Men's Volleyball | 12/6/2024 1:42:00 PM

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- The Barry University men's volleyball program has announced the schedule for their inaugural season coming this spring.

"We are super excited to get going this year after a much anticipated wait on who it is we're going to play, where we're going to compete, and how are we going to start a program in Miami where NCAA men's volleyball has never been done," assistant coach Charles Norman said.

The men have 23 games on tap for the spring, including 13 in the friendly confines of the Health & Sport Center.

"We were fortunate to be able to schedule so many games at home in our first season. We're also taking trips to New York, Georgia, Utah, and competing in the IVA championships in St Louis," Norman said. "We're excited to play some top NCAA Division I matches with teams like BYU, LIU-Brooklyn, and Fairleigh Dickinson. We will look to continue to build a reputation in the future for playing top programs. This has been months in planning and preparation in order to successfully put this schedule together and we're very excited to finally share it with the public!"

The season opens with three games at home. The Bucs' very first game comes on Jan. 9 as they host the Flying Fleet of Erskine. The Fleet, who are entering their 13th season of competition, were 13-11 last year. On Jan 10 and 11, the Bucs play Barton in a pair of games. The Bulldogs, entering their 14th season, were 12-13 last year.

The Bucs hit the road to New York in the middle of January, taking on an NCAA Division I program as well as a couple of newly-minted Division II opponents. On Jan. 15, the Bucs face D-I Fairleigh Dickinson. The Knights, entering their fourth season, were 12-15 last year. Barry visits Dominican on Jan. 16. The D-II Chargers were 12-13 last year in their inaugural season. On Jan. 17, the Bucs face off against both D-II St. Thomas Aquinas and D-II Long Island. The STAC Spartans went 11-12 in their first-ever season last year. The fourth-year LIU Sharks were 14-13 in 2024.

The Bucs venture up to Georgia next. On Jan. 24, they play a split double-header against Fort Valley State and Emmanuel. The Wildcats, who won the SIAC championship in 2024 in their third season, were 17-9 last year. The host Lions, in their 12th year, went 9-19 last season. The Bucs close out the trip with a return match at Erskine on Jan. 25.

Barry takes a trip uup to Lake Wales, Fla., on Feb. 6 to face the Warner Royals. The NAIA Royals, who have been playing since 2007, were 8-22 last year.

The Bucs are back at home on Feb. 8, hosting a split doubleheader with Edward Waters and Webber International. The EWU Tigers of the SIAC, are coming off a 12-16 campaign as they head into their forth season. The NAIA Warriors, entering their ninth season, were 17-2 last year.

The Bucs head out west Feb. 21-22 to face one of the oldest men's programs in NCAA Division I in BYU. The Cougars, who began playing in 1990, have made 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, including three national championships (1999, 2001, 2004). Last year, the Cougars went 16-9.

The Bucs close out the rest of the season at home, starting with a return trip from Warner on Feb. 28. On Mar. 3, the Bucs host the North Greenville Trailblazers. The 10-year program posted a 15-9 record last year. On Mar. 6, the NAIA Campbellsville Tigers come to town. Entering their ninth season, the Tigers were 23-11 in 2024.

On Mar. 7-8, the Bucs host a pair of split doubleheaders. On Friday, Barry plays St. John Fisher, while hosting neitral site matches between Roosevelt and SJF and LIU. On Saturday, the Bucs face Roosevelt and LIU, while SJF plays LIU. St. John Fisher is an NCAA Division III opponent going into their eighth season after a 25-6 mark last year. Roosevelt, a D-II program in its fifth season, was 9-17 in 2024.

The Bucs host NAIA Viterbo on Mar. 11. The V-Hawks, in their eighth season, went 11-18 last year.

The regular season concludes on Mar. 29 against the Life Eagles. The NAIA Eagles, in their sixth season last year, were 22-11.

The Bucs will play in the Independent Volleyball Association (IVA) post-season tournament Apr. 18-19. The tournament is hosted by Maryville at the Moloney Arena. Brackets will be released later in the season.

"Opening this program and scheduling these teams as a first-year program is awesome in a community where boy's volleyball is so popular," Norman said. "The boy's volleyball scene in south Florida is huge! For there now to be a chance to showcase collegiate men's volleyball teams like Barry University, Long Island University, North Greenville, Barton, and Erskine at home is amazing. What this means to the community is bigger than volleyball and we take pride in being the first to do something like this and grow collegiate men's volleyball in the south Florida region."