’s Volleyball Championship ended in a sweep (25-23, 25-18, 25-20) in favor of the No. 7 Georgetown (Ky.) Tigers over No. 1 The Master’s University in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Tournament MVP, Krzysztof Kowalski of Georgetown was the only player to land double-digit kills in the match, with a total of 15. Teammate Ryan Gunn and Will Avera of The Master’s followed with nine kills apiece. Read the full report from NAIA.org. Read the report from GeorgetownCollegeAthletics.com.
The AVCA is pleased to announce its 34th All-America teams for National Collegiate men’s volleyball. The 2024 lists include 24 players—12 each on the first and second teams—from 11 schools.
The 2024 Newcomer of the Year is Daniel Fabikovic of Loyola Chicago.
The AVCA is proud to announce its 2024 All-America Teams for NAIA men’s volleyball. Each of the two All-America Teams includes 12 student-athletes, who represent 11 programs, and 16 additional players received honorable mention honors.
The 2024 Newcomer of the Year is Patrick Paragas from The Master’s University.
The latest USA Today/AVCA Boys High School Super 25 and Regional Rankings are updated weekly and determined by AVCA member coaches. Regions are determined by the AVCA.
The Gallaudet University Athletics Department is excited to add three new sports in men’s volleyball, women’s STUNT, and women’s triathlon. All three varsity sports will compete at the NCAA Division III level during the 2024-25 school year.
GU reinstates the men’s volleyball program after the Bison last played two seasons from 2011-13. The 2011-12 season was a club year followed by one varsity season (2012-13). Gallaudet had a championship caliber program back in the 1970s when they won four straight Potomac Intercollegiate Conference championships (1974-77). Read the full press release.
Wells College (DIII) Announces Closer of University
On April 29, we learned Wells College will close. The university was founded in 1868. The Board of the university has entered into an agreement with Manhattanville University where it will become their legacy and teach-out partner. Read the full press release.
Volleyball MasterCoaches – Wednesday Weekly Buzz
Last week, Master Coaches interviewed Ball State’s Donan Cruz and Penn State’s Mark Pavlik to discuss the NCAA Championship. Watch it here.
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
IHSAA Approved Boys Volleyball as Fully Recognized Sport
The Indiana High School Athletic Association board of directors approved girls wrestling and boys volleyball as fully recognized sports during last week’s annual meeting.
Both sports had been approved as emerging sports with the IHSAA in 2022 with a track toward becoming fully recognized sports this year.
It was expected growth in boys volleyball would be a little bit slower than girls wrestling due to the number of athletes it takes to make up a team. But Neidig said there are 105 schools registered to play boys volleyball this spring, which reaches the threshold of 100 schools across the state’s three districts required to make it a fully recognized sport. Read the full report.
Boys Volleyball Sees Uptick in Interest in Missouri
Boys have been playing volleyball in Missouri for decades, but this year is different.
For the first time, boys volleyball is recognized by the Missouri State High School Activities Association as a Championship Sport.
According to MSHSAA, 79 schools are register for boys volleyball this season. There must be 128 schools registered before MSHSAA considered adding more classes. Read more here.
Colorado: 2024 Regional Champions, State Qualifiers Determined
The 2024 Colorado High School Activities Association boys volleyball eight regional champions have been determined, with all eight teams advancing to this week’s state championships.
The state championships will be hosted at Overland High School Thursday though Saturday, May 9-11. The bracket will be a double-elimination bracket through the semifinals with the championship match being single elimination.
Twelve boys volleyball teams from all over Oregon met on Saturday at Barlow High School to compete in a tournament celebrating both the Star Wars holiday of May 4 and the growth of boys volleyball in Oregon this spring.
The Oregon School Activities Association’s delegate assembly voted in October 2023 to name boys volleyball as its first “emerging activity.” The designation allows schools around the state to gauge interest in the sport as boys volleyball is running as a club activity, which the OSAA is keeping a keen eye on as fielding 50-plus teams would warrant potentially making boys volleyball an official sport in the state in the next couple of years.
And the numbers would suggest that Oregon boys like volleyball.
In the first year of boys volleyball being an emerging activity, the number of teams has almost doubled. Last year, there were about 30 boys teams statewide. This year, there are 52 teams coming from 68 total schools. Read the full article here.
HHSAA Boys Volleyball Tournament Begins
The HHSAA boys volleyball championship began on Monday with four Division I matches, with Kamehameha-Hawaii, Mililani, Roosevelt and Kamehameha advancing to Thursday’s quarterfinals.
The Division I Tournament will end on Monday, will full results available on this page.
High School Contacts for Each State
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.
Chase Budinger and Miles Evans Surge in Olympic Bid
Former NBA player Chase Budinger and partner Miles Evans are making a late surge in a bid to qualify for the Paris Olympic men’s beach volleyball tournament.
The top U.S. team, Andy Benesh and Miles Partain, have a significant lead. Budinger and Evans recently closed the gap on the No. 2 U.S. team of Theo Brunner and Trevor Crabb.
Last month, Budinger and Evans defeated Brunner and Crabb on the sands of Manhattan Beach, California, to earn the lone U.S. spot available in the North and Central America and Caribbean (NORCECA) Tour Finals in the Dominican Republic that start this weekend. Read more from NBCSports.
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!
USA Volleyball
Five Men’s Matches You Can’t Miss in VNL 2024
With the start of Volleyball Nations League 2024 just around the corner, VolleyballWorld.tv took a look at some of the most exciting matches awaiting the fans in this year’s men’s edition of the tournament. Check it out.
Professional Volleyball
2024 VLA Cup – May 17 – 19
The 2024 Men’s VLA Cup will be hosted in Madison at the brand new Madtown Juniors volleyball facility in Madison, Wisconsin on May 17 – 19. Learn more here. Matches will be streamed here.
Hirings and Openings
Hirings
Quincy University announced former Hawks assistant, Devin Walker as the new head men’s volleyball coach on Wednesday morning (May 1). Walker takes the reigns after serving as an assistant under former skipper, Caren Kemner, for the two previous seasons.
Director of Athletics Dr. Bren Stevens announces Robert Poole as the next Men’s Volleyball Head Coach at the University of Charleston.
American International College Director of Volleyball Matthew Cribbin announced the hiring of AIC alumnus Wade Robidoux ’22 MBA as the new Head Men’s Volleyball Coach on Tuesday, May 7.
Matthew Pollock has been elevated to associate head coach of the Pepperdine men’s volleyball team, as announced Head Coach Jonathan Winder
Graceland University Athletics and Athletic Director Brady McKillip announced the hiring of Eric Majors as men’s volleyball head coach.
Brittany Welch has been appointed as head coach for North Park University Men’s Volleyball, as announced Thursday afternoon by Director of Athletics. John Born. Welch served as a full-time assistant for both the NPU men’s and women’s programs this past year.
