In past years, men’s volleyball has received little to no recognition from the Seabury community (because it did not exist). But with activities restricted, many have turned to the new sport for a means of recreation and using their excess free time. With this large jump in numbers, the year is bound to be a good one for the growing team.

Seabury junior Jimin Kim feels good about the inaugural team. “I feel like with other kids from other schools like LHS and Free State coming in, it’s more diverse,” he says. “You get to meet new people, make new friends, I think it’s a lot better this year than before. Playing club last season with mostly Seabury people, it’s a nice change of pace looking back.”

With an influx of students from neighboring public schools, many are excited to see how the season will progress with players from different backgrounds. “This year, we have high school kids from Lawrence High and Free State, which is different from last year,” says athletic director Brian Rios. “Some of these kids have played club volleyball year round before, where the skill level is higher, and the game is a little more advanced, so it’s fun to have different skill backgrounds, but there are also some kids who have never played volleyball and are still out there learning a lot and playing their hardest.”

Kim similarly enjoys the mix of Seabury and non-Seabury players: “I love that we have new people from out of Seabury, it’s enjoyable to make new friends and play with new guys from these different backgrounds and different skill levels,” he states. “I enjoy all the people, everyone’s just trying their hardest and their best to improve, especially these guys who haven’t played volleyball and are really passionate about it. I’ve really enjoyed watching them improve with me, and as a team, and I look forward to playing with them at this level.”

With this many players joining the team, it seems that volleyball, traditionally a predominantly-female sport in the United States, is growing in popularity as a boy’s sport. “Volleyball in general is growing quite a lot in the United States,” says Rios. “Men’s volleyball especially is the fastest growing high school sport and club sport at the moment. It’s a really enjoyable thing to see, because you only really see men’s volleyball on the east or west coasts, and in big cities like Chicago or St. Louis, so it’s nice to see it gaining traction in places outside the big city.”

As the sport continues to grow on a regional and national level, the Seabury boys volleyball team will continue to enjoy a season with new players from other schools and play through a full and well-deserved year of the sport.