- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 414,755
- Reaction score
- 43
Apr. 3—After nearly a decade of planning and organization, boys volleyball is finally a sanctioned sport in Minnesota.
Southeastern Minnesota has three teams competing in the first season of boys volleyball through the MSHSL: Rochester, Austin and Southland.
Mayo will host the Rochester co-op team with Century and John Marshall. All the teams in the state will compete in Class A for the inaugural season with Rochester, Austin and Southland in Section 1.
Rochester and Southland are led by their girls volleyball coaches Deb Frederick and Michelle Nelsen. Both Frederick and Nelsen were involved with club boys volleyball teams before assuming the head coach position at their respective schools this season.
"When the announcement went out, everybody was very excited," Nelsen said. "There was a lot of high energy around it when it actually became sanctioned."
The Packers are coached by Nate Thaw, a 2023 Austin grad and Success Coach at Ellis Middle School, who played club volleyball in school. When the head coach position opened up, Thaw jumped at the opportunity.
"I had to shoot my shot, and I tried, and luckily, I got the job," Thaw said. "It's a very proud moment."
Thaw is one of the youngest head coaches around and was once teammates with some of his current players.
"It's been great, just because I know some of the players already, and the seniors now, they were my lower classmen when I used to play," Thaw said. "I think we have great relationships. I'm very happy to coach boys volleyball this year. ... It's very exciting."
The Packers have a roster of 10 varsity players with 16 more on junior varsity. Thaw said he hopes to have enough athletes for a B Squad next season.
Southland has 17 players. Nelsen said there is a mix of newcomers and experienced players in grades 7-12.
Rochester had 48 boys sign up, but that number has since dropped to about 35 committed players. Frederick said it's enough for the Spartans to have varsity, JV and B Squad teams.
Nelsen visited homeroom classes during the school day at Southland to spread the word and share details about joining the team. The girls volleyball players helped, too.
"I think they had some influence on the boys to say, 'Hey, this is a really cool opportunity,'" Nelsen said. "So I think it was just that kind of word of mouth and the energy, and being in the club program for the last two years, that also generated some interest as well."
It was a similar situation at Mayo, with sisters and friends encouraging the players to sign up. For some of the Rochester kids, Frederick said it's their first time playing a sport for their school.
"We're getting more kids that it's now affordable (for them)," Frederick said. "They don't have to drive everywhere, they don't have to travel, so that opportunity is there in a more positive light for families."
While club boys volleyball has been prominent in Southeastern Minnesota for nearly a decade, the first sanctioned season of the sport brings more rules and responsibilities. Instead of practicing a couple of times per week, practice is held every day. Players also have to be mindful of their grades and attendance like they have to be on any other sanctioned sports team. For now, teams are also responsible for their own fundraising.
To help with the transition, Thaw encourages his players to visit Austin's study table, which is held after school twice a week. While some players were involved with club teams before joining the high school roster, others are new to the sport. So, the first weeks of practice involved some housekeeping and fundamentals.
"We're preparing and we're practicing our rotations and then drills that are game like," Thaw said. "We haven't played our first game yet, so I think after that, I should be able to see more of what the team needs. As of right now, I'm just having them learn everything, practice everything."
Like Austin, Southland's team has a range of experience levels. Nelsen said older players are helping to mentor younger and more inexperienced teammates. This has been a big help to her since she is the Rebels' only coach at the moment.
"Trying to manage all 17 of them sometimes can be challenging, but just trying to keep them all engaged and keep them focused and on task," Nelsen said. "They're doing great. I feel like they're learning so much so quickly. The progress is absolutely amazing. So I think that comes with those boys that have played before, and their ability to mentor the younger, more novice players has really been a key to that."
Since Southland is a smaller community compared to Rochester and Austin, Nelsen said she hopes her team is competitive and continues to build the program. As interest grows, she would like to see other local schools start teams or co-op with Southland.
"I feel like the lessons that they learn in an active sport like this — they're life lessons," Nelsen said. "And so I'm hoping that some of these kids will take that away, and they can also maybe play volleyball long term.
"I just want everyone to try their best because I know all of them are passionate about it," Thaw said. "Once the school starts coming to our games and seeing how fun and how cool and dynamic the volleyball is, I feel like more of the students, more of the guys will start gaining interest in the sport."
Frederick said she wants to see her players support and challenge each other as they acquire community support during their first season.
"We're not just building a volleyball player," Frederick said. "We're trying to help you be a better person, too. ... That's probably one of the differences, too, from a club to this. There's that expectation that you're there for your team and you're in it on the good days and the bad days."
The MSHSL boys volleyball state tournament will be held June 10-12 at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. Section 1-A playoffs begin May 27.
Austin plays Farmington in its first match of the season on Thursday, April 3, while Mayo/JM/Century hosts East Ridge. Both matches start at 7 p.m. Southland's schedule has yet to be announced.
"It's such an amazing, fun sport to watch," Nelsen said. "It's a lot of high energy, and boys volleyball is different than girls. The speed at which the ball is coming at you, and the pace of the game is quicker, and so it just creates a new dynamic and it creates a new look and feel to the game. So it's fun, and I would encourage everybody to at least take in a game and see what it's all about and help support our kids."
Continue reading...
Southeastern Minnesota has three teams competing in the first season of boys volleyball through the MSHSL: Rochester, Austin and Southland.
Mayo will host the Rochester co-op team with Century and John Marshall. All the teams in the state will compete in Class A for the inaugural season with Rochester, Austin and Southland in Section 1.
Rochester and Southland are led by their girls volleyball coaches Deb Frederick and Michelle Nelsen. Both Frederick and Nelsen were involved with club boys volleyball teams before assuming the head coach position at their respective schools this season.
"When the announcement went out, everybody was very excited," Nelsen said. "There was a lot of high energy around it when it actually became sanctioned."
The Packers are coached by Nate Thaw, a 2023 Austin grad and Success Coach at Ellis Middle School, who played club volleyball in school. When the head coach position opened up, Thaw jumped at the opportunity.
"I had to shoot my shot, and I tried, and luckily, I got the job," Thaw said. "It's a very proud moment."
Thaw is one of the youngest head coaches around and was once teammates with some of his current players.
"It's been great, just because I know some of the players already, and the seniors now, they were my lower classmen when I used to play," Thaw said. "I think we have great relationships. I'm very happy to coach boys volleyball this year. ... It's very exciting."
The Packers have a roster of 10 varsity players with 16 more on junior varsity. Thaw said he hopes to have enough athletes for a B Squad next season.
Southland has 17 players. Nelsen said there is a mix of newcomers and experienced players in grades 7-12.
Rochester had 48 boys sign up, but that number has since dropped to about 35 committed players. Frederick said it's enough for the Spartans to have varsity, JV and B Squad teams.
Nelsen visited homeroom classes during the school day at Southland to spread the word and share details about joining the team. The girls volleyball players helped, too.
"I think they had some influence on the boys to say, 'Hey, this is a really cool opportunity,'" Nelsen said. "So I think it was just that kind of word of mouth and the energy, and being in the club program for the last two years, that also generated some interest as well."
It was a similar situation at Mayo, with sisters and friends encouraging the players to sign up. For some of the Rochester kids, Frederick said it's their first time playing a sport for their school.
"We're getting more kids that it's now affordable (for them)," Frederick said. "They don't have to drive everywhere, they don't have to travel, so that opportunity is there in a more positive light for families."
While club boys volleyball has been prominent in Southeastern Minnesota for nearly a decade, the first sanctioned season of the sport brings more rules and responsibilities. Instead of practicing a couple of times per week, practice is held every day. Players also have to be mindful of their grades and attendance like they have to be on any other sanctioned sports team. For now, teams are also responsible for their own fundraising.
To help with the transition, Thaw encourages his players to visit Austin's study table, which is held after school twice a week. While some players were involved with club teams before joining the high school roster, others are new to the sport. So, the first weeks of practice involved some housekeeping and fundamentals.
"We're preparing and we're practicing our rotations and then drills that are game like," Thaw said. "We haven't played our first game yet, so I think after that, I should be able to see more of what the team needs. As of right now, I'm just having them learn everything, practice everything."
Like Austin, Southland's team has a range of experience levels. Nelsen said older players are helping to mentor younger and more inexperienced teammates. This has been a big help to her since she is the Rebels' only coach at the moment.
"Trying to manage all 17 of them sometimes can be challenging, but just trying to keep them all engaged and keep them focused and on task," Nelsen said. "They're doing great. I feel like they're learning so much so quickly. The progress is absolutely amazing. So I think that comes with those boys that have played before, and their ability to mentor the younger, more novice players has really been a key to that."
Since Southland is a smaller community compared to Rochester and Austin, Nelsen said she hopes her team is competitive and continues to build the program. As interest grows, she would like to see other local schools start teams or co-op with Southland.
"I feel like the lessons that they learn in an active sport like this — they're life lessons," Nelsen said. "And so I'm hoping that some of these kids will take that away, and they can also maybe play volleyball long term.
"I just want everyone to try their best because I know all of them are passionate about it," Thaw said. "Once the school starts coming to our games and seeing how fun and how cool and dynamic the volleyball is, I feel like more of the students, more of the guys will start gaining interest in the sport."
Frederick said she wants to see her players support and challenge each other as they acquire community support during their first season.
"We're not just building a volleyball player," Frederick said. "We're trying to help you be a better person, too. ... That's probably one of the differences, too, from a club to this. There's that expectation that you're there for your team and you're in it on the good days and the bad days."
The MSHSL boys volleyball state tournament will be held June 10-12 at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. Section 1-A playoffs begin May 27.
Austin plays Farmington in its first match of the season on Thursday, April 3, while Mayo/JM/Century hosts East Ridge. Both matches start at 7 p.m. Southland's schedule has yet to be announced.
"It's such an amazing, fun sport to watch," Nelsen said. "It's a lot of high energy, and boys volleyball is different than girls. The speed at which the ball is coming at you, and the pace of the game is quicker, and so it just creates a new dynamic and it creates a new look and feel to the game. So it's fun, and I would encourage everybody to at least take in a game and see what it's all about and help support our kids."
Continue reading...
