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It’s your top five men’s volleyball story list, but with a twist.
Every Sunday during the men’s volleyball season Off the Block will post the top five best men’s volleyball stories of the week from around the nation. The list, though, is based more on how well the reporter wrote and covered the story rather than just what happened on the court.
Off the Block will be primarily looking at a college newspapers — they provide the majority of coverage to the sport — but occasionally I will include some well written men’s volleyball articles from professional newspapers.
In many communities volleyball is a non-mainstream sport that has a niche following. One of the exciting things for reporters covering volleyball, though,is finding that interesting angle that could appeal to volleyball and non-volleyball fans.
Going beyond the boxscore and game notes to provide readers with insight on the team that they can’t got anywhere else is one of the most important skills for a sports reporter.
This list is to honor those efforts.
THE WEEK’S TOP 5 STORIES
Arkansas hires former Cardinal Nelson as assistant coach
Andrew Mishler | The Ball State Daily News
A question often asked by readers is where are former standout college players now. This story looks at how former Ball State All-American middle attacker Andres Nelson has moved into the coaching the sport and accepted an assistant coaching position with the Arkansas women’s volleyball team.
Digging his way up
Jacob Ruffman | Daily Bruin
Libero Tom Hastings following his four-year college career is still on the UCLA team this season — but he is now on the sidelines as an undergraduate assistant coach. The unorthodox path Hastings took to become an assistant coach is examined with this in-depth personality profile story.
Replacements provide energy off bench for Penn State
Kevin Byrne | The Daily Collegian
Penn State outside attackers Nick Goodell and Peter Russell came off the bench and made a rare appearance on the court during Penn State’s loss to Lewis last week. This article discusses that despite the loss Goodell and Russell brought energy to the court and their performances could earn them more playing time in future matches.
Harvard faces tougher conference schedule
Darren McLeod | The Harvard Crimson
Harvard opened its regular season this week after coach Brian Baise took a different approach to his team’s preseason and off-season program. This season preview story looks at how the Crimson have made extra preparations for their upcoming season.
Legendary coach Dunphy leads young Waves team
Alysha Tsuji | Pepperdine Graphic
Pepperdine coach Marv Dunphy is one of the winnigest coaches in NCAAA volleyball history. However, this personality profile examines how the Hall of the Fame coach this season is handling coaching a young Pepperdine team with standout freshmen Josh Taylor and Matt West.
Ayo Waves!