KU men’s club volleyball building leaders and a sense of community

Savannah Lawson | @savvlawson

Men’s volleyball has long been overlooked, with only a limited number of Division I programs existing across the country. 

Competing at a high level is already a challenge, but it’s even more challenging when your program is entirely student-led. KU men’s volleyball club has risen to the challenge. The club members not only compete, but also manage their own team and finances. 

Because it is a club and not part of the NCAA, the players coach their own team and find ways to raise money for tournaments. 

“Students have to depend on being leaders for their own club, on top of academics and stuff,” said Mateo Diaz-Padilla, club treasurer. “So, that just takes a lot rather than just having a coach and letting them do it for you.”

The club attends four tournaments each semester. During fall semester, there is an A, B and C team. It dwindles down to A and B during the spring. 

“It’s just a little easier to manage. We only get one court here. So, it’s easier for two teams to manage that and to manage scrimmages. With three teams, it started to be a lot,” said Luke Coffman, club president. 

Despite the limited number of programs and the challenges of running a team themselves, the players say it’s worth it. Managing the club has allowed players to build not only a competitive team, but a community. 

“Men’s D1 volleyball is one of the smallest sports, but one of the fastest growing sports. So, there’s not a lot of programs that have a D1 team yet, but it’s growing really fast,” said Coffman.

Watch the segment here: