From 2024 to 2025, high school boys volleyball gained over 10,000 participants nationwide.

Lucas Helle is one of South Carolina’s top volleyball prospects. Today, he’s committed to Long Beach State, the NCAA Division 1 champions. But Helle wasn’t always sure he’d be able to play in college.

“It was really hard to be recruited growing up,” Helle said. “Just being from where I’m from, there weren’t a lot of guys in volleyball and it wasn’t a big sport.”

But within the past 10 years, one of the biggest high school sports has dipped in participation. In 2010, the National Federation of State High School Associations reported that there were roughly 1.11 million football players in the country. This year, that number dropped to 1.03 million.

On the other hand, boys volleyball has seen a steady increase in popularity. The NFHS’s High School Participation Survey revealed an all-time high 96,000 participants for the 2024-2025 season.

That’s 10,000 more players than last year, bringing the sport’s total growth to 40,000 young men since 2010.

And this growth isn’t just in places like California or Florida. High school programs have been popping up and thriving in the Palmetto State as well, especially at Dorman High School in Roebuck, where Helle and his teammates are looking to defend their state title.

Dorman’s program is ranked first in the nation for fall indoor teams by Max Preps.

“We’ve won three state championships,” Helle said, adding that Dorman has won “every game but two” since his freshman year in 2022.

But high school teams weren’t even competing for a state championship in South Carolina until it was officially sanctioned as a fall sport in 2022. Amy Boozer, an associate commissioner at the South Carolina High School League, explained why the state unanimously approved the sanctioning.

“It gives them an opportunity to do something else,” Boozer said. “A lot of boy athletes may not be inclined to do football, and the other sports we have offer that time of year are cross country and swim.”

South Carolina is only one of four states that hosts boys volleyball in the fall. Twenty-five states play in the spring, making 29 total states where boys volleyball is a sanctioned high school sport.

Many states without boys volley are partnering with organizations across the country, with the hope that kids in all 50 states can succeed like Lucas Helle and his teammates at Dorman.

The Cavaliers ended the regular season with an undefeated 26-0 record. Dorman starts their road to the state championship this week, where they’ll look to claim their fourth title in a row.