Men's Volleyball: Inaugural Season Preview
BETHANY, W.Va. – The inaugural season of men's volleyball has arrived for Bethany College. For the first time in school history, Bethany will feature a men's volleyball team during the spring semester. The program's first match will be against Chatham University hosted by Saint Vincent College for the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) preview on Friday, Jan. 19.
The Bison will be coached by Chuck Shoemaker and assistant coach Brittney Arent. Head coach Shoemaker shared his initial thoughts on heading into the program's first match and key members of the inaugural roster.
"We have been preparing for over a year to kick off this season," said Shoemaker. "The guys arrived in August anxious to start something special from the ground up. It will be great to celebrate men's volleyball by playing another new program in Chatham. The expectation to compete and build this program is on the forefront of our minds. The first match will show our growth from the beginning of the year and test our volleyball knowledge moving forward."
Bethany's roster consists of seven freshmen and two upperclassmen. While the team is young, they bring experience to the Bison program. The Green and White are represented by student-athletes from all over the country, including five different states and two international countries.
The two upperclassmen, Monsoor Ahmed and Leo Locatelli will provide the Bison with some leadership and team chemistry with their previous college experience on the men's soccer team.
The Bison will use this year's opponents to help gear towards PAC conference play when it begins next season.
"The schedule was put together this year to increase our visibility and give experience to the players in what will be a highly competitive conference when it forms a year from now" said Shoemaker. "The team will get their feet wet and we want to put our name on the map of programs that will have a strong program for years to come."
Bethany will travel to Latrobe, Pa. on Friday, Jan. 19 to take on Chatham and Hiram. The Bison will have their first home match in program history against Mount Union on Tuesday, Jan. 30 at 7 pm inside Hummel Field House.
