The men’s club volleyball team does not have a very long history, this being their third season. Having a young team has its own pros and cons, and the players realize how difficult it can be when they face more experienced teams.
The team has about 15 guys, most of them from outside Alabama. Junior Stephen Jones admits it’s a challenge to find players who are committed to the team because few Southern students have a strong connection to the sport.
“It’s very difficult,” Jones said. “Trying to find someone with background with the sport in the South is very tough. Most of our players are from out of state.”
The team practices three times a week, usually on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. One obstacle the team deals with is the change in practice location. The team hosts its practices at two different locations, the Student Recreation Center and the CAVE, which is in the back left corner underneath Coleman Coliseum.
The men placed second last semester in the Crimson Classic after facing tough competition like Tennessee’s A team, one of the best teams in the south. The Tide ended up beating the A team 25-17, 25-19 on its way to finishing second in the tournament.
Jones and sophomore Ryan Arnold said as they get more experience as a team, they’ll be able to achieve some self-set goals.
“We want to win our first tourney,” Arnold said.
“We also want to go to nationals,” Jones said.
The team may have an opportunity to win its first tourney when the Tide plays at Tennessee in February. This tournament will be the second of the year.
The differences between club and school-run teams can be seen when dealing with creating a schedule. The big difference between the two teams is that club sports do not have an athletic director to help form it.
Besides playing on the team, Jones is in charge of building the team’s schedule by calling colleges to see if they are interested in setting up a match along with a date and time that best suits both schools. Jones considered a possible match against in-state rival Auburn, but has since said the match will no longer take place.
The team plans to hold tryouts for next year soon, but there has not been an exact date set yet. If you are interested in trying out for the team, e-mail Stephen Jones at [email protected].
