City high school boys teams proving volleyball is not just a girls sport anymore

Niko Gummer grew up watching his sister play volleyball and hearing others say only girls can play the sport.

Now, he is one of the many across the state who are fighting to make volleyball a recognized boys high school sport as a member of the Calhoun Christian/Harper Creek co-op team this spring.

"My sister played volleyball most of her life, so I would be at the school watching her play all the time, but I didn't get to play," Gummer said. "So when there was a chance to play volleyball, I was in it. I wanted to try it and it's been great."

The Calhoun Christian/Harper Creek co-op is one of two teams in the city playing in the Michigan Boys Volleyball League, now in its sixth year with 56 teams across the state. Along with student-athletes from Calhoun Christian and Harper Creek, the team also includes St. Philip freshman Lincoln Dzwik and Gull Lake junior Marshal Moulds. The squad plays in the South Conference, along with a Battle Creek Central/Lakeview co-op team.

Gummer has parlayed his experience playing high school volleyball into a college opportunity, committing to play men's volleyball at Cornerstone University. Showing the growth of the sport in the area, Calhoun Christian also had a player last year sign with Cornerstone — Diogo Pagy, who was a Lakeview student.

"The biggest problem we have, or the biggest challenge to making the sport even bigger than it is, is that people think it's a girls sport," Gummer said. "There are a lot of stereotypes, like boys aren't supposed to play volleyball, and we are working through that."

Harper Creek senior Zack Tramel, in his first year in the sport, was excited to hear his school was going to get involved with boys volleyball.

"I'm glad that Calhoun Christian reached out to us and let us play with them," Tramel said. "It's a great experience and gives athletes here another game to play in the spring. People don't know it's not just a women's sport. It's a men's sport. There are a lot of colleges that play men's volleyball. There are opportunities to go to college and play the sport. If we had more high schools playing men's volleyball, there can be more opportunities to continue at the next level for a lot more people."

Harper Creek has hopes of having its own boys team by next year. Officials involved in the Michigan Boys Volleyball League are hoping it becomes a recognized varsity sport by the Michigan High School Athletic Association within two years.

With an eye toward growing the sport locally, the Calhoun Christian/Harper Creek co-op recently hosted a multiple-team event at Harper Creek that included Kalamazoo Loy Norrix and Kalamazoo Christian.

"We fought hard to have this event here at Harper Creek. It's part of our effort to get the word out," said Jennie Sandel, who coaches the Calhoun Christian/Harper Creek junior varsity team and would be the head coach of a Harper Creek team next year, if there is enough support for the program. "It's all about getting the boys out to try it. The biggest stigma is that people think it's a girls sport. And there are several sports in the spring, like baseball and track. But once, you get past those things and boys try it, they love it.

"And we can see the growth. We have been a club team around here for only four years and we have come a long way. The state is telling us that we could be an official varsity sport in two years."

The Michigan Boys Volleyball League will begin postseason play with its state tournament on May 15. Battle Creek Central is set to host a district that will include Calhoun Christian/Harper Creek, Fennville, Kalamazoo Christian, Loy Norrix, Saugatuck, St. Joseph and the BCC/Lakeview co-op. The state championships are set to be played at Calvin College on June 3.

Calhoun Christian/Harper Creek head coach Cory William is hoping the buzz that would come with the city hosting a district tournament can only help the future of the sport.

"People don't really realize it's even going on," William said. "So getting that exposure is big to let people know it's an option. Part of the challenge is to build interest. We find boys telling us they have been peppering with their sisters in the back yard for years and they are excited to find out they can actually play on a boys team.

"So having that team for them to join is big. Then getting that status with the state, making it a varsity sport is the next step. Doing that would legitimize it a bit and really put it on the map to get athletic directors and admins to bring it to their schools. Once that happens, it will only get bigger."

Contact Bill Broderick at bbroderi@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on Twitter @billbroderick.

This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: City boys teams proving volleyball is not just a girls sport anymore