In just three short seasons, the boys' volleyball team at Islands High School has quickly gone from a small club to one of the most exciting and rapidly growing club programs in Savannah. Under the leadership of Coach Jessica Decker, the team is not only making waves on the court but is also pushing to elevate boys' volleyball to the next level by becoming the GHSA's next sanctioned sport.
With the momentum that boy's volleyball has picked up over the last few years, it's not a matter of if it gets sanctioned, but when, and the Sharks will be ahead of the curve.
"A couple years from now this will eventually be a GHSA sanctioned sport, and they're in here at the ground level where it's just a club sport doing it, quote, for fun," Sharks' Coach Jessica Decker said. "But I think they're really trying to encourage other kids to come out for that time when it does become a sanctioned sport."
What stands out about the team is the energy, passion, and pure fun they're having along the way to becoming a GHSA-sanctioned sport while removing the stigma that volleyball is a women's sport. It doesn't take long to recognize how much the Sharks are enjoying playing volleyball; all you have to do is watch the bench. After every point scored, the players on the bench jump up and get fired up in support of their teammates.
This team's passion and excitement motivate the players on the current roster and attract new athletes who might not have considered volleyball otherwise. Friends telling friends how much fun they're having on the court has sparked a domino effect, with more athletes from various backgrounds joining the team each season.
"I think that passion that we have is drawing interest from others, and making other people be like 'I want to be a part of that, I want to feel that way and have that kind of excitement toward something," Coach Decker said.
For years, volleyball has been seen as primarily a women's sport, especially at the high school level. But at Islands, that perception is being challenged. With football players, basketball players, and athletes from other sports joining the volleyball team, the stigma that volleyball is just a women's sport is quickly being shattered.
One of the main reasons for the team's success in both on-court performance and gaining popularity for the sport off the court is the presence of multisport athletes.
"I'm a huge advocate for being a multisport athlete because there's so much crossover between everything," Coach Decker said. "Being a football player there's a lot of hand-eye coordination, which is all volleyball is. Basketball there's a lot of hand-eye coordination, a lot of lateral movement, and a lot of up and down, which is all of what volleyball is as well."
Now, many of the players are starting to see their participation on the volleyball team as part of who they are.
"Some of them, on their Twitter now they know they identify themselves as volleyball players. They start putting up highlight films of themselves, and instead of just being like, 'oh, I play football and basketball and then volleyballs just kind of this thing I do', they're also starting to identify themselves as volleyball players," said Decker.
While much of the road to making boys' volleyball an official high school sport in Georgia is still ahead, the Sharks are laying the groundwork now and proving that boys' volleyball is here to stay.
NOTE: Islands volleyball faced off against Savannah Classical and New Hampstead High School at Islands High School yesterday, resulting in a split outcome for the Sharks. They defeated New Hampstead with a score of 2-0 but fell short against Savannah Classical, losing 2-1. With this split, the Sharks now hold a season record of 5-1.
Photo Credit: Luubie Shots Photography
LEAD PHOTO: Senior Carson Kurdys takes flight for Sharks courtesy of luubie_shots Photography
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