Simpson College men’s volleyball team is beginning practices with their season approaching.

Men’s volleyball coach, KK Palea, gave his thoughts on how the schedule for the team would end up. 

“We currently have six games scheduled, we are not affiliated with a conference, so we have to find windows where other teams have open time,” Palea said. 

The roster also has to be constructed for the team, with other sports having potential players currently in season.

“We have 11 currently that are out there practicing. We potentially may have 12-14 guys depending on when the basketball season ends,” Palea said. 

Palea is also the women’s volleyball coach, which has resulted in him having to coach in multiple styles.  

“The women’s game is a little more technical with longer rallies while guys are more brute force and speed, so we have to still understand the game at the same level with a little different system,” Palea said. 

Men’s volleyball player Anthony Potratz gave his opinion on how practices have been to start the year.

“Practices have started off great,” Potratz said. “Everyone gets there early in the morning, and everyone gets after it to get better every day,” 

Another player, freshman Max Robinson, expects to focus on growing this season.

“I have no idea how we will do record-wise, but our growth as a team is the way that I will judge our season. Next year we will be more focused on W’s and L’s,” Robinson said. 

Most high schools in Iowa do not have men’s volleyball teams, which means most of the team is composed of new players and recruits from out of state. 

“My high school didn’t have a men’s volleyball team, so I decided to be a part of this team because I love to play volleyball,” Potratz said. 

Robinson and Potratz both gave high praise to their coach.

“I love our coach, KK is great and has great plans for the future of this program,” Robinson said. 

“Coach KK is fantastic. He is a great guy and a great coach with outstanding knowledge of the game,” Potratz said. “He has been helping everyone get better individually along with growing as a team.” 

Palea believes that the guys he has on the team right now have built a good relationship on and off the court.  

“The guys are like family, they all uplift each other and enjoy competing with each other,” he said. 

Palea is still looking for more guys to join the team as they continue to grow.

“If you want to be a part of a family that enjoys competing in a sport, then I would say come see what we are about, and if you like it, then we can talk about being on the team, and if not, thanks for giving it a shot,” Palea said. 

The first game for the men’s volleyball team will be Mar. 3 at home against Mount Mercy University.