On October 5th, the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) sanctioned boys’ volleyball to take place in the spring of 2025.
This approval was one of the final steps the task force had to make to finalize the approval of boys’ volleyball in Minnesota. A month later, Sartell High School took their initial step in forming a team by holding an open gym for those interested in trying a new sport.
It was not an easy road to approval for boys’ volleyball. In 2021, the motion brought by the MSHSL representatives fell just two votes short of the two-thirds majority needed. A year later, the motion failed by one vote. This May, they approved the sport with a 31-17 majority. The controversy stemmed from some fearing volleyball would reduce participation in other sports, in addition to concerns of having a lack of resources and gym space.
Sartell’s first open gym began before the sun rose, but the 6:30 a.m. start didn’t deter nine athletes from attending. Coach Nathan Schultz joined in and was the tenth man for a five-on-five scrimmage. The message afterward was clear: come back on Tuesday and bring some friends. The recruitment pitch worked, as five more showed up the following week, plenty for a full six-on-six scrimmage.
Coach Schultz, who is currently an assistant coach on the girls’ volleyball team, shares that the long-term vision is to field a team under the MSHSL umbrella; however, right now he is more focused on finding players with interest.
Activities Director Bruce Thompson echoes that by saying, “We’re at the floor level for boys’ volleyball, trying to gauge interest, [and] see if we have students at Sartell that are interested in playing and learning the game.”
If volleyball were to become a sanctioned sport at Sartell, it would be the first to be introduced since boys’ and girls’ lacrosse had their inaugural season in 2016. The quick success of lacrosse is something that boys’ volleyball is hoping to mirror. Thompson noted that there are many behind-the-scenes components that are needed to make a new sport successful. Having a feeder program is critical to develop talent. Starting youth early allows for athletes to acquire extensive knowledge of the game before getting to the high school level. Funding is needed in order to accommodate transportation, uniforms, and equipment among other fees. Other obstacles activities directors will have to tackle include finding officials, opponents, and gym space.
The National Survey of Children’s Health estimates that five percent of children aged 13-17 play volleyball. However, USA Volleyball shows that only eleven percent of high school volleyball players are male. It would likely be a foreign sport to many boys who try it for the first time.
Schultz encourages people to try it out, saying, “If you’re looking for something else to do, volleyball is a lot of fun. It’s something a little bit different. You never know if you are going to be good at it or enjoy it unless you try it. It’s a great opportunity to see if it sparks an interest.”
Open gym at Sartell High School is held from 6:30 to 8:00 a.m., on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It starts with brief skills and drills followed by a scrimmage.
Senior Marcus Congdon, who has been at every open gym, says, “It really is a blast, it’s a great team game, and we are always looking for new people.
