Triple Crown Sports, the event organization behind the nationally embraced TC NIT volleyball event in Kansas City, MO., is continuing to push for high-caliber competition in boys volleyball as well.
In 2025, TC Volleyball will run its second edition of the West Coast Boys Invitational, set for the Mountain America Expo Center in Sandy, UT., for ages 13u-18u from June 6-9.
The National Federation of High School Sports reports that boys volleyball participation elevated from about 66,500 players in the 2021-22 school year to more than 85,000 in 2023-24. About 6,000 players from ages 12-18 will compete July 3-6 at the USA Volleyball Junior Championships in Minneapolis, MN.
One of the teams heading to the Triple Crown event is the Albuquerque Rebels 18 Black Adidas squad, helmed by head coach Joel Herrera. He’s got a front-seat view of how the sport is growing, especially in an area where participation was next to zero not that long ago.
“I graduated high school in 2022, and at the time there was no boys programs in the entire state of New Mexico. I knew of exactly two boys from New Mexico that played club ball, myself and a guy named Nolan Flexen,” Herrera said. “Neither of us played in the state for club. I was playing in Houston and Lubbock (Texas), and where Nolan played in Phoenix, I played against him once in our 18s year at a qualifier.
“Now there are two clubs that have boys volleyball just in Albuquerque alone. Our region has also grown so much with more teams and teams placing at Nationals last year. It’s so great to see the boys side grow, even at the college level; playing at a new program in college (at Central State University in Ohio) gave me a perspective on what it feels like to be a part of the growth of the sport.”
Herrera and his roster are gearing up for the West Coast Invitational, which will test teams with a seven-match guarantee.
“With the tournament in mind, it’s a great opportunity to get the boys back in the gym and competing at a higher level, post-high school seasons,” Herrera added. “This year will be my first time attending this event with my boys team, and it’s so exciting to get to take them on this trip.”
“We are excited to have a bigger event this year within the boy's division and it being a piece of the fastest growing sport in the nation,” said Triple Crown event director Eddie Pennington. “This tournament is a great opportunity for your teams to come in and dust the rust off from your high school/spring tournament break and have a great prep situation for nationals.
“Utah is a hotbed for boys volleyball surrounded by multiple states that offer both club and sanctioned high school boys volleyball.”
West Coast Invite: West Coast Invitational Boys
