In February of this year, Averett announced the addition of their Men’s Volleyball team. The Cougars will now enter their inaugural season, which offers excitement, questions, and a lot of interest on campus. 

Olivia Earls, who has served as coach for the women’s program since 2022, will also lead the men’s team. Earls already has the team hard at work preparing for their first match.

“The practices have been very productive on both the technical side of things, as well as for our chemistry, culture, and expectations,” Earls said. “The guys are an energetic group and are excited to put in the work every day to work towards their first opportunity to compete in January.”

The Cougars seem excited to begin their journey as the first men’s volleyball team in school history. For Jordan Tyler, a sophomore majoring in business, it’s a dream come true.

“It’s a privilege and true honor,” Tyler said. “It’s great to be on the first of many years to come for this team. I want to be an All-American and a complete asset to my team rather than a liability.” 

Despite entering their first season together, the expectations are still high for Earls and her young team. 

“My expectations for our first season together are to build a solid foundation for how we want to grow and where we want to see ourselves in 2-5 years,” Earls said. “The guys know that I expect them to rise to the high expectations that I have given them and they understand that a major focus for us right now is building the right way, with the right people, with the right culture as that is really where we will find success at the end of the day. My staff and I want to do this right.”

The Cougars will look to be able to handle adversity and lean on their few upperclassmen during the spring season. 

“I believe our biggest challenge will be how we handle adversity in this first year. Our younger guys will be looking toward our upperclassmen heavily to lead them through those times,” Earls said. “But I believe we have some quality guys in some key positions that will be able to guide our younger guys in those moments with confidence.” 

With practices already underway, the excitement builds for the coaches, players, and especially the students who are eager to see their new team play.

“I am excited to see our faculty, staff, community and student body out to support our newest sport addition in the spring,” Earls said. “I think many people are assuming that it will look a lot like the women’s game, but the men’s side is very different and I am eager to see everyone’s reaction to this new version of volleyball that will be entering the Grant on January 25, 2023.”