IT’S
FFICIAL
Mars Area School
District forms first-ever boys
volleyball varsity team.
BY JENNIFER BROZAK
F
or the first time in the history of the Mars Area School District, boys
volleyball is becoming an official high school varsity sport.
The establishment of a boys volleyball varsity team was driven by
interest from the Mars Boys Volleyball Club, the first one ever formed at
the high school.
The club, open to students in grades 9 through 12, was founded in the
winter of 2014 by Marlene Myers, who also serves as a coach.
Myers was a volleyball coach at Holy Sepulcher Catholic School.
After her son left Holy Sepulcher in 8th grade to attend Mars Area High
School, she learned there were no options for boys who wanted to play
volleyball at the high school level. Along with Michele Jackson, whose
son also played volleyball at Holy Sepulcher, Myers approached the
school board about forming the club.
“It took us a year to establish the club,” says Myers. “We had to
convince the school board that there was enough interest.”
For the 2014-2015 season, the club had 14 boys. Membership more
than doubled for the 2015-2016 season.
“Volleyball is a fun sport, and some of the kids who don’t compete in
other sports are able to do well in volleyball,” says Myers, who played
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girls volleyball at Mars High School.
The club primarily competes in the WAVE league, a fall and winter
practice league where students compete against other club teams to
gain experience and skill. In WAVE tournaments, there are no win/loss
brackets; rather, matches are timed and teams move on to another round
at the end of a game.
“It’s a great way for the players to practice against teams they might
compete against in the regular school year,” says Myers.
The varsity team will likely be considered a WPIAL Class AA team,
which currently represents 17 other schools, says Scott Heinauer, Mars
Area School District athletic director. He hopes that the Mars Boys
Volleyball Club will continue to drive interest in the varsity sport.
“We’re hoping that the volleyball club continues to feed the team,
just like our soccer and basketball clubs feed our other varsity teams,”
Heinauer says. “Right now, we have a lot of interest, so we’re hoping it
continues.”
For more information, visit marsbvc.wix.com/mbvc or contact
Marlene Myers at 724.496.9539; [email protected]. ■