BRIDGEWATER, Va. – Bridgewater College and Director of Athletics Curt Kendall are pleased to announce the addition of men's volleyball as the institution's 25th intercollegiate sport. The new team will begin competition in the 2025-26 academic year, following the hiring of the program's first head coach.
 
"With nearly a third of our students playing an NCAA sport, we understand the importance of the student-athlete experience and the lifelong skills that are intrinsically instilled as part of a team, including time management, goal setting and teamwork," said Bridgewater President David Bushman. "We're glad to be able to offer that experience to even more students."
 
The decision coincides with the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC)'s announcement that men's volleyball will become the league's 26th sponsored sport beginning in the 2024-25 season.
 
"We are fortunate to add a growing sport like men's volleyball to our collection of well-established athletic programs," said Kendall. "With the expansion by the Conference, we are happy to make the addition and immediately become competitive in the newly started league sport."  
 
Bridgewater will join ODAC members Averett, Eastern Mennonite, Lynchburg, Randolph, Randolph-Macon, Roanoke and Virginia Wesleyan as the eighth member of the league's existing schools to add the program.  The new sport will host home matches in the Nininger Hall gym.
 
Currently, 124 Division III institutions support men's volleyball, with nearly a dozen new programs started since the 2023 season. More than 60,000 student-athletes currently compete for over 2,500 high schools that support the growing sport.
 
The college welcomes qualified candidates to learn more about the head coach position online.
 
Coeducational since its founding in 1880, Bridgewater College is a private, four-year liberal arts college located in the Central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Today, Bridgewater College is home to approximately 1,450 students. The college boasts a successful intercollegiate sports program that sponsors 23 NCAA Division III sports and a competitive, intercollegiate NCEA riding program (www.bridgewatereagles.com).