For students at Dublin High, Men’s Powderpuff Volleyball has been one of the most exciting events of the school’s Greek Week. However, the increase of popularity and level of competition among the students raised questions on whether or not the game would eventually be considered as a full-fledged sport. Select DHS students decided to take action and formed what would be Dublin’s first boys volleyball program, with enough participants to form a JV and Varsity team. This spring sport, though many are still relatively new, is projected to grow quite successful over the next couple of years.

We sat down to talk to sophomore Tyler Revak, about his experiences being apart of the program so far.

The Dublin Shield: “Volleyball isn’t the most common men’s sport in Dublín. What got you interested in playing?”

Revak: “Well, at Fallon, we had a middle school team all 3 years and it was really fun. I got to know a lot of new people and we ended up winning the Tri-Valley Championship. When we heard there wasn’t going to be a high school team, we went to the office and asked how to get one started. Our passion to play incited them to form a team.”

The Dublín Shield: “From a logistics standpoint, how many of the guys have played before versus being novice volleyball players?”

Revak: “On the varsity team, about twelve of the sixteen people have played before. It’s a good blend, and you can’t really see a big difference between the two groups.”

The Dublin Shield: “Was it difficult trying to charter the sport? And do you have any advice to other students hoping to start their own sports programs on campus?”

Revak: “No, it wasn’t too difficult. The hardest part was finding a coach. For other students hoping to develop their own sports programs: just have a lot of people who want to play and never lower your ambition level. Keep going until it happens.”

The Dublin Shield: “How’s the chemistry of the team with a brand new coach and group of athletes? What’s the overall dynamic of the group?”

Revak: “Our coach (Sarah de Haro) is really understanding, and she uses our mistakes as a way for us to get better. The best thing about her is that she has a keen eye for small details that can help us improve our game. The chemistry is surprisingly high. I didn’t expect much from throwing a bunch of boys together, but it’s one of the tightest knit teams I’ve been on.”

The Dublín Shield: “What should volleyball and Gael sports fans alike expect from this season?”

Revak: “Expect to see a team exceeding expectations and never giving up, even against veteran teams. We’re the underdogs.”