On October 31, freshman Donovan Clarke sent out a men’s volleyball team interest form. “Everyone has already wanted one but never tried to start one, so I took the initiative to get the people what they want,” Clarke said. 

Similarly, senior Savanna Maness, captain of the girls volleyball team, believes that interest has been brewing for a while. “I think it’s a good idea because a lot of people have been talking about it for a long time,” she said. “Like every year, people will say ‘We should start a men’s volleyball team,’ but no one has actually done it.”

Currently, men’s volleyball is considered a club. Clarke hopes that it will eventually become a varsity sport. “It’s only a club because we can’t just start a team right away,” he said. “Mr. Starks wants to see a turn-out, like how many people actually want to do it. I hope that it will eventually become a varsity sport, but because it’s so new, it will just be a club for this year.” 

Not many Parker boys play volleyball, so the club leaders are encouraging people from all experience levels to join. “It’s not gonna be that hardcore like track and baseball. This team is new so it’s more of a learning experience, rather than, ‘you have to already know what to do,’” Clarke said.

Next year, if it becomes a varsity sport, Parker will hire a volleyball coach. Clarke thinks it is a good idea to give more opportunities for boys to join team sports. “All the people of Parker should have equal opportunities and try new things and figure out what they want to do and this just gives them another option,” Clarke said.

Senior and girls volleyball team member Eda Altunbas, thinks it would be “sexist” not to have a boy’s volleyball team while having a girls one. Clarke’s family is hosting Altunbas so she has gotten to see him working on creating the team. 

Volleyball is also different from other team sports in terms of working together. “Volleyball has a different dynamic than team sports like basketball and soccer,” Maness said. “There is less competition within the team. People aren’t fighting for positions. Volleyball creates a strong bond as one team.”

A men’s volleyball team to Parker would also bring more publicity to girl’s volleyball according to Maness. “It would benefit girls too,” she said. “People would get to know more about volleyball. More people go to boys games so people will want to go to girls games too.”

The team’s preseason practice schedule will be once or twice a week. Due to boys and girls basketballs’ practice schedules, gym time is very limited. Saturday practices are a possibility for the team.

Because volleyball is a very team oriented sport, “It’ll bring us all together throughout all the Upper School whether you are a senior or freshman you can all work together,” Clarke said. “It’s just a great sport for team building.”