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Nikolena Samac

John Carroll Adds Men's Volleyball as 27th Varsity Sport

| By: JCUSID

Men's Volleyball will begin competition in Spring 2028

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS – For the third time in two years, John Carroll is adding yet another varsity sport, this time for the men. 

Since the 1970s, the John Carroll Women's Volleyball team has been a force to be reckoned with, winning conference titles and producing All-Americans. Beginning in the 2027-28 academic year, men will have the chance to compete for the same accolades.   

"Our goal is providing students transformative opportunities to learn, lead, and challenge themselves," said Carolyn Noll Sorg, President of John Carroll University. "By adding men's volleyball, we can meet the growing demand for the sport and offer student-athletes a welcoming place to play and grow, building off our long-standing success with women's volleyball dating back to the 1970s." 

Men's volleyball is a well-established sport at the collegiate and Olympic levels. There are 239 colleges across the country offering the sport, with 133 of those being Division III institutions. John Carroll will be the 12th school in Ohio to offer Men's Volleyball. 

Interested in joining JCU Men's Volleyball? CLICK HERE

A few of John Carroll's historic rival schools offer the sport, such as Mount Union and Baldwin Wallace. 

John Carroll will compete in the Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League (MCVL).

"We are proud to announce the addition of men's volleyball as JCU's 27th varsity sport. Men's volleyball is growing across the country, both at the high school and club levels, and has developed a strong presence here in Northeast Ohio," said Vice President for Athletics Brian Polian '97. "That interest, combined with the strong health of the club program on our campus, led us to believe that this was the right time to take this step.  We are grateful to the leadership and membership of the MCVL for accepting us into the league.  We look forward to seeing some familiar faces and developing some new rivalries as well.

"The search for our first head coach will begin immediately and then it is time to recruit the inaugural class of Blue Streak men's volleyball players."

Wabash and Wittenberg, currently part of the North Coast Athletic Conference, also offer the sport and compete in the MCVL. Wittenberg is a powerhouse, ranking at number 24 in the 2026 season and finishing with a 19-5 record. 

"Interest in our league has never been greater," said Chuck Yrigoyen, Commissioner of the MCVL. "Our campus leadership has done an excellent job in vetting applicants and, in this case, has unanimously endorsed John Carroll's membership. We wish JCU all the best as the program gets up and running in 2028."

In the MCVL, competitive balance has been a major story in the history of the league, especially over the last several years. Four different MCVL schools have won or shared regular-season and/or tournament titles in the last five years.

The Men's Volleyball season takes place during the Spring season, from January to early May. Some key differences to note are that the men typically play a more aggressive and shorter rally than the women. The men's net height is also taller, standing at 7'11 ⅝", whereas the women's stands at 7'4 ⅛". 

John Carroll will begin the coaching search to lead the new program immediately. 

"We're excited to see the program build a culture of excellence on the court, in the classroom, and across our community," Noll Sorg added. 
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