For West Springfield High School senior Logan Eaton, volleyball isn’t just a sport — it’s a way of life.

“It's just been around me my whole life,” he says. “I feel like no matter what I've been going through, volleyball has always been there. And I can always lean on volleyball whenever something goes on, or even when I'm having a good time. I can always rely on volleyball to make it better.”

This week, Eaton is one of more than two dozen boys trying out for West Springfield’s Varsity Boys Volleyball team. His mother, Aubrey Eaton, is the head coach. She blows a whistle to kick off Tuesday’s tryout session. “Bring it in, boys!” shouts Coach Eaton. “Alright, day two of tryouts! You all ready for this?”

Sneakers squeak on the freshly waxed gymnasium floor as the boys practice drills: first passing, then blocking, then hitting. At the end of the afternoon, they’ll put together everything they learned in six-on-six drills.

The tryouts may seem routine, as though they’ve been a staple at West Springfield High School for years, but Varsity Boys Volleyball is one of two new athletics offerings that Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is offering at each of its 28 high schools during the 2024-25 school year.

The push to bring Varsity Boys Volleyball to FCPS as a sanctioned sport was a grassroots effort, more than a decade in the making. West Springfield Assistant Coach Bill Hazard, whose two sons are FCPS graduates, remembers how the sport grew into something bigger. “I was involved in the Northern Virginia High School Boys Volleyball League that existed prior to this, starting in 2009,” he recalled. “It was still the goal to get boys volleyball as a varsity sport even back in 2009.”

Before the 2024-25 school year, boys volleyball was available as a student club in 23 out of 25 FCPS high schools, and more than 500 FCPS students participated in community or recreational boys volleyball programs. The sport was growing in popularity in Northern Virginia, and some students went above and beyond to make sure FCPS leadership knew about it.

“Volleyball is the fastest growing team sport in the United States,” said Caleb Ludlow, a then-senior at Langley High School, addressing the Fairfax County School Board in February 2023. “In my opinion, when compared with the multiple other sports I’ve played, it’s one of the most positive in terms of cooperation and fun and team building.”

Caleb was one of many students working to get the word out. West Springfield senior Anar Altankhoiag, one of the students trying out for his school’s team this week, also did his part. “I posted about it on social media,” he explains; “I told all my friends about it and told them to tell their friends.” He also handed out petitions to sign and attended some School Board meetings himself. He didn’t speak at those meetings, but was there to support his peers who did.

The hard work paid off. In May, the School Board adopted the Fiscal Year 2025 budget, which includes $800,000 in funding for Varsity Boys Volleyball, and another new sport, Varsity Girls Wrestling, which students and families also lobbied for. The first season for Varsity Girls Wrestling begins in the winter.

For now, the heat is on for the West Springfield boys to try and make the team. Out of the nearly 30 boys trying out, only half will make the final roster.

“There’s a lot more people showing up than I thought,” observes sophomore Zachary Talbot. Talbot has played volleyball in clubs for about two years. He says he enjoys volleyball for the element of teamwork it fosters compared to other sports: “It's all about the team,” he says, “because it's not like in soccer, like one person can dribble it up and score, or basketball, where one point guard can carry and make people open. But volleyball, you have to use your three touches or you’re just going to lose.”

Coach Eaton notices everyone working hard on the court. “I have observed a hunger to learn,” she says. “They’re taking it all in, you can see them processing. They are really interested and invigorated to play the sport of volleyball.” Even though some participating students have past volleyball experience, she notes, “I do see the desire to learn, to improve, to get better, and so that in itself is exciting.”

Junior Cameron Rogers also noticed how his classmates are learning from each other: “I see a lot of freshmen here who, even though they just started playing volleyball, they're already getting amazingly good,” he says. “I'm feeling pretty pumped. I see all the players. I see great potential in them and I'm glad to be playing alongside of them every day.”

No matter what happens in tryouts, Anar is thrilled that a sport he loves is now in his school, and is here to stay.

“I contributed a lot to this becoming a sport,” he says. “I personally love volleyball, so it feels really good to represent my school.”

Learn more about FCPS student athletics.