William Penn has announced their intentions to add a men’s volleyball program to the school, starting up in the 2019-2020 academic year, hence the 2020 season.
The school will also be adding men’s and women’s lacrosse to join men’s volleyball. Of course, William Penn already has a women’s volleyball team who went 12-25 and 3-16 playing in the Heart of America Athletic Conference.
Being a part of the Heart of America Athletic Conference should make the transition a bit smoother for William Penn, as the league already has six who participate in men’s volleyball. They also offer a conference championship.
“Men’s volleyball is a fast-paced and action-packed sport that is growing rapidly in popularity in the United States,” William Penn Athletic Director Nik Rule said in a story with the Oskaloosa News. “It will be played in the Penn Activities Center which will provide for a very unique venue on campus. Our fans will love watching our student-athletes compete.”
The Statesmen currently compete in the NAIA classification across other sports, but the NAIA does not currently sponsor men’s volleyball as a championship sport. Instead, there is an invitational that puts eight teams in a national tournament of the field of 34. If the sport continues on its path of growth and reaches 40 or more teams, they would be at championship status.
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