Clover’s first home match shows how boys volleyball is gaining popularity in SC
The South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) decided last April to officially sanction boys volleyball as a varsity sport for the 2022-23 school year.
South Carolina now one of 36 states, plus the District of Columbia, to sanction boys volleyball, and the 12th state to sanction the sport in the past four years.
High school boys volleyball started in the state back in 2019 as a club sport through the Palmetto Volleyball Association with 14 participant schools.
“Last spring, they actually had enough boys where they did a championship,” SCHSL Associate Commissioner Amy Boozer said. “They came before our executive committee in April and came with the numbers to show that they had enough to have the sport sanctioned. The executive committee, at that time, did vote to approve that they would sanction boys volleyball.”
This fall, the state has 41 eligible high schools participating in sanctioned boys volleyball, including Clover. The first state championship tournament will be held next year.
Clover hosted its first ever boys volleyball match on Sept. 12 as the Blue Eagles took on the Dorman Cavaliers. Clover’s junior varsity and varsity squads got swept, but head coach William Plyler was happy to see the support from the Clover faithful.
“I want to send a tremendous shout out to our community for coming and supporting these guys,” Plyler said. “That atmosphere was absolutely amazing. Our students showed up. Our fans, not just parents, showed up. And they were loud. They gave us encouragement.”
The chance for someone to take over and lead a brand new program is a rare opportunity: an opportunity that Plyler, who formerly coached Clover’s girls volleyball team, was not going to pass up.
Especially when he knew his players were just as eager as him.
“We had an interest meeting in the spring,” Plyler said. “And we had probably 30, 35 guys show up. It’s actually student-led. Students started this. They came to the AD and the principal, and they wanted to start the program up.”
South Carolina is one of the few states with a fall season, joining states like New York and Virginia to simultaneously run their boys and girls volleyball seasons.
Other states, like Arizona and California, have their volleyball seasons split, with girls in the fall and boys playing in the spring.
While many are glad for the arrival of a new sport, some also are wary of the potential conflicts that can arise with simultaneous seasons.
“For the sake of referees and the availability of referees, I desire that the high school league move it into a spring sport,” said Joy Stauffer.
Stauffer has been a volleyball referee for 20 years and currently serves as the Coordinator of Volleyball Officials for the South Atlantic Conference–a Division II conference that hosts members like Anderson and Limestone. She also was the lone referee at the Dorman-Clover match.
“If we try to service boys (volleyball) matches as well as girls (volleyball) matches in the same season, we don’t have enough. I’m working here tonight by myself because all my other available referees are in gyms with girls teams playing. I shouldn’t be working in a varsity level match by myself.”
These sentiments are being shared at all levels of the sport. High school league officials are hoping will be increased participation and interest coming from all sides of the game, including refereeing.
“I do hope with boys volleyball coming that we will start gaining some more interest and picking up some more officials,” Boozer said. “That definitely is something that is going to have to be on the radar. Promoting and encouraging the recruitment of volleyball officials in South Carolina with us adding boys volleyball.”
Boozer said there are no plans for the state to switch its boys volleyball season from the fall to the spring as the initial proposal came with a plan for fall participation.