Since volleyball’s introduction as an official Olympic sport for both men and women in 1964, it has faced increasing interest throughout the world. Players can now choose to compete in various numbers, from 6 people teams to doubles and in different courts from indoor to beach sand. But in the past 56 years since volleyball’s inception, it is apparent that girls volleyball specifically has reaped the benefits of increased interest in the sport. While boys volleyball is growing in popularity, PHS still lacks an official boys volleyball team.

“I was kind of confused. I know it’s not super popular as a boys sport, but still a lot of other schools in the area have boys teams, so I was a little bit shocked.” said Matei Moldoveanu ’20

Being a volleyball player himself, Moldoveanu noticed the lack of an outlet for boys to play volleyball and attempted to create a volleyball club. Despite Moldoveanu’s interest along with other volleyball athletes, the push for the creation of a volleyball club has been unsuccessful. Because of the lower recognition of boys volleyball, the administration did not feel the need to allocate the resources needed to create a team. The absence of a boys volleyball team or recreational club means that students who want to participate are missing out on the opportunity to play a sport that is offered at many other highschools.

“For a lot of kids, it’s really important to have a school team, so that they can play year round. Kids who don’t have school teams can only play [on club teams]. It’s kind of hard to stay on the same level [as other players] because you’re not playing as much,” Moldoveanu said.

In response to the lack of a boys volleyball program, Howard Cheng, a current volleyball player and coach, created the Open Gym Program hoping that kids in Princeton could have an outlet to play volleyball.

“As a parent, I've raised two highschoolers already, and I really want to promote physical and mental health. … When these guys get on the court, they will feel totally different. They can get the pressure released, get themselves recharged. I see the benefit it had on my daughters, and I want to make this benefit also available to all our kids, if possible,” Cheng said.

His goals are to provide consistent training for players in Princeton that had already had some experience with volleyball, as well as offering a low cost option for those with financial burdens. The main goal of the program is to provide exposure to the sport of volleyball to all students. Part of increasing the exposure of volleyball is growing the number of male players in the sport.

“For three years, [there were] almost no boys in the training program, even though the training program is the same [for boys and girls], but this year we do see much more senior boys, a few sophomore boys, and even a few middle school boys join the program,” Cheng said.

As boys volleyball has continued to grow in popularity, many other high schools and districts have taken notice and created boys volleyball teams.

“Very few towns … don’t have boys volleyball programs. Unfortunately, Princeton is one of them. ... We need to get people’s attention, and we need their support to get the program started.” Cheng said.

However, with the previous lack of success towards creating a volleyball club, Moldoveanu expresses his doubt as it was difficult to get people’s attention before. One step that can be taken towards the establishment of a boys volleyball team is dispelling the stereotype that volleyball is a “girls” sport.

“It’s very much a men’s sport as well. It's very different. … Growing up playing it, I’ve heard a lot of people say, ‘Oh that’s a girls sport’ but people don’t really understand,” Moldoveanu said.

Cheng expressed similar sentiments. Having seen his two daughters go through the highschool volleyball program, Cheng knows the many benefits of playing this sport.

“It provides team bonding, building relationships and gives young kids the feeling of happiness,” Cheng said.

Cheng seeks to garner support from the Board of Education, the community, and parents in order to establish a boys team. Cheng suggests to all the boys waiting for an official team to group together and register for a club at PHS. If enough advocacy and voices are raised, Cheng believes that a team will be established in the future. Cheng feels the only way to understand volleyball is to experience it.

“You will see the agility, you will see the power, you will see the speed, you will see everything you can expect from any other successful sport options,” said Cheng. “To discover the beauty of volleyball, you have to experience it.”