In its inaugural season, the Gustavus men’s volleyball team has enjoyed its share of success
Volleyball was created by William G. Morgan for the men of the YMCA in Massachusetts in 1895. Since then it has developed into a worldwide recreational and competitive activity.
Currently, many volleyball leagues are primarily for females, but the men on the Gustavus Club Volleyball team are changing that, at least for our college community.
Founded by Senior Major Chew Vang and Senior Captains Jens Hagstrom and Scott Slarks in the fall of 2007, it has become an incredibly popular activity for the men on campus. The team is now coached by Senior Amanda Capelle and Junior Ashley Melville.
The group doesn’t have a web site and has very little coverage on campus. But the captains are trying to change that.
“Currently, Scott Slarks and I are senior captains of the team and have been since the spring of 2008. We have taken the initiative to expand the team and create a solid organization at Gustavus,” said Hagstrom.
Our college is not the first to start a men’s volleyball team on its campus. The team is part of the Northern Intercollegiate Volleyball Conference (NIVC), which includes six schools from the MIAC. The season, which starts in October and ends in April, competes in tournaments every weekend.
“We have competed in tournaments in the following locations: Stout, Mankato (three tournaments), Eau Claire, St. John’s and Carleton,” said Hagstrom. “Our next three tournaments include the MIAC championships here at Gustavus on Saturday, March 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., our NIVC conference tournament at NDSU on March 28-29 and the Men’s DII National Tournament in Kansas City, MO.”
These tournaments are the final push for the men to show their talent.
“There is stiff competition, and we have been able to compete against these top teams during tournament play,” said Hagstrom. The Gustavus men are currently 7-7 and are looking for big wins this weekend. The team is serious and has improved immensely since last year.
“The guys have worked really hard all season and have improved exponentially since the
first tournament,” said Melville.
The team has practice twice a week, and to prepare for the tough competition, it scrimmages the women’s volleyball team.
Currently, the team consists of seven seniors, three juniors, five sophomores and three first-years. Since it is a club sport, the team can only bring twelve or thirteen of their top players to competitions, but it is always looking for new interested players.
“We have a wide range of talent and skill level and are currently looking for anyone
interested in coming out for the team next year,” said Melville. The team is not only looking to expand its player base, but also its fan base and its popularity on campus.
No offense to the current club members, but it’s insulting that this article and apparent campus awareness is one that Gustavus has never before had a mens’ club volleyball team.
In the 1990s, the Gustavus club team was hugely competitive in the NIVC, participating in many winter sanctioned tournaments and both traveling to and hosting club teams from other MIAC schools as well as those from NDSU, UND, St. Cloud and MSU. In fact I played on a squad that defeated the U of M’s gold squad.
Good luck to the current club, but sheeesh, the idea and legacy of mens volleyball at Gustavus isn’t foreign.