IHSAA boys volleyball going through first-year growing pains

LAFAYETTE ― Harrison senior defensive specialist Isaac Vargas somehow leapt high enough on a spike attempt, getting his hand on the ball to continue a rally against McCutcheon at Harold May Gymnasium.

Boys volleyball was being played at an elite level that night. The crowd was into it the whole way. Emotional swings seemingly with every point. The match would go five sets ― Harrison would win, but both sides exhausted once it ended.

There is no denying high school boys volleyball in Indiana anymore. It’s not new to the state — just new to the IHSAA this year. Boys volleyball has held a competitive infrastructure in Indiana for decades, with state playoffs and a lineal championship dating back to 1994 under the Indiana Boys Volleyball Coaches Association (IBVCA).

More: Lafayette Jeff and McCutcheon reflects on first IHSAA boys volleyball game

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When the official governing body of high school sports in the state designated it as an “emerging sport” three years ago, though, numbers skyrocketed. Schools participating in the state tournament rose from 35 teams in 2022 to the now-133 teams set to compete for the first IHSAA state title in 2025.

But the transition from IBVCA to IHSAA has come with growing pains as schools, coaches and the IHSAA attempt to keep up with the demand of new players and teams.

“Rule of 3”

Andrew Fuller, the Carmel High School head coach who is also the boys volleyball director at both Boiler Juniors and The Academy in Indianapolis, found himself at a crossroads when trying to determine who could receive training and play for club teams and those he had to omit in summer 2024.

“There were roughly 25 kids I couldn’t have on a high school team because of the current IHSAA rules,” Fuller said.

Fuller was forced to turn athletes away at his club teams because of IHSAA rule 15.2.2, commonly referred to as “rule of 3,” which limits how many high school athletes can join the same club team during the offseason.

The goal of 15.2.2 is to prevent the creation of ‘super teams,’ with students playing with high school teammates year-round. The rule, in theory, allows for non-club athletes a fair shot at making varsity teams.

“It also allows coaches to have a break and gives an opportunity for kids to play other sports,” IHSAA commissioner Paul Neidig also mentioned.

But with only four schools in the Lafayette area ― Lafayette Jeff, McCutcheon, Harrison and Crawfordsville ― fielding boys volleyball teams, it means less opportunity for students to receive training. That includes access to academies, clinics and AAU programs who can teach them how to pass, receive, set, serve and hit while also maintaining those skills year-round to sustain competitive balance.

“It puts a damper on boys volleyball in the area … with that rule, only one team is allowed to be made at Boiler Juniors,” McCutcheon coach Keith Crisler said. “That causes a lot of kids to lose an opportunity who wanted to play and lose out on reps which could not only grow the sport itself, but also growth on an individual scale.”

Too short of a season?

Maybe the biggest struggle has come with the truncated 7-week season, which coaches say is hurting players. Harrison and McCutcheon would eventually play six games in eight days between April 21 and April 29, including three best-of-five matches and five best-of-three matches in tournaments scattered near the greater Indianapolis area.

“We’re being asked to push these kids, and to be honest with you, my boys are tired right now,” Harrison coach Kristie Hostetler said. “You worry about injury from overuse right now. And that’s a real concern.”

Possible solutions

A long-term solution to help the talent gap will be the development of feeder systems. Since the sport is new to most schools, they don’t have kids in elementary and middle school playing for years before reaching high school like how established IHSAA sports do. That, of course, takes time to build.

There are more immediate solutions to get more players involved. Neidig suggested coaches offer clinics as a way to introduce the sport to either current or new high school players and middle school students who can’t afford club registration fees. To be a member of Boiler Juniors Metro II team, the cost is $450 in team tuition, $78 for a tryout and $50 per tournament.

“If programs could offer more free-of-charge clinics to learn the sport of volleyball and burden the cost, that would help grow the sport,” Neidig said.

Lafayette Jeff coach TJ Brandenburg shares similar thoughts to Neidig. In addition to being in the process of creating a middle school program at Tecumseh Middle School, Brandenburg runs a company called Private Lessons Are Yours (PLAY) that specializes in offering affordable clinics for volleyball, basketball, football, wrestling and track.

“Most of the kids that I coach at clinics have never touched a volleyball before,” Brandenburg said. “And our goal is to get you interested and to get you wanting to go to your club and wanting you to play on your team. The more kids that do that, the lower club costs can be because you’re getting more kids. I don’t think camps and clinics are a replacement for club ― I think they are good in addition to club.”

While coaches agree there are issues to work out as boys volleyball develops into an IHSAA sport, they are happy to be recognized by the Association. When the news was first announced that Mackey Arena on the campus of Purdue in West Lafayette would host the first volleyball state finals on Saturday, May 31, Fuller commended the move.

“I think the IHSAA putting the state championship at Mackey Arena is a great opportunity to spearhead growth as we continue to grow the sport and work with (the IHSAA) to provide opportunities for more players,” said Fuller on April 25.

Ethan Hanson is the sports reporter for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette. He can be reached at ehanson@jconline.com, on Twitter at EthanAHanson and Instagram at  ethan_a_hanson.