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[Editor’s note: Off the Block each day from Aug. 6-15 will unveil one team participating in the 2019 Grow the Game Challenge. The entire tournament field and match schedule will be unveiled Thursday, Aug. 16.]
A program that has won at least 10 non-conference matches in six seasons this decade will make its debut at the nation’s largest college men’s volleyball non-conference tournament next season.
Off the Block announced on Monday that Quincy will be in the 10-team tournament field for the 2019 Off the Block Grow the Game Challenge.
The Grow the Game Challenge is an annual event that brings regular season matches to an area of the nation that does not have a NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball team. The 2019 tournament will take place on Jan. 18-20 at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee.
Despite finishing last season winless in MIVA play, the Hawks under first-year head coach Gavin Mueller went 12-4 in non-conference play.
Quincy primarily played NCAA Division III and NAIA opponents during its non-conference schedule. However, the team defeated Lincoln Memorial, the IVA champions and fellow 2019 Grow the Game Challenge participants, in five games in February.
Middle attacker Blake Sprecher highlights the starters returning for Quincy. Sprecher as a sophomore led Quincy and was in the top 15 of the MIVA with 75 blocks last season.
This is the second year of the Grow the Game Challenge. The inaugural event in 2018 featured 10 NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball teams and took place in Nashville.
The Grow the Game Challenge operates as a non-profit organization that is based in Nashville. In addition, the organization is committed to help promoting the growth of college men’s volleyball throughout the United States.