As boys volleyball in Indiana grows, more South Bend area teams are getting involved

SOUTH BEND — Approximately 55 people were seated inside Algie Oldham Gymnasium on South Bend’s south side Thursday, the majority family members of the athletes playing Indiana’s newest boys sport.

Small crowds are to be expected as boys volleyball tries to become what its girls counterpart is. The girls have a 50-year head start on the boys, after all.

For years, boys volleyball was mostly played by Indianapolis-based schools. That started to change two years ago when the Indiana High School Athletic Association designated it an “emerging sport.” That title was dropped Monday when the IHSAA announced boys volleyball, along with girls wrestling, would become official sports overseen by the state, starting with the upcoming 2024-25 school year.

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Just like the girls, the boys will compete for an IHSAA state championship next year. The girls’ season stays in the fall with the boys playing in the spring.

Penn, South Bend Riley going through growing pains

Thursday’s match between South Bend Riley and Penn was the first for both programs since the IHSAA’s announcement. It was Penn’s first match altogether, and that was illustrated before the first point was even played. Coach Deanna Wisler spent a minute telling her players where to line up before Riley served the ball.

There were several teaching moments for Wisler throughout the match. A veteran volleyball coach who also currently leads the Bremen girls’ program never lost her energy, though, even when her team was struggling.

“Since it’s been a club team for us, the boys had to pay for their own uniforms,” Wisler said. “The boys are volunteering their time. I’m not getting anything from it; I’m volunteering my time. I’m really proud of them for wanting to step up. They work hard and want more practices.”

One of the few Penn players with prior volleyball experience is Landon Sears. The senior has played travel volleyball through the Northern Indiana Volleyball Association and Team Pineapple Volleyball Club. He will be playing collegiately at Bethel University, a program in its second year of NAIA competition.

“I didn’t really think it’d ever start up at Penn, but I’m happy that it is,” Sears said. “I’m very excited for what is to come of the program. … It felt like this came out of nowhere. I just remember one day it being announced for the emerging sports list, and two years later, it’s sanctioned. I think that’s really cool. It’s shown the progress and hard work of all the coaches and players across the state.”

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While things were brand new for Penn, Riley had seven matches under its belt before Thursday. That left Wildcats coach Warren Bynum with a little less in-match teaching to do, which was the furthest thing from the truth when the group first was together for practices two months ago.

“We didn’t know what to expect,” Bynum recalled. “We didn’t know how much they knew, how much they didn’t know, how many of the guys played club or whatever. So, when we got in and saw it was pretty raw … we just had to get to the basics.”

Like Sears for Penn, Riley junior Austin Pflugner has been playing club volleyball for five years. He knows some of the Penn people well as he and Kingsmen junior Bryan Forbes were two of the founding members of the boys volleyball team at NIVA with Wisler serving as their coach.

Now, Pflugner gets to wear a Riley uniform while playing the sport. Pflugner also competes for the school’s track team, making him a multi-sport athlete this spring.

“It’s pretty exciting,” Pflugner said. “Since track is more in the evening, I’m able to do both. It’s really nice.”

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Eleven players suited up for Penn and 12 for Riley. While the Wildcats did get the sweep, it was a competitive three sets, with Riley winning 25-23, 25-20, 25-17.

Penn will play one more match with Riley and two with South Bend Saint Joseph to finish its inaugural season. Meanwhile, the Wildcats still have four matches left, not including the Indiana Boys Volleyball Coaches Association state tournament they will be part of.

Continuing the growth of boys volleyball

Riley, Saint Joseph and Penn are the only St. Joseph County high school teams playing so far. Others from the surrounding area with teams are Northridge, Goshen, LaPorte, South Central and Westville. In total, more than 100 schools in the state have a boys volleyball team, which was the number the sport needed to reach to become IHSAA official.

What comes next might be the hardest thing for the sport: sustaining interest. With a spring season that already features baseball, track and golf as boys’ sports, it could be hard for volleyball to get the athletes needed to compete. Kids like Pflugner, who are willing to balance two spring sports at once, will be essential to the success early.

“We’ve got to be willing to share them,” Wisler said. “We can’t take them away from track if they also love volleyball and an opportunity for them to go to college in that. I think that’s our biggest hurdle. … We’re growing and getting more recognition. I think once we get more recognition, it’ll get better and better.”

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Riley, Penn amongst South Bend area teams adding IHSAA boys volleyball