The Men’s Club Volleyball Team is McDaniel’s newest addition to the athletic realm.
The idea for the club came from Trevor Green, a freshman and former volleyball player at his high school back in Florissant, MO. Green came to McDaniel and wanted to continue with volleyball but was unable to since there was no men’s team.
“Volleyball is a sport that I think there can be a lot of interest in especially for guys who don’t always have the opportunity to play,” said Zachary Brown, a McDaniel sophomore from Towson, Md., and member of the club team.
“I knew there would be a want for it from talking to other students,” said Green. “I knew that a lot of these guys wanted to play on a team.”
Green found out that other men were interested in volleyball after being an assistant to the women’s team this past season and seeing the number in attendance.
“Many of the guys who knew me at the games asked me why there wasn’t a team,” Green said. “I decided it was something that needed to be taken care of.”
Brown is one of the club team members Green had spoken with who wanted to play on a team.
“I have always thought volleyball was fun, and had never really gotten the chance to play,” said Brown who was deprived of this chance since his high school didn’t support any type of volleyball team.
Brown is currently positioned in the back row where he “digs” up balls that get past the front row defense.
Word of mouth, campus announcements, and asking friends of friends was how Green was able to get the team together.
McDaniel currently does not have a men’s volleyball team because the schools within the Centennial Conference only sponsor women’s volleyball teams. Also, it would cost upwards of $30,000 to start a team, according McDaniel’s Athletic Director, Paul Moyer.
Amanda Krampf, the graduate assistant for the women’s volleyball team, has helped coach and organize practices for the men’s club team.
The team starts practice by running a couple laps around the gym and then stretching to warm-up their muscles. Once warm-ups are done, the team talks with Coach Krampf about what they will be working on at practice that evening.
“Practices are intense and consist of running drills, working on different sets, and playing through an actual game,” said Brown.
The team will be participating in a couple of tournaments after spring break, Green said. The first tournament was in Jessup, Md., on March 24.
The University of Maryland, Catholic University, Johns Hopkins University, and Towson University are the other college club teams they will be playing against.
“Lindsey Henderson was really a big help,” Green said. “She got us $500 so we could enter tournaments, get uniforms and equipment.”
The team is grateful that the Office of Student Engagement was able to work with them so they could become a campus organization, says Green.
Currently the team has about 15 active members who attend every practice and will be playing in the tournament.
The team is looking to build membership and invites anyone who wishes to be a part of the club team to attend a Friday evening practice or contact Trevor Green at tag006@mcdaniel.edu.
