Boys volleyball has seen a significant increase in popularity, becoming the fastest-growing high school sport by 76% over the past decade. But it is still all too often dismissed by many as simply being a “girl’s sport”. Currently, in Missouri, for every seven girls who play volleyball, only one boy does.
The Platte County boys volleyball team, however, in the team’s first year of being MSHSAA-recognized, is trying to rewrite that narrative.
After several decades of endless campaigns by high schools in the state, in April of 2023, the Missouri State High School Activities Association approved the addition of boys volleyball to MSHSAA. Although boys volleyball was only recognized as an MSHSAA-sanctioned sport, Platte County already had its own boys volleyball team for the last two years, though the school didn’t officially recognize it until now.
Like many Missouri schools that have tirelessly fought for the sport in the past, head coach Kristi Whitmer has been a strong advocate for boys volleyball, aiming to encourage the sport’s growth and development.
Her interest in coaching boys volleyball grew from observing the limited opportunities for male athletes to play the sport. She believes volleyball is a dynamic, fast-paced sport that teaches teamwork, communication, and resilience. She wanted to create an opportunity for the district’s male students to experience it and fall in love with the sport.
“Before it was sanctioned, we focused on building interest and proving that there was a demand. We established a club program, encouraged participation, and worked to get students involved through open gyms and community support,” Whitmer explained. “Showing consistent numbers and enthusiasm from athletes helped demonstrate that boys volleyball could be successful in our district,” Whitmer said.
Whitmer was overwhelmed with enthusiasm whenever the sport officially became an MSHSAA sport.
“It was incredibly exciting and rewarding to see it officially recognized. It validated the work that so many people had put in to grow the sport. The surge in popularity of boys volleyball across the state and country absolutely played a role—more schools were showing interest, and that momentum helped push it forward,” Whitmer said.
Junior Emma Brinkman is a student coach for the boys volleyball team, who originally joined the team when the program was first started as an unofficial school club. Her role as a student coach is to focus on the small details.
In their first official MSHSAA season this year, Brinkman is aspiring to become a better technical coach for her players.
“With boys volleyball being recognized in MSHSAA this year, we have more resources available, which is incredible. I have seen significant improvement from last year to this year,” Brinkman said. Recently, I have started videotaping drills during practice, and now I can explain corrections better to the boys, as they can see what they need to adjust.”
She wants to improve this aspect for newcomers to volleyball, but Brinkman is already proud of the work that they have put in.
“This year, we have four players who are experiencing volleyball for the first time, and they are picking up skills incredibly fast. They put in hard work and hustle during practice. When coaches give feedback, they listen and make the necessary corrections because they genuinely want to improve. This eagerness comes from their character, and all the boys on the team have that same commitment to getting better, which is truly remarkable,” Brinkman said.
Juniors Josh Echeverry and Preston Cavan are co-team captains of the team. Originally joining the boys volleyball team for fun, when it had first started as a club program, they eventually developed a strong passion for the sport.
“It was meeting a lot of amazing people. I met Avery Walter and Ava Moffett, who, like, brought so much joy and so much content within me,“ Cavan said. “That made me [feel like] if I didn’t go to the club, I was letting them down, because they helped me so much, and if I didn’t, it would be like a backslap. So they gave me the confidence to go out and go training.”
Cavan is the team’s libero, who acts as the defensive core of the team, and tries to bring energy and confidence with every single play on the court. This confidence is what Cavan tries to imprint on the less experienced players on the team.
“You can’t win a single volleyball game if you have no confidence in yourself. So that’s what I try to build into new players early, is that, like, mistakes are okay. Everything’s okay. If you mess up with me, everything’s fine. Just keep on having confidence, and like, the way you return to the next point really shows, like, who’s the best volleyball player?”
The other co-captain, Echeverry, an outside hitter on the team, really focuses on helping his team improve in a variety of ways.
“What I do as an outside is a little bit of everything. So I block, and then as a captain, I’m just always trying to stay on top of my teammates, see what’s wrong and what’s right with the team, and things like that,” Echeverry said.
One of these less-experienced team members, who is under the wing of Echeverry and Cavan, is senior Westin Sommers, who joined the boys volleyball team as a way to have a little bit of last-minute senior fun before graduation. Even though he was the last one to make the team and says he’s struggling a little bit, Sommers is still determined to develop his technique and understanding of the sport.
“So right now, I’m just like learning it, learning how to, like, actually play the game instead of just like hitting and stuff, but Coach has put me in the role of like, any, everywhere,” Sommers stated.
But Summers and many other inexperienced players have a great support system to show them through the ropes.
“Our captains are great, Josh and Preston are very supportive, and they’re, and the entire team is honestly very friendly,” Summers explained. “Maybe you make a mistake. Hey, it’s all right. It’s gonna happen, you know. And they’re very positive. The coaches are great as well.”
That support system that does not just disappear off the court, though. It can become even stronger off of it.
Captains Echeverry and Cavan try to plan team meetups outside of practice to increase and promote team chemistry. These hangouts have allowed these players to grow and tighten their bond as a team and prepare themselves to hit the court with confidence.
“We’re just gonna show out for the crowd, and then inspire people to look at the sport and say, ‘Hey, that looks really fun to play, and we want to join and hopefully build [something].’ And we only have one team right now, but build to be and see team once we get more players.
Much of the team has very high expectations for their first year as an official MSHSAA sport. Cavan has hopes for the team to really set and serve in their first MSHSAA season.
“I am so excited I can’t even hide it. Like every time someone asked how excited you are for the season, I just smile bigger and bigger every single day, because it’s just, I’m so excited, like we’re gonna hopefully go out and play some games, win a lot.”
Brinkman hopes that through the success of their first season, boys volleyball is not a sport that is tailored to only one gender. Like any other sport, it’s something that anyone can fall in love with.
“When I first started playing volleyball, boys volleyball wasn’t popular and was mainly considered a girls’ sport. However, it’s amazing to see the growth in boys volleyball and the increasing interest from guys to try something new and stick with it,” Brinkman explained. “I encourage more boys to give it a chance, as we’ve had newcomers who enjoyed their first experience and want to continue playing, which is fantastic.”
The boys volleyball team is hosting a jamboree on March 19 for their first few games, where they will compete against three other teams. Brinkman has a firm belief in her team’s abilities this season.
“After watching them scrimmage in practice and observing their skills, I believe we have the potential for a successful season and a shot at making it to state.”
