LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Junior Volleyball Association World Challenge welcomed nearly 900 teams to Louisville for its weekend of competition. Teams like the Volleyball League of America, which is a new men’s league hoping to grow the sport.
The Junior Volleyball Association World Challenge is back.
You may know volleyball as a traditional women’s sport, but now it's making way for the men. The Volleyball League of America was founded in December 2019 for professional men’s teams.
Milwaukee Dive player Matthew “Matt” Aussem joined thousands of others in Louisville this weekend at the Kentucky Expo Center to show attendees his passion and to inspire others to join.
“I’ve been playing volleyball since the fifth grade. I love it and it’s my passion,” Aussem said.
Almost 900 teams are competing across nearly 100 courts and that including teams from VLA. VLA is playing its first season this year after the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered the world of sports.
“To all the guys on my team, everyone is an awesome person there. And VLA too—just kinda starting up or trying to get a good professional men’s volleyball league going in the United States, it’s really cool to see,” Aussem said.
Tim Falknor, a Chicago native, helped put VLA on the map with its founding. He now serves as a board member and is living out his seventh year on the Chicago Icemen team, which is a part of VLA.
“A lot of the country sees it as a women’s sport, but internationally it’s huge in both women’s and men’s. There’s been a ton of growth on the junior boys’ side kinda nationwide and it’s really fun for us to be here and showcase what the sport can be,” Falknor said.
VLA wants players to know there are options to play high-level men’s volleyball without going overseas, and you don’t have to be a D1 athlete to do so.
“I went to U-Wisconsin Oshkosh and played club volleyball for NCBF. If you want to come to this level, you have to put in the work by yourself,” Aussem said.
Aussem and his team hope the hard work they’re putting in inspires the new generation.
The action continues Sunday at the Kentucky Expo Center.
Winners will move on to compete in the AAU National Championships in Orlando, Fla.