Over the summer, changes and improvements have been made on the athletic side of campus. Some have made huge impacts on the students, like the addition of new sports seasons, including Men’s Volleyball. Bringing in this sport has helped bring in lots of new students with a wide variety of backgrounds. It has also allowed Eureka students to expand and fall back into old positions that they once loved.
According to an article Exploring the Impacts of Sports on Academic Excellence in Students written by the YSN staff on January 10th, 2024, “The impact of sports on academic excellence in students is significant and multifaceted. By enhancing cognitive skills, improving time management and organization, positively impacting mental health, developing teamwork and social skills, and building resilience and perseverance, sports can contribute greatly to a student’s academic success.” The addition of this sport allows students to venture out and try something new, as well as bring in students who have spent time dedicated to the sport before the opportunity brought upon us this year.
With the new addition comes a new coach as well. Eureka College is excited to introduce Coach Ray to the Men’s Volleyball team. Noah Ray has served as a coach on the court in multiple different colleges, including St. Andrews University as a head Men’s coach, Mariana University as a head coach for both the Men’s and Women’s teams, head coach of the Women’s team at Birmingham-Southern College, and many more positions involved in both Men’s and Women’s teams. According to the Eureka College official athletic page, “Ray holds a Master of Science in Sports Administration from Southeastern Oklahoma State University and a Bachelor of Science in Sports Management from Midway University, where he was also a member of the men’s volleyball team. He minored in Human Resource Management and Psychology.” The addition of Coach Ray has impacted Eureka greatly. Ray has been seen spending time helping the women’s team this fall, all while preparing the men’s team for their first season.
Jake Potter is a senior at Eureka College. Potter has been advocating for the addition of Men’s Volleyball at Eureka College as well as being a leader and student athlete on campus. Potter has played volleyball competitively since he was 12. Before Eureka, Potter spent two years playing volleyball at Grand Canyon University in Arizona. His primary position on the team is outside hitter.
“I’d say I’m excited. I’m very eager to get the season going,” Jake excitedly expressed himself during an interview.
When asked when the season officially starts, Potter’s response was “We’re just practicing now, but our official conference stuff starts in the spring.” Potter then further explains, “I think we have eighteen or nineteen new guys.”
After devoting an incredible amount of time to volleyball, the game may look different after Potter graduates. “I’d love to come back and kind of help, but I mean, Priorities got to go somewhere else, but I’ve always loved volleyball… I could probably play in a couple of tournaments in Peoria or something like that,” Potter said.
With the new addition comes new engagement, new students, and new possibilities for Eureka. The College is excited about the future of Men’s volleyball and how it will pave the way for future students, as well as allow previous students to fall back into old positions.
