Apr. 3—After nearly a decade of planning and organization, boys volleyball is finally a sanctioned sport in Minnesota.
Southeastern Minnesota has three teams competing in the first season of boys volleyball through the MSHSL: Rochester, Austin and Southland.
Mayo will host the Rochester co-op team with Century and John Marshall. All the teams in the state will compete in Class A for the inaugural season with Rochester, Austin and Southland in Section 1.
Rochester and Southland are led by their girls volleyball coaches Deb Frederick and Michelle Nelsen. Both Frederick and Nelsen were involved with club boys volleyball teams before assuming the head coach position at their respective schools this season.
"When the announcement went out, everybody was very excited," Nelsen said. "There was a lot of high energy around it when it actually became sanctioned."
The Packers are coached by Nate Thaw, a 2023 Austin grad and Success Coach at Ellis Middle School, who played club volleyball in school. When the head coach position opened up, Thaw jumped at the opportunity.
"I had to shoot my shot, and I tried, and luckily, I got the job," Thaw said. "It's a very proud moment."
Thaw is one of the youngest head coaches around and was once teammates with some of his current players.
"It's been great, just because I know some of the players already, and the seniors now, they were my lower classmen when I used to play," Thaw said. "I think we have great relationships. I'm very happy to coach boys volleyball this year. ... It's very exciting."
The Packers have a roster of 10 varsity players with 16 more on junior varsity. Thaw said he hopes to have enough athletes for a B Squad next season.
Southland has 17 players. Nelsen said there is a mix of newcomers and experienced players in grades 7-12.
Rochester had 48 boys sign up, but that number has since dropped to about 35 committed players. Frederick said it's enough for the Spartans to have varsity, JV and B Squad teams.
Nelsen visited homeroom classes during the school day at Southland to spread the word and share details about joining the team. The girls volleyball players helped, too.
"I think they had some influence on the boys to say, 'Hey, this is a really cool opportunity,'" Nelsen said. "So I think it was just that kind of word of mouth and the energy, and being in the club program for the last two years, that also generated some interest as well."
It was a similar situation at Mayo, with sisters and friends encouraging the players to sign up. For some of the Rochester kids, Frederick said it's their first time playing a sport for their school.
"We're getting more kids that it's now affordable (for them)," Frederick said. "They don't have to drive everywhere, they don't have to travel, so that opportunity is there in a more positive light for families."
While club boys volleyball has been prominent in Southeastern Minnesota for nearly a decade, the first sanctioned season of the sport brings more rules and responsibilities. Instead of practicing a couple of times per week, practice is held every day. Players also have to be mindful of their grades and attendance like they have to be on any other sanctioned sports team. For now, teams are also responsible for their own fundraising.
To help with the transition, Thaw encourages his players to visit Austin's study table, which is held after school twice a week. While some players were involved with club teams before joining the high school roster, others are new to the sport. So, the first weeks of practice involved some housekeeping and fundamentals.
"We're preparing and ...
