Volleyball may be more closely associated with sandy beaches and sunny weather than brutal winters, food drenched in ranch or people saying “ope” whenever bump into someone.
But the Loyola men’s volleyball team is demonstrating the sport can flourish in the Midwest.
The team’s entire coaching staff consists of Midwest natives. Head coach Mark Hulse, associate head coach Matt McCarthy and assistant coach Connor Wexter are all from Illinois.
Of the group, Hulse was the only collegiate player who moved out of the region. Meanwhile, Wexter played at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin and McCarthy spent his college years playing for Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.