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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 Off the Block 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.
Off the Block will be primarily looking at a college newspapers — they provide the majority of coverage to the sport — but occasionally it will include some well written men’s volleyball articles from professional newspapers.
In many communities volleyball is a non-mainstream sport that has a niche following. One of the exciting things for reporters covering volleyball, though,is finding that interesting 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.
It Gets better Project inspires NYU libero
Sara Levy | Washington Square News
NYU co-captain and starting libero Jay Hayes created and directed a short video for the It Gets Better Project about homophobia in sports. This news-feature article looks at why Hayes decided to produce this three-minute video in conjunction with the NYU athletics department and what he hopes his project will achieve.
Scates leads UCLA to victory in last home match
Chris Kalra | Daily Bruin
Hall of Fame coach Al Scates ended his final home match with a victory as No. 3 UCLA swept No. 4 BYU last weekend. This game story focuses on the emotional night for Scates and the Bruins — especially coming one night after originally beating BYU on a controversial call.
Ball State looking for spark after three losses
Andrew Mishler | The Ball State Daily News
Ball State will be the No. 5 seed for the MIVA tournament and will open the tournament on the road for the first time since 2000. This news-feature article examines how the team is handling having to play on the road and how they are still confident they can to make a run at the Final Four.
Showdown with BYU pivotal for Penn State’s fate
John Stuetz | The Daily Collegian
Penn State traveled to No. 3 BYU this weekend for a two-match non-conference series — and one of the last chances for the Nittany Lions to get signature victories against top MPSF teams. This preview article looks at how the Penn State players needed to get a win this weekend to feel like they belong among the top teams in the nation.
BYU earns controversial split with UCLA
Taylor Street | Daily Universe
Getting good quotes is what it’s all about when writing a compelling article and a coach calling another coach’s actions unethical is the definition of a good direct quote. This game story, which features the first quotes from BYU coach Chris McGown about the servegate controversy, focuses on BYU’s point-of-view of the controversy and how it affected the Cougars.