Men’s Volleyball

Huntington University is adding men’s club volleyball this coming fall, according to director of athletics Lori Culler. The Forester program will begin competing as a club sport with the intention of moving to varsity status once the foundation has been built.

There are currently 62 NAIA schools that offer men’s volleyball which competes in the spring. The Foresters will be the fourth Crossroads League institution to offer men’s volleyball with Goshen, Mount Vernon and Bethel competing in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) as affiliate members.

The NAIA added men’s volleyball as an invitational sport in 2015 and made it the association’s 26th national championship sport in 2018.

Men’s volleyball will be the fourth sport added to Huntington in the past 15 years with women’s golf competing in their inaugural season in 2015 and men’s and women’s bowling having been added in 2012.

Scott Vanover will serve as the program’s first head coach. Vanover brings with him eight years of coaching experience and an extensive playing background.

“We are excited to have Scott join our coaching staff,” said Culler. “Men’s volleyball is a rapidly growing sport across the country, so we’re excited to begin the process of building a program.

“Scott brings coaching and playing experience to the position as well as a lot of passion and energy for the sport. He will have a couple years at the club sport level to lay the groundwork for his vision for the program. We’re anxious to see the fruits of his leadership.”

Vanover’s most recent coaching stop was Indiana Tech, one of the NAIA’s top men’s volleyball programs in the country. As an assistant this past year, Vanover was involved in nearly every aspect of the program highlighted by assisting with scouting, recruiting, stats, day-to-day operations, camps and in game adjustments and strategy.

Prior to serving on the sidelines at Tech, Vanover was the head women’s volleyball coach at South Side High School for two years where he transformed the program on and off the court. His coaching resume also includes three years with Empowered Volleyball Academy as a 17/18 Elite Red Coach. He kicked off his coaching career in 2016 as the women’s varsity assistant and JV coach at New Haven High School.

In addition to his coaching expertise, Vanover boasts an impressive playing career. After playing for his high school team and the Cincinnati Attack Junior Olympic Team, he was a six-rotation pin player for the Ball State University Men’s Club Volleyball program. During his six-year tenure at BSU, the Cardinals enjoyed a national tournament runner-up finish in 2009, knocked off #1 Ohio State in 2010 and were the MIVA Champions in 2014.

“I am honored and grateful to the wonderful leaders at Huntington University for entrusting me as the first head men’s volleyball coach,” said Vanover. “I am eager to build a program the University and city can be proud of.

“My goal is to develop the mind, body and spirit of each athlete. I am ecstatic to continue the growth of men’s volleyball and be as competitive and accomplished as the other programs in the greater Fort Wayne area. I am proud to be part of the Forester family and grateful for all of the people in my life who have made this dream become a reality.”

Vanover graduated from Ball State with a BS in Mild Interventions K-12 in 2014 and a Master of Arts in Intense Interventions K-12 in 2018. He is a special education teacher in the Fort Wayne Community School Corporation. Along with his wife and two sons, Vanover resides in Roanoke, Ind.