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Wildcats and Bruins Set for Week of Working Together, Competing Saturday

3/21/2022 6:07:00 PM

By: Chris Myers
FORT VALLEY, Ga. – The Wildcats are set for the biggest week of their inaugural season. Fort Valley State will work together with the most successful collegiate men's volleyball program, UCLA, in giving back to the Peach County community, before the two teams take to the HPE Arena court Saturday evening.
 
The 19-time NCAA champion UCLA Bruins are coming to Georgia for a weekend-long trip about more than playing two times on the men's volleyball court. Head coach John Speraw and his Bruins will work with both the Atlanta and Peach County communities in youth and coaching clinics, as well as, playing both first-year Morehouse and Fort Valley State programs aimed to help the growth of men's volleyball.
 
"Being able to have UCLA come out and play us on our home court speaks volume to what we're trying to do here in the SIAC and at Fort Valley State University," pointed out Wildcats head coach Larry Wrather. "As we continue to try to grow this game on the boys/men's side, having a top 10 program in your gym to train with and compete against only helps our guys get caught up to that level faster."
 
UCLA Men's Volleyball Head Coach John Speraw, "We are excited about the opportunity to play Fort Valley State and Morehouse College which are two of the six new men's volleyball programs in the SIAC conference.  This trip affords our student athletes the chance to play our first ever matches in the state of Georgia - a state where we expect boys' volleyball to rapidly increase in participation and popularity over the coming years. We are looking forward to helping grow the game in the region. During our week in Atlanta, we will be offering clinics for young players, exhibitions at local schools, open joint practices and coaching clinics. Our players and staff are eager to make this an impactful week and appreciate the experience this will provide all the institutions."
 
Led by Speraw, the Bruins team will conduct several youth and coaching clinics for local club, middle school, and high school athletes and coaches in the greater Atlanta and Peach County areas. They will end the week with matches against Morehouse College and Fort Valley State University, two of six new HBCU collegiate men's volleyball programs in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC).
 
"Partnering with UCLA to reach out to the community and grow the sport is honestly awesome. We get a chance to inspire that next generation to look into volleyball and wanting to get interested in playing. That's a big part of what we strive for here at Fort Valley as we want to grow the game in our community more, so our men are fighting hard every day in the gym and in matches to try to inspire that next kid to want to be involved," added Wrather.

In 2019, the SIAC received a $1 million grant from First Point Volleyball Foundation ($600,000) and USA Volleyball ($400,000) to fund the addition of men's volleyball.
 
First Point Volleyball Foundation was co-founded by UCLA men's volleyball head coach John Speraw in 2016. As a result of First Point and USA Volleyball's gift, the SIAC began its inaugural season in January with six participating programs: Benedict College, Central State University, Edward Watters College, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, and Morehouse College.
 
First Point Volleyball Foundation aims to:
  • Grow and support men's collegiate volleyball to increase roster and scholarship opportunities
  • Increase opportunities for boys to learn the game and develop their skill set in youth, club, middle school and high school programs
  • Provide boys from low-income communities the opportunity to play and learn the game
Colleen Craig, First Point Board member and CEO of Rally Volleyball, highlighted "Everyone is excited to have UCLA in Atlanta and appreciates the leadership role they are taking to help grow the men's game."
 
A team of students from Ball State University's Center for Emerging Media Design & Development and School of Journalism and Strategic Communication will also join the Bruins in Atlanta. The Ball State team is producing a documentary titled Match Point 2.0, which will chronicle the SIAC's inaugural season and explore how the addition of six new programs at HBCUs is increasing opportunities for minority athletes. In Summer 2020, the same team released a 30-minute documentary and transmedia campaign focused on the fast-growing sport in America: boys' volleyball. Match Point: The Rise of Boys' and Men's Volleyball, follows collegiate, high school, and youth athletes and coaches and features interviews with members of the USAV Men's National team and coach Speraw. The 2020 project was nominated for a regional Emmy award and won four other national awards.
 
On Saturday (March 26), the Wildcats and Bruins will finish the day by playing in the HPE Arena starting at 6 p.m.
 
 


 
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