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The biggest U.S. city just got a little more crowded when it comes to college men’s volleyball.
Long Island University announced Thursday that it will add a men’s volleyball program beginning in the 2022 season.
Long Island is a private university located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn with an enrollment of about 15,500 students. The school’s 35 athletics teams, which are nicknamed the Sharks, compete in NCAA Division I and have won a combined 23 national championships.
“We are thrilled to be adding men’s volleyball to our Shark family,” athletics William E. Martinov Jr., said in a statement. “Adding another men’s sport brings an added dimension to our growing athletic department. We look forward to our continued pursuit of excellence both in the classroom and on the court.”
This is the second team in New York City to add men’s volleyball in recent years. St. Francis Brookyln started its program in 2019 and will join the EIVA next year.
Long Island also is now the fifth member of the Northeast Conference to start a men’s volleyball program. Fairleigh Dickinson earlier this year unveiled it would start a men’s volleyball program in 2022, while current EIVA members Sacred Heart, Saint Francis and St. Francis Brooklyn are NEC schools.
Along with formally starting a men’s volleyball program, Long Island announced it would immediately begin a nationwide search for the team’s inaugural head coach.