The 2019 men and women’s club volleyball teams closed out the season at the 2019 National Collegiate Volleyball Federation (NCFV) championship April 18th - 20th. The men and women’s club volleyball teams packed up their bags and traveled to Denver, Colorado for the three-day national tournament. Over 5,600 registered athletes along with coaches, parents, vendors, fans and professional support staff attended, making this event the largest intercollegiate volleyball tournament in the world!  

 Both teams spent months preparing for nationals. The women’s team practiced from 8:00 - 10:00 pm every Monday and Wednesday beginning in the fall semester, while the men’s team practiced from 7:30- 10:00 pm every Tuesday and Thursday. The teams also traveled to a variety of colleges throughout the Southeast to put their practice into action. The women’s team also incorporated team strength training sessions and runs into their workout regime.

The first day of nationals proved to be successful with both teams winning two out of their three matches. “When we all work together, volleyball is an incredibly rewarding and fun experience for everyone involved”, said Ashley Stroup, women’s club volleyball president. It wasn’t until the second day where the competition picked up with both teams having a challenge match which determined their rankings for the rest of the tournament. The women’s team fought hard as they took the challenge match to three sets, but fell short, losing the match. The men’s team won their challenge match, setting them up for a strong overall finish placing 9th out of 50 teams in their division.

Both teams were able to gain valuable experiences from attending the 2019 NCFV Volleyball Championships. “I got to observe some of the best clubs around the nation and it was incredible to see different styles of players and strategies in action,” said Leo Weng, men’s club volleyball team defensive specialist.  Next year, the NCVF Volleyball Championships will take place in Kansas City, Missouri, and both teams are already planning ahead to find more success next year! “The winning teams beat us in competitive fire and mental toughness. Our team will strive to improve in these areas over the next semester,” said Eli Bailey, men’s club volleyball president.

Congratulations to the club volleyball teams for their hard work this season! If you are interested in learning more about joining the club volleyball or any other club team at the CRC go to crc.gatech.edu/clubs. Sport clubs are part of the competitive sports program at the CRC, and all 40+ clubs compete inter-collegiately throughout the year.