UCLA men’s volleyball works over spring break to promote inclusivity in sport

This post was updated March 31 at 10:03 a.m.

The Bruins did more than play matches during spring break.

Over the weekend, No. 1 UCLA men’s volleyball (15-3, 5-1 MPSF) headed to Atlanta to face Morehouse and Fort Valley State, two of six historically Black colleges and universities sponsoring their first seasons of men’s volleyball.

In 2019, the First Point Volleyball Foundation – a nonprofit organization founded by UCLA coach John Speraw – and USA Volleyball allocated a $1 million grant to add men’s volleyball as a Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference-sanctioned sport. The Maroon Tigers and Wildcats both play in the SIAC, an NCAA Division II conference made up of mostly HBCUs.

Despite boy’s volleyball being one of the fastest-growing high school sports in the United States, Speraw – who is also the head coach for Team USA – said representation in the sport has left much to be desired.

“We’ve talked for a long time as leaders in our sport that we are not a very diverse sport, and part of that has to do with how the youth development structure is organized,” Speraw said. “We wanted to partner with the SIAC to grow the game to communities in this country that don’t usually play the sport.”

Redshirt senior middle blocker J.R. Norris IV said lack of diversity affects him as a Black player at the highest collegiate level.

“Most times on the court, I do feel as though I’m representing the Black community as a whole,” Norris said. “For my team to be able to come out to Atlanta and see that Black people aren’t a monolith is extraordinary because they get to see that we all come from different backgrounds, different environments.”

Leading up to its pair of matches, the Bruins hosted player and coaching clinics in the local Atlanta area for schools and volleyball clubs throughout the week.

UCLA also held joint practices with Morehouse and Fort Valley State, giving Speraw the opportunity to work one-on-one with the players on the new collegiate programs.

“What they’re doing is challenging. It’s tough to be a first-year program,” Speraw said. “I really enjoyed getting to know the players from both Morehouse and Fort Valley. It was a great trip for our guys.”

Redshirt junior middle blocker Daniel Matheney said the clinics were the most influential part of the trip.

“The games we played and the clinics that we coached meant everything to me,” Matheney said. “It fulfilled this passion within me of wanting to give younger players exposure to the game of volleyball. I think that in the near future of volleyball, there’s going to be a lot more diversity and inclusion.”