Northwest Shoals Community College announced the addition of volleyball to its athletic programs in a press release on July 9th. Set to begin competition at the Phil Campbell campus in the fall of 2025, it will be NWSCC’s first volleyball team since the program was discontinued after the 2010 season.
"We are thrilled to add volleyball to our cross country teams on the Phil Campbell campus,” said NWSCC President Dr. Jeff Goodwin in the press release. “We look forward to hosting matches on campus and have our tremendous community come and support them.”
The addition of the volleyball program next year will bolster the number of Patriot athletic squads to five with NWSCC already fielding men’s cross country, women’s cross country, baseball, and softball teams.
“Volleyball is popular in our state and we have proven that we can compete at the highest level,” NWSCC Athletics Director Taylor Franks said in the statement released by the school. “We have six ACCC volleyball state championships to our credit and with the talent in our area, I truly believe we can get back to that level. However, more important than championships, we are looking forward to welcoming and nurturing student-athletes that truly understand what it means to be a part of the Patriot family and a community that wants to help each other be successful in life.”
Adding volleyball to the Phil Campbell campus, which already hosts the men’s and women’s cross country teams, will hopefully serve to boost school spirit and the overall experience of the students there, Franks told the Franklin Free Press.
“Phil Campbell already has a great reputation of making it a student-friendly campus,” she said. “I think this will really enhance that, adding this element to that.
“We put cross country there last year but with the renovations going on they haven’t really been able to establish themselves there, so going into next year both men’s and women’s cross country and volleyball will really be able to add some exciting stuff to the campus,” Franks added.
NWSCC said renovations underway at the gymnasium on the Phil Campbell campus are set to be completed by December 2024. The nature of the renovations and the facilities available to NWSCC were key factors in deciding to add volleyball specifically.
“One of the major reasons were the renovations on campus, and looking at the plans and specifications that we had to work with—basically the size, ceiling height, etcetera—that really dictated what we were able to add there,” Franks said. “The three (sports) we have now are outdoor sports, so we’re excited to add an indoor sport to the program and also utilize the gym the best way we could with what we were able to do with our renovations. Volleyball really fit that bill.”
It was volleyball’s turn this time around, but Patriots fans can expect to see the number of sports offered at NWSCC continue to grow in the future. Franks said there’s no concrete timeline, but the school has plans to keep building on its progress as circumstances allow.
“Phil Campbell is undergoing renovations and at some point we’ll start more renovations on the Shoals campus, so those timelines will dictate what we’re able to bring back,” she said. “We’ve had golf on the table; we’ve looked at tennis, and, of course, men’s and women’s basketball. We’re pretty much open to exploring all the possibilities.
“This little corner of the state has excellent talent, and that’s what we want to do: provide these opportunities for our local kids. We have a lot of talent in a lot of areas,” Franks added. “I’d say everything is on the table, but we’re going to look at what makes the most sense. Of course we have to look at our budget and what we’re able to do.
“Facility-wise we have to look at where we are. Facilities and the renovations we’re undergoing decide when and what we’re able to bring back, but we’re excited and looking at all the possibilities,” she said.
The new Patriot volleyball team, which will compete in the Alabama Community College Conference, will consist of 14 scholarship players. Walk-on opportunities will be determined by the future coach of the program. NWSCC opened applications for the coaching position on July 9th, the day the program was announced, and it will close them on July 23rd. The basic qualifications for the part-time job are a Bachelor’s degree and/or three years of volleyball coaching experience at the high school level or higher, but Franks said NWSCC is really looking for a coach that will bring enthusiasm to the program and supplement the student life at the Phil Campbell campus.
“What we’re looking for is something with experience and…it’d be better that they know the area,” Franks said. “They need to understand it will be at the Phil Campbell campus and they’re excited to boost the student life there.”
Franks said NWSCC will take its time in deciding who the first coach of the reestablished Patriot volleyball program will be; however, they want to give their hire plenty of time to prepare for the 2025 season.
“Once we go through all the applications we’ll make sure they meet all the requirements and then we’ll call them in for interviews. We’re going to make sure whoever we hire is the right fit for our program,” Franks said. “We’ll have our coach in place by (December) and the coach will help us establish the program, do some recruiting this fall, and be able to get us ready to compete next fall.”
"We’re very, very excited to be able to offer one more sport at Northwest Shoals,” Franks added.
