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Volleyball players from Ashley Hall take part in the block vertical jump station at the inaugural Champion’s Training Academy at Velocity Sports Performance last Saturday.

Nonetheless, volleyball has gone somewhat under the radar as of late.

The staff at Velocity Sports Performance in Mount Pleasant wanted to change that.

So, that’s what they did.

Last Saturday, three local teams attended the inaugural Champion’s Training Academy.

Teams in attendance were Wando, Ashley Hall, and Porter-Gaud.

“This was much needed,” said Wando senior Christina Glover, who is a captain on this years Lady Warriors squad. “It’s one of those things that should’ve been done a long time ago, and it’s nice to see this finally become a reality. Volleyball is a really big deal here, and should get more recognition.”

The day consisted of all athletes being tested in five different stations, in what was set up like an NFL combine.

The stations were:

•Approach vertical jump

•Block vertical jump

•Agility run

•Power ball toss

• Skills video analysis.

Each athlete  received a rating of 0-100.

“I thought I did well, but my vertical was actually down from before, so that’ s something I can work on. That’s the beauty of an event like this, you find out what you can do better,” Glover said.

Tests were demonstrated and administered by the certified performance coaches at Velocity Sports Performance. There was also  a food reception for the athletes, coaches, and media.

A panel of speakers were in the line-up for the day, included Kaleena Walters, representing College of Charleston volleyball; Rachel Sanders, a  senior volleyball player at The Citadel;  Allan Johnson, sports performance director at Velocity, and Dr. Adam Greenman of Longpoint Family Chiropractic.

“I think for the teams that came this was a very positive experience,” said Skip ReVille, director of Athlete Recruitment and Public Relations at Velocity Sports Performance. “Today gave them something they could take with them and apply on the court tomorrow.”

Wando head volleyball coach Alexis Glover shared her thoughts.

“The exposure the girls will get out of this is great. This is the kind of exposure volleyball needs and it’s great for not only the players, but the coaches as well. You can always have that kid who does something and you think, wow, I didn’t know she could do that.”

After the event, ReVille felt good about the outcome.

“The purpose of this event was to heighten awareness of volleyball in the Lowcountry, and I think we did that. I feel this event will continue to grow and be even more successful in the future,” Reville said.

The next Champion's Training Academy is Nov. 8th for boys and girls basketball teams.