HS Volleyball Stop: Boys v-ball is growing as a club sport in North Carolina. What’s next?

Men’s volleyball has long been an Olympic sport, but in North Carolina high schools, only the girls have played it as an official sanctioned event.

There’s a big push now to change that.

Sarah Conklin, a former volleyball player at UNC Charlotte, has always been passionate about the sport, and she has had a desire to see boys’ volleyball become a recognized statewide sport, like the girls game is, because of her two sons’ interest in it.

After she was done coaching her daughter, Conklin felt that was the time to stop. But that changed when her son came to her with an interest in playing.

“Our oldest son came to me in eighth grade and said, ‘I think I want to play volleyball,’” Conklin said. “I was of course over the moon excited, because at the time, Carolina Union Volleyball Club, it’s a club in town, they were the only one that had boys volleyball and there were no school teams to my knowledge.”

One of the largest obstacles that Conklin and Carolina Union have found during this push is trying to get the NCHSAA more heavily involved. Conklin feels as if there just needs to be a little bit more of a push, but realizes too, that to start any sport is hard and that it takes a great amount of time and funding.

Because NCHSAA member schools are offering boys volleyball, and following state rules, it is already a sanctioned sport in the state, but what Conklin and Carolina Union are after are traditional leagues, playoffs and state championships.

What needs to happen

In bylaw 6 of its handbook, the NCHSAA says when at least 25 percent of the total number of member schools — or half the schools in a classification — participate in a sport sanctioned by the association, there will be a state championship set for that sport.

Right now there are 432 member schools in the NCHSAA.

Boys volleyball would need to have 108 schools offering the sport in order for it to have an official state championship. Or it needs to have 25 percent of the schools in one classification.

There are 107 4A schools in North Carolina, so it would take 54 schools in 4A, for example, to offer volleyball to trigger a state championship.

No state championship will be offered until those participation percentages are hit.

Conklin says the interest levels are not that high for now — but they are growing.

A few schools that are currently playing, according to ncboyshighschoolvolleyball.com, include Weddington, Ardrey Kell, Sun Valley, Marvin Ridge, Hough, with several more looking to start programs by 2023 play. If 4A schools in Mecklenburg County, Union County and Wake County were to offer the sport, it would likely hit the thresholds needed.

“I understand that starting a new sport or team isn’t really a priority for athletic directors and even the state with all they have going on,” Conklin said. “I am staying hopeful that one day I might meet the right person that will be like, ‘hey, yeah this sounds great.’”

Matches to Watch

Tuesday

▪ No. 8 Hough faces No. 9 Mallard Creek in what promises to be an excellent match. It is a great opportunity for both teams to get a boost in the rankings with what would be a statement win over the other squad.

▪ Newly ranked Lake Norman, sitting at 14th in this week’s rankings, will square off against one of the bubble teams in the Cox Mill Chargers. A win would be convincing enough to add the Chargers to the Sweet 16 next week.

Thursday

▪ No. 3 Marvin Ridge has been battle-tested so far this season facing teams like Ardrey Kell, but they face the newly ranked 7-0, Sun Valley Spartans in what might just be the game of the week.

The Observer’s Sweet 16 Poll