Photo by: Henoc Kivuye
As intramurals pick up speed and volleyball season draws closer, some question why the long-standing sport has yet to be picked up officially by the school. Oklahoma Christian University’s administration appears to have asked themselves the same question.
While no official plans or presentations have come forward, Athletic Director Curtis Janz anticipates a decision within the year.
“There’s an active conversation going on about the addition of women’s volleyball, and also considering if there are any other sports that would be a good fit for us,” Janz said. “I know within the next semester that we are going to take a really close look at what makes sense to add. If there is anything that makes sense to add, volleyball’s at the top of that list.”
Rumors of a volleyball program have cropped up in years past, according to seniors Andrew Gibbs and Nathaniel Donley, two of Chi Lambda Phi’s athletic directors.
“I’ve been hearing about volleyball since I got here I feel like,” Gibbs said. “I’d love to have it though, I love watching volleyball. It’s a lot of fun.”
Donley noted out of all the intramural sports offered, volleyball appears to gather more widespread attendance.
“People are always going out to the courts,” Donley said. “Even for intramurals — I think everyone in our club who doesn’t even like playing sports, even they come out for volleyball at least.”
Janz elaborated on the process, noting that any decision made would function as part of a larger enrollment initiative. The athletic department looks to make sure the school’s offerings stay current, fitting the needs of the student body and the surrounding area.
In the spring semester an NCAA membership committee will visit for two and a half days, examining Oklahoma Christian’s processes and verifying that the Eagles do everything a Division II school should do.
“That covers everything from financial aid, to registrar, to admissions, to compliance, to scheduling everything,” Janz said. “There’s two parts to that: there’s one, that’s making sure we’re doing everything we’re supposed to be doing. Two is monitoring and recording everything to prove we’re doing everything we’re supposed to be doing.”
Volleyball as a sport would act as another piece of the Division II puzzle, with administration then requiring funds for the additional athletes, scholarships, equipment, potential facilities and travel costs. Part of preparing for the membership committee visit consists of estimating if the school’s current athletic department processes can handle another 60 or so athletes, according to Janz.
“Right now, we’re working on that process to make sure we can do it,” Janz said. “That’s the question we can’t answer yet.”
Should volleyball actually become a school sport however, Director of Intramural Activities Rick Judd doesn’t see it being an issue. After 10 years running the intramural program, changes under his leadership include the construction of temporary fields during the baseball team’s absence and, upon their return, construction of the Jackson Family Intramural Field.
“The more students we have, the more people we have that are interested and want to play intramurals,” Judd said. “You only have so much time and so much space, but it’s a good problem.”
Some students, such as senior Brittany Bonny, agree with Judd’s positive outlook. As one of Gamma Rho’s athletic directors, Bonny views the possibility of school-sponsored volleyball as the best outlet for various clubs’ skilled intramural players.
“I think it’d be great for the school entirely,” Bonny said. “As of right now, I feel like we have a lot of girls who could play volleyball for us — their talents might be being wasted at the moment. Just give them a shot to shine in the spotlight.”
Not everyone views the possible move as entirely beneficial, however. Junior Hannah Huber, Pi Zeta Phi’s athletic director, pointed out the restrictions that would take effect if the move happened.
“The only reason it would change intramurals is that they couldn’t play that sport,” Huber said. “If they had volleyball, all the girls that played volleyball wouldn’t be able to, and that would probably be a lot of girls. B teams would become A, and all the A people would be playing here — which is fine, it gives other people more of a chance too.”
Whether or not volleyball becomes a sport, Judd’s efforts on the current intramural process continue to produce results. Since Oklahoma Christian freshmen are unable to rush, Judd let them become a part of the intramural playoff system, though they could not play for points. Last year Judd decided to lift the restriction, and the resulting competition encouraged him to keep the change.
“Sometimes after doing something for a while you say, ‘Hey, let’s give this a shot and see if it’ll work, see if something will make it better,’” Judd said. “We had a really good year last year, actually. I’m hoping this year will be even better.”
Intramural championship games take place Sunday at the new softball varsity field.
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