Club volleyball team opts out of tournament
They were registered and they were qualified, but what could have been the trip of a lifetime for some players, ended before it even began.
In a last minute decision, the men’s club volleyball team at Utah State University withdrew from nationals just prior to the team’s departure. The team originally planned on flying to Kansas City, Mo., the site of this year’s nationals.
However, after an attempt to allocate next year’s funding in order to compensate for a tight budget fell through, the only other option was a bus ride that would take more than 20 hours each way. Added together, with three days of tournament action, team members would miss nearly a week of classes.
Co-captain and travel coordinator for the club, sophomore Brett Olson said most of the players chose other obligations over the tournament. Those obligations included concerts, recitals, assignments, and preparing for finals.
“A lot of the guys decided it wasn’t worth the sacrifice,” Olson said.
As a club, the responsibility for funding, registering for tournaments and keeping up with their coursework rests heavily on the players themselves. Olson said it is not as easy to be excused from their classes and make-up tests or quizzes, as it would be if they were an NCAA sanctioned organization.
“We’re not scholarship athletes,” Olson said. “We can’t make our sport our top priority, since we don’t get paid to go to school.”
Olson also said missing out on nationals was disappointing but the team stands behind its decision not to compete.
Coach Jason Stout was also frustrated with the last-minute change but he said he felt that his players did their best.
“The guys did a pretty good job at preparing,” Stout said. “It’s just too bad that it fell through.”
As a master’s student in coaching, Stout plans to finish his degree as soon as possible but says that he would like to be involved with the team next season, if he’s still on campus.
The club team will bring high hopes and expectations into next year, as only two players on the current roster are graduating this year and moving on – leaving the team optimistic to build on the experience they gained this season.
The team also pointed out that funding may not be such an issue next year because nationals will take place at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City.
-dnoack@cc.usu.edu