Written By: Victoria Williamson ~ Sports Editor
Ryan Turner coaching the Women’s Volleyball team. Photographed by Josh Smith.
Lynchburg Men’s Volleyball is gearing up for its inaugural season this spring, and the energy is building as the countdown begins. The newly formed team’s coaches and players have been hard at work during the off-season, pushing themselves to hit the ambitious targets they’ve set for their debut.
After assisting in coaching the Women’s Indoor and Beach Volleyball teams for Lynchburg since 2020, Ryan Turner is excited to take on the head coach position for the Men’s Volleyball team and be the first to lead them to success.
“I think there are a couple of really exciting pieces for me. The first is that the University of Lynchburg has such a strong and successful history of athletics, but no one on this campus has ever seen men’s volleyball. The other fun thing for me is that all of these guys saw themselves here before it existed, it’s one thing to say how cool it would be to have a men’s team. It’s a totally different thing to have these guys on campus and working towards our goals,” said Turner.
With an entirely new team on campus, the players are anxious to start strong for the developing program. Freshman outside hitter Jeremiah Costello looks forward to preparing this team for every year that follows by putting in maximum effort from the beginning.
“Being on a first year team at Lynchburg excites me, because I get to take part in setting the tone for the future seasons,” he said.
Being in an off-season, the team has to find different ways to push themselves physically since they aren’t able to practice every day. Being a freshman libero, Jared Bergren has valued time with the team, getting better every day.
“The team and I have been working hard in the open gyms and are learning to play comfortably with each other and grow connections. Additionally, we have had team dinners to build the brotherhood and develop a positive bond for the upcoming season,” said Bergren.
As this highly anticipated first season approaches, this team is sure to make its mark if it continues to grow its strength and connections throughout the fall.
For more information on upcoming matches, visit Lynchburg Sports Calendar
