Published in the Dec. 21, 2017, Badger Beacon
1992 was a great year for Wisconsin and volleyball, as it was when the Wisconsin Volleyball Conference (WVC) was born.
The WVC is the largest intercollegiate volleyball conference in the state and one of the biggest in the country.
The WVC is a volleyball conference home to athletes who choose to continue playing club volleyball in college. The conference began as a nine-team conference for men, and has grown to include 20 men’s teams and 24 women’s teams. When I graduated high school I was unaware that collegiate club volleyball even existed, and now, I am the women’s division coordinator.
Over the last few years the competition schedule has continued to evolve to meet the needs of the student athletes. Most of the teams that participate in the WVC are from schools in the UW system, but a few schools outside of the state participate as well.
For a full listing of teams please visit: http://wvcweb.org/teams.html.
Most teams do not have a coaching staff, but are run by a group of officers. As an officer you learn countless life lessons, as you learn how to manage peers while also being their friend. You also learn how to coordinate schedules between different universities, along with managing a budget.
In addition to providing a conference structure, the WVC honors current athletes and alumni at the Conference Championships. We honor statistical leaders, scholar athletes, graduating seniors, sportsmanship award as well as Scholarship awards, and a Hall of Fame.
Every year the WVC holds Conference Championship event, where teams battle it out to become conference tournament champions. This season the championship event will be held at the Milwaukee Sting Center on April 6 and April 7, 2018.
Five days following Conference Championships many teams attend the national tournament, which is run by the National Collegiate Volleyball Federation (NCVF). There are upwards of 400 teams from across the country that attends this tournament. At the conclusion of the 2017 season, the WVC is home to 17 national championships and 15 runners-up trophies.
One of the great parts of being a WVC athlete is that you are also a member of USA Volleyball and have the same access to all of the great Badger Region resources (coaching education, officials training, Webpoint, etc.) as junior club coaches and athletes have.
For junior athletes looking to continue their volleyball career without a huge time commitment, the WVC is the perfect fit. As high schoolers are looking toward their future, I strongly encourage both males and females to reach out to the recreation department about club volleyball teams!
Published in the Jan. 5, 2017, Badger Beacon
My name is Holly Vogelsang and I am in my first term as a Badger Region board member as the Southeast Rep. I graduated from UW-La Crosse in May of 2015 and now live in Pewaukee.
Volleyball has been a source of structure for almost my entire life, as I grew up watching my parents play in various rec volleyball leagues and eventually started playing myself. When I graduated from Pewaukee High School in 2010 I was determined that I was done playing competitive volleyball. Low and behold I decided to try out for the club volleyball team at UW-La Crosse, which is an option I never even knew existed until I arrived on campus. I ended up making the team and continued playing until I graduated. Throughout my years at UW-La Crosse I quickly realized how foolish I was to think I would cut all volleyball ties after high school. I became president of the club (essentially the coach and club director) and then discovered that we were part of a conference called the Wisconsin Volleyball Conference (WVC; www.wvcweb.org).
While I was still in school, I became the Women’s Division Coordinator and am currently on the board of directors as well. The WVC is the collegiate club volleyball conference for the state of Wisconsin (and some surrounding state schools) and provides an organized and college-like playing experience for those athletes who don’t want the commitment of playing college athletics.
In addition to helping out the WVC I am also a coach for Milwaukee Sting and Brookfield Central High School. I will be coaching a boy’s club team this year for the first time, and I am very excited to add something new to my volleyball repertoire. Someday, I would also like to add a career path in volleyball to my list of volleyball involvement. Whether playing, coaching, or on a board of directors, volleyball has taught me discipline, time management, and leadership skills, and I am very excited that I have the opportunity to help other people have positive experiences like I did.
I think the Badger Region has done an excellent job of promoting and trying to grow both boys volleyball throughout the state, as well as adult volleyball. However, I do not think we have reached the ceiling for either of these programs, and I can’t wait to see how they continue to grow over the coming years.
Since this is my first term, I have not heard from many junior teams, however, I have helped mentor many college club teams with any questions they have. I check my email constantly, which makes email the best way to reach me. Although I’m only 25 and new to my Badger Region role, I am not afraid to ask questions and help others solve problems they may be having. I have met most of my closest friends through volleyball, and I am excited knowing I have numerous opportunities to continue meeting great people from this sport.
