Students Create First Co-Ed Club Volleyball Team
By LIZZY KUBANCEK
Senior and junior students, Brandon Weber and Laylah McPherson, started Seton Hill’s first co-ed Club Volleyball team, in order to “keep a level of competitiveness” in the intramural sport, according to Weber. Weber “noticed that we [Seton Hill] don’t have anything here other than just dropping in and playing … so I thought, why not.
“Instead of being open to everyone, like the regular drop-ins are, this is a team you try out for and we practice separately,” said Weber. “Our idea of starting it [the team] was to keep that level [of competition].
“The goal right now is just to get a couple of competitive matches against other schools,” said Weber, adding that he hopes to “play against other schools, kind of get a system going, and hopefully next year after I graduate, they’ll be able to join a league.”
Try outs were held at the beginning of the semester and the team practices weekly on Wednesdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Other local schools participate in club volleyball programs, including PennWest California, University of Pittsburgh and Slippery Rock University.
Junior student, Maria Poff, has been a part of the volleyball club since freshman year and is now a member of the new club volleyball team. “I thought it was cool they were starting a more competitive play style for the club team,” said Poff, “I missed high school volleyball, so I thought it would be fun to play in a more competitive environment.”
Senior student, Ryan Appleby, said, “While this isn’t collegiate-level volleyball, we still get to be competitive and push each other.
“The first hour of practice is going over what we need to work on as a group collectively, whether passing, setting, blocking, serving, or hitting,” said Appleby. “The next hour is spent trying to put those skills that we worked on into practice when we play games.”
Appleby said being part of a co-ed team “gives us a unique opportunity compared to other club teams. We get to work with each other and help one another get better. For example, I might be able to kill the ball really well, but my passing needs work. I can go to one of my teammates, like Izzy [Isabel Gerheim], who is a great passer, and ask her how to get better, and vice versa.”
A second round of tryouts will be held the first or second week of Spring semester. Appleby advises students to “try out, you have nothing to lose.
“One of the best things you can do in college is try new things. Whether that be joining a new club, sitting with someone new at lunch, or even joining a club sports team. Get out there and be comfortable living in the uncomfortable. That is where you are going to find your people and be truly happy,” said Appleby.
“Everyone is just looking to get better,” said Poff. “It’s really good energy, quick paced and just really, really fun.”
Volleyball Club and the Club Volleyball team are hosting a fundraiser tournament on Saturday, Dec. 6 in McKenna Gym. Students interested in registering can reach out to @shu_coed_vbc via direct message on Instagram.