Volleyball is the world's fastest growing sport. For girls, the meteoric rise in participation is noteworthy.
USA Volleyball, the National Governing Body for the sport in the United States, reported a membership increase of 9.6% in 2022-23, the largest percentage growth since 1998. In 2023-24, 3,880 junior clubs were registered with the organization, up over 50% from the 1,750 in 2004-05. As of last July, 333,208 junior (ages 11-18) girls were active members of clubs.
Among them are the youth of NYC Juniors, the largest volleyball club in New York. Founded in Manhattan in 1993 by Doug Levine, a former collegiate player and coach, it has become a prominent fixture on the city's and national sports landscape. This past weekend, the program's NYC Juniors 14 Blue, one of their three 14u teams, captured third place at the highly competitive Capitol Hill Volleyball Classic held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., emerging from the 96-team field.
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"It is one of the most amazing accomplishments of my life," said a proud Sara Atai, the team's head coach, via phone to the AmNews on Tuesday. "Those young ladies worked extremely hard and are very committed. I am so happy for them and the entire program."
Atai, who played volleyball for Pace University in Pleasantville, New York, is the assistant women's coach at Manhattan College under head coach Mauro Miletic. In an ironic role reversal, Miletic is Atai's assistant with the 12-member 14 Blue squad.
Levine, a native of Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood and former volleyball standout for the University of Maryland, began his coaching journey at his alma mater, Hunter College High School, where he led the boys varsity team to the 1988 PSAL championship. He then pursued graduate studies in exercise science at the University of New Mexico, obtaining a master's degree while working with the women's volleyball team.
Levine, now in his 26th year as an educator at The Brearley School, an all-girls K-12 private institution on the Upper East Side, where he is the volleyball coach, started NYC Juniors with one boys and one girls 12-under teams. It ultimately evolved into a club exclusively for girls ages 8-18 serving all five boroughs with its base in Manhattan. NYC Juniors holds camps and clinics for girls beginning with third graders up to high school seniors in addition to developing its travel teams.
Along with Levine, the organization's executive director, the administrative staff includes Director of Operations Kendra Wilson and Associate Director Terence Simpson, who heads the Staten Island site.
"We all have been involved with volleyball for a long time and are very passionate about the sport," said Levine to this writer. "What is truly meaningful for us is that we provide opportunities for girls regardless of their economic status. Volleyball, like other youth sports and travel clubs, can be very expensive.
"We offer financial assistance," Levine added, "and have provided over $200,000 to our girls in each of the past five years through personal, corporate and other donations as a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization. We ensure that all of the money goes to helping the girls and none to administrative costs."
For more information on NYC Juniors, visit their website at nycjuniorvolleyball.org.