Mercyhurst granted varsity recognition

Varsity. In high school it meant wearing cool jackets. In college it means scholarships, recruiting and prestige.

For years, the Lakers had dressed competitive club teams, but it was not until last year that Mercyhurst's athletic department decided to look for a way to start a varsity men's volleyball program.

To undertake such an endeavor, there is one basic necessity: money. With the assistance of a $6,000 grant from USA Volleyball, Mercyhurst acquired the means to gain varsity status.

A decade ago, USA Volleyball started a program where schools that wanted to build volleyball programs could apply for start-up grants.

"Because of budget cuts, Title IX and other pressures on athletic programs, men's volleyball was in danger of being dropped as a varsity sport by the NCAA," said Jim Coleman of USA Volleyball.

"At that point, we got together and said, 'What can we do to start stimulating programs?' " Coleman said. "We wanted to create a bigger talent pool for our national team and continue volleyball as a men's NCAA sport."

The program has had some excellent results. One of the more notable stories is that of nearby Juniata College. Lion assistant coach Dan Hohenshelt was a member of the Eagles' club team when it made the transition to varsity in 1990 after receiving a USA Volleyball grant of $3,000.

With the transition came many changes. The team traveled more and faced tougher competition, but the biggest change was that it began recruiting. Before the grant, Hohenshelt was the only member of the club team who had played high school volleyball.

The start of recruiting quickly brought talent to Juniata. By the team's third year as a varsity squad, the Eagles were good enough to win the EIVA Division III title. They repeated as champs the following year.

"There are so many boys out there who just want to play volleyball, who are trying to find a school to play for," Hohenshelt said. "(The program) pushes the administration by saying, 'Here's $6,000 to start up.' "

That is exactly what happened at Mercyhurst. Its athletic director approached Laker coach Craig Davic about how the university could start a varsity men's volleyball program, and Davic immediately contacted USA Volleyball.

"Our administration could not believe that someone would give us $6,000 to start a team," Davic said. "It took about a week to get the application together, and we were set."

Mercyhurst was willing to give the team some money, but the USA Volleyball grant was what made the transition to varsity possible. The money will help pay for the traveling expenses the team will accumulate during its demanding first season.

Davic's plans for the team are aimed at achieving the kind of quick success Juniata has experienced.

"We've only had one full year to recruit so far," Davic said. "We want to be competitive in three years."

Considering 80 percent of the roster has freshman eligibility, it is a good possibility that, after a few more years of playing together and with the introduction of more talent, Mercyhurst could be a very competitive team in three years.