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For years, Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia didn’t offer volleyball teams for boys. That changed last week when several county high schools hosted tryouts.
The school district has added boys’ varsity volleyball teams to each of its 28 high school athletic programs for the 2024-25 school year.
“We have a big roster,” said Aubrey Eaton, West Springfield High School’s new head volleyball coach. “Because we don’t have junior varsity teams yet, and we want to make sure we have players in the pipeline so that next year we’ll have a pool to pull from.”
Veteran coaches, like Eaton, said she can spot a strong player within minutes on the court.
“I’m looking for all of the volleyball skills,” she said. “Can you pass? Can you set? Are you supportive of your teammates? We want to build a competitive program.”
And it’s taking off.
At the beginning of the weeklong tryout sessions, more than 30 boys showed up. By the end of the week, Eaton had a team of 14 players and four more in the practice group.
One of those players is Eaton’s son, Logan, a senior at West Springfield.
He has played volleyball since he was 10 years old, but only in pricey club leagues and on private travel teams, which can cost upward of $5,000 each season.
Before the addition to Fairfax County schools, boys in Fairfax County could only play in highly competitive club-level programs.
“I love the sport, honestly,” he said. “I love being competitive. It’s a part of me.”
Although his mom is the coach, Logan said he wasn’t a shoo-in for the team.
“I wasn’t worried about making the team,” he said. “But, every single day, she would remind me, ‘Logan you didn’t make the team yet. You need to try out.’ So, I came and gave 100 percent.”
Girls have long dominated high school volleyball. It’s the top team sport among female athletes in the U.S.
But in recent years, the sport’s popularity has skyrocketed among boys. It grew by nearly 11,000 players during the 2022-23 school year, according to the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
The new Fairfax County teams bring a level of exposure to the sport that some boys didn’t have before, Eaton said. And the sport missed out on developing potential star players.
“It really helps to grow the sport,” she said. “For example, we had a player that made the team this year who has never played organized volleyball. But from day one to day four of the tryouts, he grew exponentially. Now that we have a high school team, we can build that talent.”
Something else the new volleyball teams can offer: the chance to be scouted by college coaches, armed with scholarships.
“It could pave my way to the future,” Logan said. “I do want to go to college on a scholarship. So, it’s a nice feeling to know that I get to be a part of [the volleyball team], especially for my last year.”
The team’s first match is set for the second week of school, so a rigorous practice schedule is in the works, Eaton said.
A former college volleyball player herself, Eaton hopes her team will enjoy a season filled with fun and “big everyday moments.”
“Everybody who plays in high school is not going to play at the next level, whether they’re a girl or boy,” Eaton said. “This gives them an opportunity to learn the values of being part of a team and a sport. All the things you learn as a team member that you can take into life.”
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