Springfield, Ohio – Wittenberg University’s new men’s volleyball program has received $6,000 from the USA Volleyball through its Men’s Collegiate Grant Program.
The Men’s Collegiate Grant Program was developed to increase the number of colleges and universities sponsoring men’s volleyball. Wittenberg will receive the funds in three annual installments of $2,000 each, with the money utilized to support the establishment of the program and the costs associated with running it.
“Wittenberg University is grateful to USA Volleyball for providing this generous funding as we begin our program,” said Director of Athletics and Recreation Gary Williams. “This is an exciting time for our volleyball community, and we look forward to making a positive impact to the sport with the addition of a new men’s program.”
Head Coach Evan Amstutz, Wittenberg class of 2013, has only been on the job for about one month, but he is already working hard to make in-roads with high school and youth club programs around the state of Ohio and across the Midwest. He plans to use the financial assistance from USA Volleyball to redouble his recruiting efforts.
“Through the generosity of USA Volleyball, our ability to find more outstanding young men and introduce them to Wittenberg’s outstanding academic programs has greatly increased,” said Head Coach Evan Amstutz, class of 2013. “We are now able to push the boundaries of how far our outreach efforts can touch. With a resource like this, we are able to market a new and exciting collegiate opportunity to high school student-athletes who hope to compete in NCAA men’s volleyball.”
Amstutz is already organizing what he hopes will become annual spring and summer camps for high school-aged boys’ volleyball players, with hopes of following the lead of the Tiger women’s volleyball program, which offers a series of popular camps, clinics and tournaments for youth student-athletes each year. The grant also provides for the establishment of coaching clinics to spread knowledge about the sport to adults interested in guiding the next generation of youth volleyball players.
“One of the stipulations for the grant is to conduct a Coaching Accreditation Program (CAP) at Wittenberg,” said Tiger Women’s Volleyball Head Coach Paco Labrador. “We are all excited to share some training ideas with local coaches and help grow the game even more than it already has in Ohio.”
Wittenberg will open play as a varsity intercollegiate program in January 2016. The Tigers will compete in the Midwestern Collegiate Volleyball League.
Written By: Ryan Maurer