Boys volleyball surges in Minnesota during first year under high school league

Boys volleyball has been and continues to be on the rise in Minnesota. Shakopee has been on the cutting edge for a while.

“The amount of kids we have at open gyms, the tryouts have grown every single year,” said Shakopee junior setter Grant Menke. “In clubs, it’s growing. Throughout the state, it’s growing. Even up north, there are now teams where in the past there hadn’t been at all.”

This year’s boost comes in the first season the sport is officially sanctioned by the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL). For the players and coaches, this year feels new in multiple ways, some more tangible than others.

“We had a bus for the first time, since it’s sanctioned now,” said Shakopee senior setter Dom Tor. “That was very cool to have a bus to away games because before we would have to drive ourselves or commute to away games.”

“It felt different. It absolutely did,” said Shakopee’s head coach Krista Flemming, who played a major role in getting the sport sanctioned. “We’re doing so many of the things the same as we had been doing (as a club team). But it’s the whole thing of feeling more official.”

Over at Eastview High School, the first-ever official season brought some new players.

“This year, in some of our younger teams, we saw some kids that were football or basketball, or other fall and winter sports, that were like, ‘yeah, I can make that my spring sport,’” said head coach Ryan Dehnel.

History is on the line too. Shakopee won the last club boys’ volleyball state tournament in 2024. This season, a gauntlet can be thrown. Like many teams, Eastview wants to win the first ever MSHSL state title.

“That is the ultimate goal, “said Eastview senior outside hitter Keuni Saki. “To win the first high school state tournament.”

“Just being remembered in history as the first team to win the sanctioned sport,” said Eastview opposite hitter Colin Nathan. “It’s very enticing.”