Men’s Volleyball Set Up For Success
by Alexis Barton
This year, the Maroons will welcome yet another new sports team to campus: men’s volleyball. Though the official announcement was made in 2021, this is the year where the team will be active on campus. The addition of the program brings the Maroons to 23 NCAA sports, including previous additions of wrestling and swimming.
Starting a new athletic program is no walk in the park, it is a decision that takes significant planning and funding. Even after the addition of the team had been announced, there was still a significant amount of foundational work for head coach Matt Reinsel. When recalling the most challenging parts of starting the program, he shared, “Usually when a prospective student-athlete visits a college campus, they are introduced to some current members of the team, or they’re able to watch a match or practice. Since we didn’t have that this past year, most of the conversations were about what our vision was for the future of this program… this made starting the program challenging, but in the end it helped us find players that wanted to buy into these ideas and be here at the start”. On a campus where team culture already creates a palpable dnamic, Reinsel knew this would be integral to the start of the program.
These Maroons will have a unique experience on the court, too. The team will not be competing in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference as most other RC teams do. They will be competing in the Continental Volleyball Conference, playing some familiar teams like Randolph-Macon and Eastern Mennonite.
With one final semester of preparation before their inaugural season, Reinsel is eager to showcase the team to students. “Everyone in our program is excited to bring men’s volleyball to Roanoke College. It is a high energy and fast paced sport… come out and support us in January!”. Go Maroons!
