The sport of volleyball has been in high demand in the U.S. over the past few years, demonstrating the game’s popularity and ability to draw in massive crowds.
While the sport has always had a loyal following globally, it was the record-setting attendance of 92,003 fans who packed Memorial Stadium at the University of Nebraska on August 30th, 2023 that motivated mass media coverage of the sport.
That game, Nebraska vs. Omaha, set the world record as the largest crowd ever to watch a women’s sporting event; the previous record, 91,648 fans, was set in 2022 Spain at the UEFA Champions League match between Barcelona and Wolfsburg.
After catching the national media’s attention, outlets like Fox Sports added nationally televised NCAA women’s matches to it’s primetime schedule, including the Inaugural Big Ten-SEC Volleyball Challenge this past September at Wrigley Field.
While the exposure has been great, the games also serve to showcase its popularity with Black women athletes, who have been some of the most dominant players volleyball has seen.
The biggest and most widely recognized name in Black women’s volleyball history is the legendary Flo Hyman.
Hyman led the US Women’s Team to a silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Games and was enshrined in the International Volleyball Hall of Fame. She passed away on January 24th, 1986 from a ruptured aorta, which was later revealed to be due to Marfan syndrome, a genetic connective tissue disorder that had basically created a weak spot in her heart at birth.
Her death created awareness about the condition and resulted in athletes being tested for Marfan syndrome.
There were other amazing players like fellow silver medalist and Hall of Famer Rita Crocket, 3x Olympic medalist Foluke Akinradewo Gunderson, 4x Olympian Tara Cross-Battle, 2x Olympians Chiaka Ogbogu and Jordan Thompson.
And current collegiate stars include players like Pittsburgh’s Olivia Babcock and Texas’ Torrey Stafford.
Last week, the OWN network gave us the story of 12 history-making Black women in “We Belong Here: The Story of Team Dream”, a documentary about the first all-Black women’s team to win the USA Volleyball Open national title in 2018.
We Belong Here tells the incredible story of the women selected for the team and what they endured during that journey to the title.
Led by former Texas Longhorn standout, 4x All-American, NCAA Champion and current Kent State Volleyball coach, Haley Eckerman, the team originally set out to “have fun” when they were coming together.
But after assembling the all Black team, they realized they could make a much more impactful statement.
“We could advertise what Black women looked like playing the sport,” said 3x All-American and NCAA Champion, Khat Bell.
The players reflected on their journey to the title, which revolved around hard work, team work and, as expected in a traditionally white sport, racism.
“I was going through pictures and I’m like ‘I’m the only Black girl on the team…always,'” said former 3x All-SEC player for the Kentucky Wildcats, Kaz Brown.
And unfortunately, those challenges persist in the sport.
In 2022, racist incidents occurred during a game between Duke and BYU in Utah and at the Southern States Athletic Conference’s (SSAC) volleyball awards banquet.
The incident at BYU led South Carolina’s Dawn Staley to cancel the team’s home and home games against the Cougars for the next two years.
Last month, a Central Connecticut State University player was targeted by chants of “George Floyd” by fans at a game at Fairfield University.
These incidents prove the need for more diversity in the sport, which is another goal of the 12 women featured in the doc.
“Team Dream’s origin story is a powerful reminder of what happens when Black women step into their strength together,” said Tina Perry, President, OWN, in a statement.”
Akin to other non-traditional Black sports like golf and tennis, Black volleyball players face similar challenges due to racism and general ignorance.
But when you learn about the number of Black women playing the sport at all levels, the success that they’ve had domestically and internationally and their overall impact on the game, you realize that they’re built for volleyball and have dominated in it.
And thanks to this doc, we all will recognize the history Black women have made in the sport as well.
