Marcellus Volleyball Makes the Move to the Fall Season

As a result of a variety of factors that have been discussed over the past several years, the Marcellus girls JV/Varsity volleyball teams will be making the move to play in the fall athletic season beginning in the fall of 2011. The New York State Volleyball Tournament is held at the close of the fall season and most schools in the area have moved to the fall season.

Section III volleyball teams, over the past six years, have progressively moved to the fall season to allow teams the same opportunity to participate in post-season play as all other sports teams are eligible to do. The first teams to move in Section III were the large AA schools in 2006. Many schools have found this to be a rewarding experience for their teams while at the same time providing the opportunity for increased participation from girls who had not previously been involved with athletic programs. Most recently several of the A and B size schools moved to the fall 2010 volleyball season as well. Among these schools were the usual “B” opponents of Marcellus such as Skaneateles and Cazenovia. The move was found to be a positive experience for the athletes involved and the school districts involved are reporting increased overall participation.

In the spring of 2010, a survey was conducted of all Marcellus girls in grades 6-10. Information was gathered to assess the impact that a move such as this would have on the other athletic programs. The survey found that very few female student athletes would be negatively affected by a move to the fall season. Further, there would be little impact on the existing fall programs offered for girls. Beyond the survey data, many schools in the state have found an overall positive impact for their girls’ basketball programs. Participants found skills and physical readiness to be enhanced for both volleyball in the fall and basketball in the winter. Another positive aspect of this move includes the increased use of gym space in the fall, which translates into available gym space in the winter.

What does this mean for our Marcellus girls? First, the modified volleyball sport season for 7/8 grade girls will continue to be in the Winter 1 season from the end of October to Christmas break. Seventh and eighth grade participants will continue to be eligible to be involved in four different sports throughout the year. Second, beginning in August 2011, our girls in grades 9-12 will have the opportunity to compete for a New York State volleyball title. Marcellus has a rich history of volleyball success so this will be exciting experience for the team.

In closing, Coach Hy Bryant, who has helped develop the past success of the Marcellus volleyball program, is also excited for the move. In his words, “This is good for the overall development of the sport. Volleyball will be on par with the other girls’ sports.”