Last spring, Heart of America Volleyball formed the Kansas City High School Boys Volleyball League after gaining more interest in boys volleyball at the club level. Twenty-seven teams throughout the KC Metro area played in the league last year.
Girls varsity volleyball coach Molly Haggerty said BVNW was given the opportunity to join the league last year but decided to wait in hope of learning from the experiences that other schools went through. Haggerty, who is coaching the boys team for the upcoming 2020 season, said she is excited to see how many boys are interested in playing volleyball and hopes it becomes something that becomes very popular at BVNW.
“We decided that we were going to let some other schools roll it out and find some issues that we could avoid when we play,” Haggerty said. “I think volleyball will be a great opportunity for boys to find a new passion and something they enjoy working hard at.”
Due to KSHSAA regulations and Title IX, boys volleyball will be classified as a club rather than a sport. BVNW Athletic Director Kevin Gerke said KSHSAA does not sponsor boys volleyball, as an official high school boys sport, hence it has to be classified as a club sport.
Haggerty said BVNW is limiting boys volleyball to one team with 10 to 12 players because she is the only coach. Also, Haggerty is planning on placing stipulations on the team, prohibiting boys in certain spring sports from playing and also limiting the team to juniors and seniors.
“Since there is only going to be one team in a school of 1600 people, we’re going to only allow junior and senior boys who aren’t participating in a spring sport to play,” Haggerty said. “We don’t want coaches to get a bad taste in their mouth that their players will get injured playing in a sport they’re a novice at.”
Junior Jeremy Bredemeier is one of many students who are interested in playing boys volleyball. Bredemeier said that although he has never played volleyball competitively, he has learned how to play through his older sister, who played volleyball for a majority of her life. Bredemeier said that he has been talking with Haggerty for a long time about the possibility of creating a boys volleyball team and is excited that the time has come.
“I’ve been in Haggerty’s ear ever since I’ve known her and now that the team is happening, I can’t wait,” Bredemeier said. “I know there are many boys who have never had the opportunity to play volleyball and I think this team will grow and become something bigger in the future because of how many boys are interested in playing.”
The team will practice once a week and play once a week in triangular or quad matches. Along with this, Haggerty hopes to play in two weekend tournaments. Haggerty said that while it is a short two month season, she hopes the players find volleyball as an activity they’ll continue to play throughout their whole life.
“Volleyball is a sport that they can do throughout their lifetime, whether that’s recreational, competitive or even in college,” Haggerty said. “I hope the boys find volleyball as an activity they enjoy for their whole life.”
An informational meeting is being held on Jan. 27 in room 403 during Husky Halftime.