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It’s your top five men’s volleyball story list, but with a twist.
Every Sunday during the men’s volleyball season I will post the top five best men’s volleyball stories of the week from around the nation. The list, though, is based more on how well the reporter wrote and covered the story rather than just what happened on the court.
I will be primarily looking at a college newspapers — they provide the majority of coverage to the sport — but occasionally I will include some well written men’s volleyball articles from professional newspapers.
Spending four years as a men’s volleyball beat reporter for The Ball State Daily News I am well aware of the challenges facing most of these reporters.
In many communities volleyball is a non-mainstream sport that has a niche following. One of the reasons I always loved covering volleyball, though, was because with every story I wrote I knew I needed to find an angle that could appeal to volleyball and non-volleyball fans.
Going beyond the boxscore and game notes to provide readers with insight on the team that they can’t got anywhere else is one of the most important skills for a sports reporter.
This list is to honor those efforts.
Ball State outside attacker gets redemption
Andrew Mishler | The Ball State Daily News
With outside attacker Marcus Imwalle returning the Cardinals’ starting lineup, this article examines the senior’s slow comeback to the court. Imwalle in less than one year has undergone two surgeries to repair damaged knee ligaments and missed the majority of the 2010 season.
Penn State redeems itself in net play on Saturday
Joe McIntyre | The Daily Collegian
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, The Daily Collegian continues to be one of the best newspapers in the nation at reporting on men’s volleyball. This article takes a look how Penn State changed its blocking schemes and became more aggressive following a loss to UC Irvine. In addition, the article has a fantastic lead.
NCAA forces difficult decision for Lindenwood
Micah Woodard | The Legacy
More than six months since Lindenwood announced it would move from NAIA to Division II for men’s volleyball, this article highlights the challenges with that transition. Lindenwood will have to cut seven players from its roster before next season to meet the NCAA regulation of a maximum 24 players on a team.
NAIA power Cal Baptist is movin’ on up
Stephen Tsai | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
This preview article for the two-match weekend series between Cal Baptist and Hawai’i focuses on Cal Baptist transitioning from NAIA to Division II. It also looks at why Cal Baptist wanted to play at Hawaii and how the wife Cal Baptist coach Ryan McGuyre, a former Hawai’i women’s volleyball player, had a role on the these matches being schedule.
Warriors win before raucous Maui crowd
Robert Collias | The Maui News
Sometimes when covering a match the most interesting thing that happens is not on the court. This game story for Hawai’i’s match against Cal Baptist on Saturday looks at how moving the home match to War Memorial Gym in Wailuku brought in a large, rambunctious crowd and created difficult serving conditions for the players.