University of Lynchburg adding men's volleyball to slate of sports in 2024-25 academic year
LYNCHBURG, Va. (WSET) — In the 2024-2025 academic year, the University of Lynchburg will add a new sport to its lineup.
Director of Athletics Jon Waters announced Friday that the Hornets will add men's volleyball to the lineup of sports beginning in 2024.
U of L is now beginning its search for a head coach. The team will begin practices in November 2024 and will play its inaugural regular-season schedule in January 2025.
Men's volleyball will represent the Hornet's 26th intercollegiate offering.
"We have enjoyed watching the growth of men's volleyball among the schools in our conference and are looking forward to having this new group of student-athletes join us on campus," Waters said.
The Hornets will be the seventh ODAC school to sponsor men's volleyball.
Roanoke, Eastern Mennonite, and Randolph-Macon currently participate in the Continental Volleyball Conference. Averett and Virginia Wesleyan will play their inaugural season of the sport as independents in the 2023-24 academic year. Randolph announced the addition of men's volleyball for the 2024-25 academic year as well.
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The ODAC intends to sponsor the sport in 2024-25 complete with a conference championship featuring the seven aforementioned institutions. Randolph and Lynchburg would put the ODAC over the six-team threshold, which earns the conference champion an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.
The NCAA has crowned a Division III men's volleyball champion since 2012. The ODAC will host the NCAA 2025 DIII men's volleyball championship in Salem, Va. during Lynchburg's first year of competition.