Having fun while displaying hard work and skill on the court has never been an issue for the men’s volleyball club team. Unfortunately, they don’t get the recognition and support that varsity sports do here at Calvin.

It is for those reasons and many more that the team was delighted to be able to play against competition in Van Noord Arena for the first time in club history. Word spread around quickly in the weeks leading up to their match against Central Michigan University, and over 100 fans came out in support.

Calvin ended up defeating CMU in a best of five exhibition, to the delight of cheering students and parents. In the end, however, it is not the win that leaves the team and one of its captains Jack Gibson with a sense of accomplishments.

“At the end of the day, we simply wanted to go out there and enjoy ourselves in front of friends and family,” said Gibson. “We are a group of players who love playing the game and we thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to showcase our talents in front of our fans.”

Gibson went on to say that it is difficult for the team to get the recognition that varsity teams do. They don’t get the publicity from Calvin, so any type of support they may receive is earned through their self promotion. This was main reason why it was important for Calvin to supply the platform for play.

“We were thrilled with the amount of people who came out to support us. It just goes to show you that many people are interested in watching high-quality, competitive men’s volleyball,” mentioned Gibson.

The crowd in Van Noord was diverse and the voices of men and women, young and old, blended together. Gibson is co-captain with setter Jesse Bloomster, and as libero and setter on the team both are involved in many of the plays throughout the match.

Gibson and the team know that they are one of the lesser known sports teams on campus, but they are excited for the prospect of men’s volleyball at Calvin and anticipate it being able to be taken to the highest of heights.

“Playing in the Van Noord for the first time was a great opportunity for all of us. It is our hope that someday we will be regularly playing in the Van Noord as a varsity sport,” said Gibson.

The team has been playing for much longer than their match last Saturday. They’re 21-8 on the season, and most of their matches take place off campus in universities across the Midwest. Their primary season doesn’t begin until the beginning of April, and they hope to schedule another match for the spring to be held at Calvin in Van Noord.

Gibson had one message to send out to current and potential fans.

“We would like to thank all of our fans for their support on Saturday and their continued support throughout our season. If this is your first time hearing about the Calvin Men’s Volleyball team, we encourage you to attend our upcoming home games.”