By Ken Lay
As the weather warms in East Tennessee, athletes usually head outside to compete in baseball, softball, soccer, tennis, track and field and flag football.
High school gyms have largely been empty except when inclement weather forces teams to work out indoors.
Not anymore.
For the last three years, two high schools have fielded boys volleyball teams. West High and Knoxville Catholic have competed in the sport for the last three springs. Karns also added the sport a short time later. First Baptist Academy also has a team in 2026. Farragut and Blount County have hybrid teams that are competing East Tennessee, along with Chattanooga McCallie
The Rebels hosted a pair of matches Thursday night, sweeping a team featuring players from Maryville and William Blount, 2-0. West High also swept the Blue Tornado in three sets.
High school boys volleyball has long been popular on the West Coast. Schools from Nashville and Northeast Tennessee have also competed for several years.
Rebels’ coach Jessica Lee is no stranger to volleyball or building programs, almost from scratch, on Sutherland Avenue.
When she took the reins from the girls program several years ago, Lee inherited a team that had been through years of struggles. Now, the Lady Rebels boast one of the area’s most competitive programs.
Now she’s coaching the boys, a program that established its roots in gym classes at the school.
“It started when we had some boys monkeying around in gym class,” Lee said.
The West High boys program also somewhat developed from the popularity of the girls program when the Lady Rebels became successful.
“We had some guys who traveled and came to every match with the girls, not knowing if they would ever get a chance to play high school volleyball.”
Two former Rebels are now playing college volleyball. Mauricio Candelas-Tecero is at Reinhardt University in Georgia, and Dom Smith is playing for Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in Indiana.
Other former West players are playing club volleyball and have come back to work with the program.
Lee noted that there is interest in seeking TSSAA sanctioning of boys volleyball.
“You have teams in Nashville and you have Kingsport Dobyns-Bennett that has been playing organized volleyball for six or seven years,” she said. “We are looking for sanctioning from the TSSAA.”
In its first two seasons, West has had success in the state tournament.
“Our first year, we finished third in the state tournament, and last year, I think we finished third in the Silver Division, but the tournament was a lot bigger,” Lee said. “I have two (graduates) playing college volleyball.
“One is at Reinhardt in Georgia and one is at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in Indiana. We have others who have gone on to UT and they’ve come back to help us.”
The Rebels have 14 players on their 2026 roster and are 5-2 after their two wins Thursday night.
West will next play at Catholic on Thursday at 6 p.m.
