Boys volleyball may be a sanctioned high school sport, a big deal for Iredell, home of championship girls teams

Volleyball has long been a popular high school sport in Iredell County. Its reach could soon grow.

The N.C. High School Athletic Association board of directors is scheduled to vote during the spring meeting May 5-6 on whether to add boys volleyball as a sanctioned sport.

Kerry Baker said he's expecting them to vote in favor.

"The growth of the sport has been exponential since we started the team at South Iredell," said Baker, who led the boys' club volleyball program at the high school for 15 years.

Baker's work as a school resource officer prevented him from continuing as coach this year. He remains among the most passionate about seeing boys volleyball recognized by the NCHSAA as an official varsity sport.

The fastest-growing high school sport in North Carolina for nearly a decade, boys volleyball now has met every numerical threshold the NCHSAA requires for sanctioning.

In order to have the sport sanctioned, the NCHSAA says 25% of the total number of member schools, or half of the schools in a classification, need to participate in the sport for there to be an official state championship.

South Iredell, Lake Norman and Mooresville are among the public schools in Iredell County with teams.

"I remember having open gyms at South and I would have middle school kids showing up because they had an interest," Baker said. "Now several are on the team at South.

"The interest is there," Baker said. "The crowd size for games has increased significantly the last several years … and the talent level is astronomical now. On the court and in coaching."

If the NCHSAA votes to sanction, public high schools across the state will have the first official season of boys' volleyball next spring.

"It just makes sense because nobody is using the gym in the spring," Baker said. "You already have volleyball equipment. So it's almost like a no-brainer. The only thing you're going to have to come off the hip for is uniforms and busing."

North Carolina has held independent high school boys volleyball state championships for a decade.

If next week's vote passes, boys volleyball would have an official state tournament, where NCHSAA state champions are crowned just like the girls. The NCHSAA sanctioned girls volleyball in 1976.

Iredell County has been a hotbed for girls volleyball, especially since 2000. State finals appearances include:

* Mooresville: 1993, 1994 2A state champs, 2004 3A state champ

* North Iredell: 2008, 2017, 2022 3A state champs, 3A state runner-up 2010, 2011, 2021

* Pine Lake Prep: 2025 3A state runner-up

* South Iredell: 2015 3A state champ

* West Iredell: 2002, 2017 2A state runner-up, 2007 3A state runner-up

"It's going to increase opportunities for young men," Baker said. "For Iredell County, it's going to continue that legacy of volleyball superiority.

"South has a reputation around the state of being one of the premier boys teams, and we've put in a lot of work to get to that level. North Iredell, at one point, had a really good boys team and even won a state title a couple of years ago at the club level. The talent level in Iredell County is here. I think we're driven to be just as successful in boys volleyball as we are in girls."

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This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 5:49 AM.