Men’s Volleyball Launches Into the New Year

McPherson, Kansas – It’s a new year at Central Christian College of Kansas (CCCK) and with it brings the excitement of a new team competing on the court. Making it the 15th NAIA-sponsored program at CCCK, men’s volleyball will launch this semester under to leadership of Head Coach Rick Hughes – also the Women’s Volleyball Head Coach. Since his hire, Hughes, who is in his second year at CCCK, has brought positive changes to the women’s program, which are paying dividends on the court. He has worked tirelessly to recruit for both programs and is pleased to be able to put a men’s volleyball team on the court this year.

In addition to the team’s launch this semester, it was recently announced that they were seeded in the playing field at the 2022 NCCAA Men’s Volleyball National Invitational, hosted by Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, IL. This is a great honor for the program, especially considering this is their first season of competition. Central has been seeded #5. The entire list of participants in this tournament include:

• #1 Ottawa University Arizona
• #2 Trinity Christian College
• #3 Geneva College
• #4 Maranatha Baptist University
• #5 Central Christian College of Kansas

Student-athletes and coaches will also have the opportunity to participate in a Christian Service Project, with more information to be announced soon. This year’s tournament will be a round-robin format, with play beginning on Friday, January 21, and concluding on Saturday, January 22. The team with the best record after round-robin play will win the Men’s Volleyball Invitational Championship. For the full schedule of matchups, go to the NCCAA website.

Around the collegiate field of athletics, men’s volleyball is a growing sport and is gaining momentum, especially in the NAIA. Central announced the addition of the sport back in April of 2020 and has faithfully worked to bring about a full team of players. This effort, in addition to the fine work done by Coach Rick Hughes, can also be attributed to Athletic Director Kyle Moody. Moody has been a consistent presence in the development of the team and is thrilled to finally be able to see the work come to fruition, saying,

We are beyond excited to finally compete in men’s volleyball for the first time in school history! To be able to take part in the NCCAA National Invitational only makes this opportunity that much more unique! We are still a budding program and Coach Hughes has put in a lot of hard work to get this program off the ground and we look forward to this year and the future of men’s volleyball at Central Christian.

Coach Hughes had this to say regarding the launch of the men’s volleyball team:

This is a very exciting time for Central Christian College of Kansas and the volleyball programs here. I’m especially excited for the start of the men’s program, which has its first game on January 28 here at home, as well as taking part in the Invitational Championship.

While we are still adding players and always looking for the next class, we are thrilled to have have 6-7 new players with a couple of multi-sport athletes that will join us for this inaugural season. It should be a great adventure and we are looking forward to getting the program started!

For the entire 2022 men’s volleyball schedule go to ccctigers.com. Their first game is at home on January 28 at 7 pm against Dordt College.

ABOUT CENTRAL CHRISTIAN COLLEGE OF KANSAS

Central Christian College of Kansas is a regionally accredited institution offering undergraduate and graduate-level programs. Central strives to offer Christ-centered education for the whole person – heart, mind, soul, and strength. Its history dates back to 1884, and it is located in the friendly town of McPherson, Kansas. Central is a strategically small college that offers over forty areas of residential study and a thriving online program for non-traditional students. To learn more about Central go to centralchristian.edu/about. For all things, athletics go to ccctigers.com. Visit the Foundation of Central Christian College to give and see what projects are coming up.