An emerging sport in Oregon has spiked in popularity in recent years: men’s volleyball. Despite Franklin’s team lacking proper funding and being run by volunteers, the sport has garnered more and more support — and is expected to continue growing. With 68 teams signed up to play, the sport was voted into “emerging” status by the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) in October 2024, giving it the possibility to break out of the club field and into an officially sanctioned scholastic sport if enough schools join.
Ezra Hedrick, captain and outside hitter for Franklin’s men’s volleyball team, has been playing since freshman year. “[Men’s volleyball] is technically an emerging sport. It’s not really on the same level as football [or] basketball, but it’s registered with the OSAA,” Hedrick says. Because it’s a growing sport “it doesn’t really have the funding or officiality [that] other sports have,” he continues. “There was an OSAA trophy in 2022 and 2023, but the season wasn’t official … [so] they didn’t give any funding,” he explains. “[We] were just playing for fun. In all of Oregon, no one was taking it seriously. We had probably six or seven other teams in the state.”
In his freshman year, Hedrick was recruited by the upperclassmen to prevent the sport from dying out at Franklin, as a majority of the team were seniors and juniors. This upcoming season marks Hedrick’s second year as captain. Hedrick shares some of his recruiting tactics, which are vital to keep the sport going: “Mostly for younger players it’s all about reaching out, asking if they want to come out to an open gym.”
Hedrick says volleyball has a special kind of community. “I’ve played quite a few sports, and it’s not the same…[In] volleyball, there’s a lot of respect. It’s not a toxic environment.” Hedrick claims that the men’s volleyball community “wants to help each other,” with Franklin’s team hosting open gyms for any school to come practice. He explains, “Clackamas High School [and] Cleveland [High School] come out [and] practice with us. Everyone is trying to get better at the sport, and we’re trying to grow it as a team.”
Otto Eichman is a senior who plays middle blocker and has been a part of the team for two years. Eichman touches on the drawbacks of an emerging sport: “There’s a lot of new players; I’d say we had like two experienced players. It was really hard to get the hang of it.” Despite the challenges, Eichman claims the team’s biggest strength is also in their lack of experience: “None of us were scared to be bad in front of each other, so we grew real fast.” Eichman says people should be interested in men’s volleyball because “it’s a great way to find some new friends that share interests with you and a great way to get active and have a fun time playing a new sport.”
The team’s volunteer coach, Mykel Caruso, shares some background on the startup of the team. Despite the team’s inexperience last season, Caruso admits, “Our team was very athletic, so we became a team that relied heavily on blocking.” He emphasizes that he wants to help develop the athletes’ leadership skills, including having good mental health and wellness. “Volleyball is a sport that requires commitment and confidence in every motion. … Confidence was key to our growth as a team.”
Caruso has played volleyball since 2019; he follows the sport and loves it, which motivated him to start coaching it. Going into the new season, Caruso has his eyes on Cleveland and Parkrose High Schools. “Within our conference, Cleveland and Parkrose have been very good the last couple years, and I expect they will be again.” In Franklin’s team, he sees a lack of organization and energy as their primary weakness. “Outside of our conference, I would like a rematch with Clackamas and the opportunity to play Central Catholic [High School]. These teams are organized, developed, and have a lot of talent,” he explains.
The team invites anyone who may be interested in playing next year to come out and meet them, or find them on their Instagram, @fhsmen_volleyball. Everyone is encouraged to support the Lightning on April 1 at the first home game this spring! We’re excited to see them bounce into their spring season and shoot for the top.
